Hypnotic entertainment
Hypnotist Jason Cyrus is coming to Charlottetown.
Jason Cyrus has dreamt about the stage since he was a youngster.
The native of Minto, N.B., played competitive sports, but the stage called out to him. Now a hypnotist, Cyrus will bring his “A Journey Through the Unconscious Mind’’ to the Confederation Centre of the Arts on Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m.
“I come from an entertainment background,” Cyrus said, in a recent interview. “My dad was a country music singer, Joey Knight, and so I had entertainment in my blood.’’ Cyrus has been studying magic and hypnosis since he was 10 years old. While he played sports, his passion was in drama and he acknowledges he got bullied for it in school. But, he wouldn’t be undone. “It was something that intrigued me. Of course, I had seen a lot of the stage hypnosis shows (across Canada) and it was something I wanted to do.’’
When he was 20 years old, he dove into the study of the superconscious mind head first, putting on his first shows in Sussex, N.B.
“Right from there, it was something I knew I had to do as a career.’’
Two of his biggest inspirations are hypnotists Martin St. James and Peter Raveen, both having since died. Raveen is a name familiar to many Islanders, gracing P.E.I. stages, including the Confederation Centre, countless times from the 1960s to the 1980s.
But while people who went to those shows might know what to expect, Cyrus says he puts his own spin on things. “It’s more modern. We’ve added a lot of video footage in our show and lighting and music tracks and everything is so up to date. Our show is so polished and I just couldn’t be prouder of it.”
Cyrus has taken his shows from bars and high schools to the theatre, now promising a Las Vegas-style show. And, he vows his shows are completely family friendly. “No one on our stage is ever embarrassed, ridiculed or disrespected. The biggest highlight for me is when I see families sitting in the audience . . . kids are laughing . . . pointing at the volunteers on stage . . . when I see families come together it’s just a great feeling.”
He leaves volunteers who come up on stage for the show with healthy suggestions – confidence, positive thinking – and erases bad habits such as smoking, over eating, biting nails and addictions.
“I also leave them with suggestions to never drink and drive or text and drive.” When Cyrus isn’t on tour he also does one-on-one sessions at Lazer Iz Essential Wellness Centre in Moncton, N.B., as a naturotherapist.
“On my down time, I work at a clinic in Moncton. I get people from all over, from Halifax to Charlottetown. Unfortunately, (there isn’t enough time) to see everybody.”