The Magic Play
A theater is a realm of illusion. So is a magic show. Playwright Andrew Hinderaker mashes these traditions together with alluring results. The Magic Play follows a young magician trying to get through a live show just hours after his partner has left him. As the performance progresses, he confronts the fact that the spectacular tricks that impress people on stage don’t serve him as well when it comes to building truthful personal relationships. This mesmerizing new play questions the extent to which we must be honest with ourselves in order to be so with those we love.
Who's Who:
View the cast and creative team bios.
Playbill:
Explore the playbill.
Run Time:
Approximately
2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission.
Note:
Recommended for ages 16 and up. Contains adult situations and explicit language. Children under 6 are not permitted at any production at The
Armory.
Resource Guide:
Download resource guide (PDF)
The Magic Play
- Previews are Mar. 3-8 | Opening night Mar. 9
- By Andrew Hinderaker
- Directed by Halena Kays
- with magic created by Brett Schneider
Special Cocktails for "The Magic Play"
The Armory Bar supervisor and resident mixologist Melissa Larrabee describes her glittery and delicious cocktails inspired by The Magic Play.
Audience Reviews of "The Magic Play"
Audiences are loving The Magic Play. Check out what fans of the show have said on Facebook!
Playwrights in Discussion
Kodachrome playwright Adam Szymkowicz interviews The Magic Play playwright Andrew Hinderaker.
Reviews of "The Magic Play"
"The Magic Play combines a jaw-dropping performance of classic card tricks with a compelling backstory of tender love. The result is breathtaking."
"The Magic Play" Cast and Creative Team
Meet the exciting cast, world class magicians and creative team behind The Magic Play.
Winter Improv Labs
Grow from "yes, and..." to your first completely improvised scene in Improv Labs at The Armory. Take one for fun or both to master your improv skills!
Current & Upcoming
The Great Leap
From the acclaimed playwright of Cambodian Rock Band! San Francisco. 1989. Basketball standout Manford Lum is a fast-talking, dominating teenager on the street courts of Chinatown. But when he elbows his way onto a college team traveling to Beijing for a “friendship” game, the outcome isn’t what anyone expects. Lauren Yee uses her father’s basketball heroics and the student-led demonstrations that rocked the world as a springboard for this moving story that keeps the tension rising right up until the final buzzer. A co-production with Artists Repertory Theatre.
Photography Exhibit: Like the Brightest Star by Tom Lupton
Tom Lupton's Like the Brightest Star is a photography exhibit for "the misfits and the losers and the rock and rollers." Based on the final song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the exhibit celebrates the struggle, victory, and transcendence of duality.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Brilliantly innovative, moving, and wickedly funny, this genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage. Hedwig, a German emigrant, is out to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the operation that left her with that “angry inch.” Part rock concert, part cabaret, part stand-up comedy routine, this one-of-a-kind musical proves time and again that an indomitable spirit can’t ever be tied down.
Improvisation Classes for Beginners
Whether you're looking to get more confident in social situations, think quicker on your feet, or get in touch with your imaginative side, this once-a-month improv class will set you on the path to success! (One of four sessions.)
Gallery Exhibit: Works by Arvie Smith
Explore this incredible collection of narrative storytelling work and portrait work that expresses "deep sympathy for the dispossessed and marginalized members of society in an unrelenting search for beauty, meaning, and equality." It will be on display through April 4, in support of our production of Gem of the Ocean.
Autobiographic Devising for Solo Performance with Katherine Murphy Lewis
This multi-session workshop for women (including trans women of course!) and femme-identified people uses physical exploration, research, writing, construction, and editing to develop new solo material and the tools to support the creation of future artistic visions. Ideal for theater makers and performers who want to reclaim agency over their creative lives — and anyone else who has a story to tell!
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
Show Sponsors
2017-2018 Supporting Sponsors
