I worked with the Director of Production at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre to conceive and construct a magic trick for their production of The Tempest, co-directed by the famous magician, Teller. Teller provided my collaborator and I with the basic idea behind the trick and I created construction drawings from his sketches, which we then used to build the contraption from steel, wood, and glass. The construction took place off-site and the contraption had to be transported safely across town, which added some complication. Without giving away the functionality of the magic trick, the cage was approximately 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet 6 inches tall. It contained two spring-loaded, mirrored doors with absolutely no exposed framing along the edges and had to be perfectly symmetrical.

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Performance Report from the Project Manager

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“I've worked with Dan on a number of projects, both at my shop and through his role at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.  He's a talented, conscientious woodworker and metal worker, and was always a great addition to the team.  His knowledge and technical expertise in the magical ways of theatre were invaluable, and I learned a lot about how and why things are done on stage that have helped shaped my own work and construction techniques.  While I was disappointed that such a great co-worker moved away, I'm ecstatic that he's now passing on that knowledge on a daily basis, and providing an opportunity for so many.”

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-Neil Verplank, Maker, Designer, and Head Wizard, The Mad Haddon Project, Chicago, Illinois

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