About

What happens when the line between reality and fiction vanishes into thin air?

In Spring 2020 Vincent Gambini began touring his show about a magician in crisis over the state of the world. “What is the point of magic…”, asked the exasperated Gambini, dropping his props and collapsing on the stage floor, “…when everything is falling apart? This is the last show I do. I quit!”

Gambini couldn’t have predicted that his tour would actually be cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Featuring the empty streets of Brighton in lockdown, as well as private rehearsal footage and phone conversations, this new film reflects on the laborious preparation behind sleight-of-hand magic, and the search for human contact at a time of isolation.

Running time: 35 minutes

The film will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Deborah Pearson, starting at 9pm.

Supported by Arts Council England.

Augusto Corrieri is writer, performance maker, and a Lecturer in Drama at the University of Sussex. Under the pseudonym Vincent Gambini, he has been presenting critically acclaimed sleight-of-hand magic shows.

Hugo Glendinning is a photographer and film maker who has worked with most leading British theatre and dance companies, including a 30-year collaboration with Forced Entertainment.

Deborah Pearson is a live artist and playwright. Her work has toured to 6 continents, 25 countries and has been translated into 8 languages. She is a research fellow at Birkbeck, and founding co-director of UK artist collective Forest Fringe.