Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself (2020), directed by Frank Oz, is a transformative cinematic record of a singular off-Broadway performance that ran for 552 shows. More than a typical magic special, it functions as a "theatrical existential experience" and a "modern allegory" that explores the profound and often painful nature of identity.
While the stories are deeply personal to DelGaudio, reviewers from Variety note that the performance's true feat is how it shifts the focus back onto the audience, creating a collective feeling of being truly seen. 'In & Of Itself' Is A Study Of Identity And Magic - NPR
Upon entering the theater, every audience member was required to choose a card from a wall of hundreds of options, each beginning with "I AM," such as "I AM a teacher," "I AM a skeptic," or "I AM a dreamer".
The stage featured six recessed windows, representing the chambers of a gun in a game of Russian roulette, each containing a symbolic object linked to a personal story from DelGaudio's life.
The production is built around a deceptively simple question: . DelGaudio uses his mastery of sleight of hand not for mere spectacle, but as a tool to dismantle the labels—both self-imposed and assigned by society—that define us.
DelGaudio weaves together vulnerable personal anecdotes—including stories of his upbringing and his time as a professional cardshark—with illusions that serve to illustrate the "super-real". A Collective Epiphany
Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself (2020), directed by Frank Oz, is a transformative cinematic record of a singular off-Broadway performance that ran for 552 shows. More than a typical magic special, it functions as a "theatrical existential experience" and a "modern allegory" that explores the profound and often painful nature of identity.
While the stories are deeply personal to DelGaudio, reviewers from Variety note that the performance's true feat is how it shifts the focus back onto the audience, creating a collective feeling of being truly seen. 'In & Of Itself' Is A Study Of Identity And Magic - NPR Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself (2020)
Upon entering the theater, every audience member was required to choose a card from a wall of hundreds of options, each beginning with "I AM," such as "I AM a teacher," "I AM a skeptic," or "I AM a dreamer". Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself (2020), directed
The stage featured six recessed windows, representing the chambers of a gun in a game of Russian roulette, each containing a symbolic object linked to a personal story from DelGaudio's life. 'In & Of Itself' Is A Study Of
The production is built around a deceptively simple question: . DelGaudio uses his mastery of sleight of hand not for mere spectacle, but as a tool to dismantle the labels—both self-imposed and assigned by society—that define us.
DelGaudio weaves together vulnerable personal anecdotes—including stories of his upbringing and his time as a professional cardshark—with illusions that serve to illustrate the "super-real". A Collective Epiphany
