An image of a man reading a book whilst a confetti of playing cards falls around him.

This Is Not A Magic Show

Vincent Gambini

14 Nov

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Information

Time: 9pm

Tickets: Pay What You Can (Recommended Price £15)*

*All orders subject to a £2 transcation fee

Running Time: 65 mins (approx.)

Age Guidance: 14+

This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber

Priority booking is now open to BAC Champions and Hive Members.
General booking opens Friday 24 July at 12pm

A show about magic, about theatre, but mostly about ourselves and how easily we suspend our disbelief.

This Is Not A Magic Show is a trailblazing work of theatre-magic. Artist Vincent Gambini questions the show itself and, in doing so, all expectations along with it.

Cards transform inexplicably in front of our eyes, silver coins appear out of nowhere, and our own perception of reality explodes into a thousand mirrors.

Through his conversational yet crafted approach, Gambini, with astonishing sleight-of-hand trickery, explores magic’s invisible mechanics, its clichés, and what it tells us about live performance and make-believe.

“Thoughtful, playful and multi-layered. Will make you question how we watch and what we see.” ★★★★ Guardian

“Takes apart the clockwork mechanics of wonder in ingenious style”
★★★★ Fest Mag

Biography

Vincent Gambini, real name Augusto Corrieri (Italy/UK), is a Brighton-based performance maker and writer. He uses the pseudonym Vincent Gambini to approach magic as a performing art, informed by many years studying and working professionally across contemporary theatre and live art.

Magic performances include his critically acclaimed This Is Not A Magic Show (2015), The Chore of Enchantment (2018), the film The Disappearing of Vincent Gambini (2021, made with artist Hugo Glendinning) and the one-to-one live performance over headphones Close-up (2024).

Alongside magic, he works as a writer, essayist, and theatre lecturer. His book In place of a show: What happens inside theatres when nothing is happening is published by Bloomsbury.

Creative Team

Written and performed by Augusto Corrieri

Access

PRE EVENT INFORMATION

This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber. This space is on the first floor, with step-free access via a lift.

If you have booked a ticket you will receive an email from us before your performance detailing important information about your visit.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT/COMPANION TICKETS

If you require the assistance of a friend or helper to attend, we can make a free ticket available for your companion. You can book access companion tickets online or contact the Box Office to book by emailing boxoffice@bac.org.uk.

To book a free access companion online:

log in to your account here
go to ‘Other preferences’ and tick ‘I require a personal assistant/companion’.
Choose the performance, date and seats you would like and if you add at least 2 tickets to your basket, then one of these will automatically become free.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Content

Moments of complete darkness
Light audience participation

Please note: Late arrival and re-entry for this performance is only permitted at certain moments.

VISIT OUR ACCESS PAGE

We want our shows to be as accessible to as many people as possible.

We offer tickets to most shows on a Pay What You Can basis throughout the year.

Tickets for Unreal Magic Festival start at £4, and we have recommended pricing to help you choose a price that works for you.

We know that ticket price is a huge barrier for some. If you can afford to pay the recommended price or more, choosing to do so supports those that can’t. It makes it possible for us to continue to offer Pay What You Can and welcome those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.