August 2010: International Performance Review
In 2009, Mo Magic was contacted by the Leadership Centre (Graduate School of Business) at the University of Kwazulu Natal. Professor Kriben Pillay was interested in showcasing his innovative work at the Third International Conference on Consciousness, Theatre, Literature and the Arts to be held at Lincoln University in May 2009.
Mo Magic was asked to create the illusions to demonstrate the concepts that Professor Pillay was to convey. With this in mind, Mo Magic went about as both a consultant and performer.
The final product, in which both persons took took the stage, was previewed to a select audience at the University of Kwazulu Natal, were it was well received. This interactive presentation was then taken to the United Kingdom for the conference, where it was also well received.
Here is the feedback, from the University, regarding Mo’s services:
“Brain Scam is a unique act of illusion that constructs with the audience not only the experience of engaging theatre, but also unfolds a narrative of non-dual consciousness through both the spoken words and the illusions which illustrate the text. In this experimental work, it was hoped that the audience will arrive at an immediate sense of how illusory the constructs of ordinary consciousness are, and perhaps glimpse what lies prior to what we take reality to be.
Given the above, the presentation called for a performer who was sensitive to the philosophical subtleties of the experiential investigation without forsaking the entertainment dimension. Mo Magic responded exceptionally well to the performance challenges in creating the illusion effects which complemented the story.
In order to arrive at the final product, Mo Magic allowed an intimate group to critique his performance style so that presentational difficulties could be positively attended to in order to enhance his communication with the audience. Rather than resist such an exercise, he welcomed it as a rewarding learning laboratory, and the effects thereof were tangibly present in the final performances, both in Durban, South Africa, and in the UK at the University of Lincoln, where the audiences were highly impressed with the quality of his magical performances.
I’ve had the unique pleasure of being both Mo’s mentor and his mentee; and it might be said that he has been more my mentor in the art of magical illusion than I have have been his in the art of theatrical presentation. But this has resulted in a friendship of equal footing, and I hope that we may collaborate again on another innovative presentation, featuring his unique skills as a master performer of illusions.”
- Professor Kriben Pillay The Leadership Centre UKZN
