Vision

Over the past few years the performance of magic has experienced a renaissance, leading entertainment writers to speak of a "New Golden Age." Multi-million-dollar productions in major resorts, casinos, huge theatres and arenas, and on television have displayed magic that is fast, dazzling and spectacular. Such performances have drawn audiences on a scale unprecedented in the history of this ancient form of theatre.

Much as we admire the success of these spectacles, it was a different kind of magic which first drew us to the craft, and which still feeds our minds with mystery that is both intense and charming.

This kind of magic was typical of the first Golden Age of Magic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The master conjurors of this period - luminous names such as Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar and David Devant - created magic that took place in the mind of the spectator more than on the stage. Their deft use of language and interpersonal cues invited their audiences to embark on a voyage of imagination and wonder. So while many magicians now dazzle their audiences with technical brilliance and visual spectacle, we, like Robert Frost, have chosen to take this earlier "road less travelled."

Artistically, in developing The Conjuror, we had several related objectives. One was to re-create the stage magic of this earlier Golden Age, to transport the audience to a time and place (we chose the year of 1909 and the legendary St. George's Hall in London) where audiences came to be enchanted by paradox. These were sophisticated adult audiences who, within that kind of theatrical space, could allow the child within to assent to the only plausible explanation for these paradoxes: magic.

So first, we decided to create a historically authentic performance featuring magical effects of a century ago - effects that charmed audiences of the day - using the actual techniques of those old masters of enchantment. Second, we set out to make a piece of theatre woven together with texture and irony, magic and humour, language and music, so that we might reflect today's inner child in the magical mirror of yesterday.

Finally, we recalled that the performers of the older magic were nourished by the affection of their audiences. This affection, they argued, could be won only be risking a close, almost intimate relationship with the audience. Our Conjuror aims to re-create this kind of relationship. It is a participatory kind of magic, and in this spirit we invite the audience to enter in.