Student performance troupe: Diary of a Magician
The Adelaide Fringe and Festivals are in full swing. Last week a student performance troupe staged an unusual show entitled Diary of a Magician, at the Garage International venue behind the Adelaide Town Hall. The students are all studying at the Graduate Institute of the Performing Arts, Taiwan Normal University in Taipei.
Last year the University welcomed this group of students as they explored the Fringe, with a view to bringing their own show in the future. I had the privilege of seeing that show a week ago.
It is an enchanting piece, fully devised by the students, offering a blend of magic, mime, dance, poetry, clowning, physical theatre and music. Diary of a Magician is whimsical, exuberant and aesthetically rich. Mu-Syuan Chang presents a series of magical ‘tricks’ while dancing. The show also provides a simple and elegant use of multi-media elements. It is stylish, compelling to watch and has that rare quality: an appeal to all age groups. The sense of delight amongst the audience was palpable. I understand that the last performance was full of children. Kids in Adelaide gave it 5 stars.
I congratulate the students wholeheartedly on this project and hope to see them at the Fringe again.
Professor Anne Pender, Director, JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice