Making a Difference

The bingo room at the Johnston Senior Center was at full capacity Wednesday for a performance by renowned illusionist Lyn Dillies. Each audience member was on the edge of their seat, unable to comprehend how each trick was executed and captivated by the magic.

While the Johnston Senior Center offers numerous programs and activities daily for its patrons, according to Executive Director Richard DelFino, this was their first magic show. Illusionist Lyn Dillies spent an hour with the seniors, combining her jaw-dropping illusions with important messages about how to overcome challenges and how everyone’s life could use a little more magic. She used her witty jokes and bubbly charisma to keep the audience engaged, and brought up audience volunteers to assist her with almost every trick.

“I thought she was amazing, and all her tricks were fantastic,” said Larry Chretien, one audience volunteer who participated in a trick with large playing cards. “The one that really shocked everyone was the last one with the bird.” (Make sure to read until the end to know the magic of this illusion!)

“We at the Center really advocate for any program that is educational, instructional or entertaining,” said DelFino. “She was phenomenal, and she did it free of charge,” he said at the end of her performance. Pro bono work is nothing new to Dillies, she often aims to couple her work as an entertainer with philanthropy, working with several different New England organizations to benefit the community.

“What I’ve tried to do is make sure that they have an unforgettable experience, and it just really warms their hearts with a lot of joy. And that’s the goal,” said Dillies. “We all need so much magic in our lives these days.”

Lyn Dillies, nationally-known illusionist and the face of Magic of Lyn, has been amazing audiences with her magic for over two decades. She didn’t have to travel far to perform for the Johnston seniors; she lives nearby in southern Massachusetts. Dillies was once a painfully shy child, according to her website, but gained confidence after seeing Bill Bixby on television’s “The Magician” at age 12. Since then, she has won several awards, notably the Merlin Award for Female Illusionist of the Year from the International Magicians Society in 2009 and was the first female illusionist to win the Milbourne Christopher Award – the Academy Award of magic – from the Society of American Magicians in 2013.

“Coming out of the pandemic, as things started to get back in the groove, I put together a solo show that I could do myself, taking out different elements from my big production,” said Dillies. “I put it together into this one-hour show, specifically for senior groups. The material is very entertaining. It’s uplifting, and it’s inspiring.”

Dillies is a board member of the Chain Reaction Foundation, an organization based in Warwick that presents entertainment programs at health and wellness facilities, such as Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Dillies often visits Hasbro, entertaining the patients with her magic, but also teaching doctors, patients and staff how to perform the tricks.

“They do a lot of charity work primarily with hospitals, and bring magic into the hospital. They even teach the doctors how to do some magic so that they can then break the ice when they go into a patient’s room and be able to bring some joy to their patients,” said Dillies.

Tom “Toby” Rose, director of the Chain Reaction Foundation, was in attendance at Dillies’ show. “We teach magic to doctors at hospitals and volunteers at organizations for people with disabilities like Gateways of Change,” he said. “Lyn is one of the most generous people I’ve met.”

“It’s very empowering for [the patients] because many times I will teach the child how to do a couple of tricks. It just makes them feel so good about themselves, to be able to then show their family, their doctors, or nurses,” Dillies said.

In May, Dillies performed a show called “Make Hunger Disappear” at New Bedford High School whose proceeds supported the Southcoast YMCA Full Plate Project, a program that provides food to Southcoast residents who struggle with food insecurity.

“Whether it’s putting a smile on a child’s face, or a senior citizen, or helping people dealing with food insecurity, it all comes down to just treating people with respect and kindness,” Dillies said when asked about the connection between philanthropy and magic. “Our M.O. with the food mission is we’re feeding people more than the food they’re eating, it’s hope that their lives will get better someday. That’s really important to me because hope’s a reason to go on.”

Each year, the Calvin Dillies Scholarship Fund, a piece of Dillies’ program “Your Vote is Magic,” awards $500 to the winning essay written by a student who attended the program at their school. The scholarship fund is in honor of Dillies’ late father who was passionate about the right to vote and participatory citizenship. “Your Vote is Magic” includes topics such as the origins of political mascots, examples of close elections where every vote counts, the Women’s Suffrage Movement and more. It can be tailored to high schools, colleges, community events and libraries. More information is online at www.magicoflyn.com.

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably still curious about the “bird trick.” Dillies started her grand finale illusion by inflating a pink balloon. She then passed the balloon to audience members in the front row to confirm it was empty and legitimate. After taking the balloon back and uttering some magical words, she popped the balloon to reveal a real white dove!