Genii executive editor, Jim Steinmeyer, served as moderator. The conversation was assembled and edited from two separate video conferences.
The solo show—not merely an act but a theatrical experience—is an aspiration for magicians, a fashion for the art, and a creative hurdle for writers, directors, and performers. Those shows will be featured at this year’s FISM in Torino, Italy, and MAGIC Live in Las Vegas. Genii convened a roundtable discussion to discuss the goals, the challenges, and the process.
Meet the Roundtable
Benjamin Schrader / Jenny Weinbloom / Sandy Marshall (Photos courtesy of participants)
BENJAMIN SCHRADER is a creative and show director with Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment. In addition, he serves as creative director of Legerdemain at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, creative consultant for Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Casa Bonita, and a puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company. His Broadway credits include the original production of The Book of Mormon.
JENNY WEINBLOOM is vice president of Disney Live Entertainment for Disney Signature Experiences and Disney Cruise Line. As a creative director and producer she has been a key player in immersive projects like Sleep No More, Meow Wolf, and Immersive Van Gogh, collaborations with Baz Luhrmann, George R.R. Martin, the Radio City Rockettes, and more. Jenny is also a comedy writer and performer.
ALEXANDER (SANDY) MARSHALL is a producer and partner at Close Quarter Productions, as well as a television and stage writer and producer. He has been involved with shows from the back room at Magic Inc. (which he owns) to Edinburgh, the West End, Broadway, and off-Broadway. He’s a producer of this season’s hits Glengarry, Glen Ross, and Dr. Strangelove, and author of the biography of his father, Jay Marshall.