Magic to cry for

In 2007, as part of my university work placement training, I was working for the London-based theatre trio, Standnotamazed, made up by John van der Put (now the world-famous award-winning Piff the Magic Dragon), Alexis Terry and Maya Politaki (now Associate Artistic Director & Development Manager for Peut-Être Theatre company).

I was responsible for the costumes, props and art direction of the various pieces the trio performed, notably Magic To Cry For. Prior to my design work, I had to undergo a "magic training" as no props can be designed without the understanding of certain conjuring methods that are to be used in a show. Furthermore, because performing magic is a difficult task thus all the props have to be made as precisely as possible, otherwise they may ruin the show. The training was followed by a visit to the Magic Circle Theatre library which has the largest collection of magic books in Europe.

I was also assisting with set-up and sound-operating on different shows: at Siobhan Davies Studios, Magic Circle Theatre and Workingmen’s Club.

"A delectable evening of sophisticated cabaret from London’s most refined creators of contemporary performance magic."

"There are many magic flourishes that pepper the plot but though I was often left wondering how they achieved some of these, the magic never got in the way of the story and was well integrated with the excellent, often witty dialogue and sinuous dance of their relationship. Special mention should be made of the beautiful Maya Politaki who moves like an angel throughout - dressed all in white to contrast with John van der Put in his black suit."