TODAY · 10:00am
Errant Obsession
Dougherty Arts Center · South
TODAY · 8:00pm
Houdini Speaks to the Living
Thursday, October 29 at Hidden Room Theatre, Austin
About this event
On the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's death, come spend time inside the Hidden Room, hearing the actual words of Arthur Conan Doyle and Houdini as they struggle with the question: Can the dead speak??? Starring Robert Matney as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Patrick Terry as Harry Houdini. The year is 1924. Harry Houdini is at the peak of his fame, touring the country with performance-lectures that expose fraudulent mediums and challenge the growing Spiritualist movement. At the same moment, his friend (and eventual adversary) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is lecturing in passionate defense of Spiritualism, convinced it represents a profound philosophical and moral evolution for humanity. Watch these two legends battle out the true nature of magic, science and faith through a historically based, largely verbatim play. Your ticket helps support our work with students and teachers across Texas bringing Shakespeare, classic tales, and digital storytelling tools into classrooms to build confidence, empathy, and healthy communication
Who's playing
Patrick Terry, an actor, filmmaker and magician, plays Houdini. Robert Matney, a Hidden Room company member, plays Conan Doyle. The play was developed by Hidden Room's Beth Burns with Terry, drawing on the Harry Ransom Center's Houdini and Conan Doyle archives at UT. The show has since traveled to New York and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
What to expect
The two men appear as if on a 1924 lecture tour. Doyle defends Spiritualism and Houdini takes his claims apart. About three-quarters of the text is verbatim, taken from letters, essays and diaries. Terry also performs period illusions, including séance-style effects, so the debate has some stage magic in it. The show runs about an hour.
Why go
The play treats Houdini and Doyle as former friends who disagree about grief and belief. It does not play them as simple opposites. Hidden Room is a respected Austin company, and the run lands on a real centennial. Ticket sales also support the company's classroom work with Texas students and teachers.
Where
Hidden Room Theatre · Austin TX
TODAY · 9:15pm
Houdini Speaks to the Living
Penfold Theatre Company · A · $25-$45
TODAY · All day
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An American in Paris - Movie Screening
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