MAGICIANS' CABARET - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director of the Annual Bastille
• President of the Magic Academy

Born in Sydney, Australia, James, at the age of twenty-two, quit his job as a body guard to set off on a journey travelling the world that would take three years, in the hope of finding his true calling. During his travels he encountered strange yet wonderfully inspirational people who led him to study transcendental meditation and metaphysics, before being seduced by the world of magic after a chance meeting with veteran Las Vegas producer Peter Reveen in 1998. Peter introduced James to renowned Las Vegas magicians Siegfried and Roy. At their show Masters of the Impossible at The Mirage Hotel, (1994-2003 most visited show in Las Vegas) James fell in love with the art of magic and was left wondering how they made tigers appear and vanish and make an elephant appear seemingly from thin air. "I was in the front row" says James "and eyes wide open… Two hours of witnessing miracles was an incredible experience. The emotion of wonder has stayed with me ever since." James spent time with Siegfried who also shared a love of transcendental meditation and attended what was called at the time Desert Magic (an underground magic gathering by invitation to magicians only), hence beginning his training in theatre production and the art of magic. Since 2014 James has been the producer and artistic director of the annual Bastille, Food Wine, Art Revolution Festival opening Grand Le Cabaret Shows, which features Parisian Cabaret, which has featured on SBS, FOX, Network Sevens The Morning Show, Network Nine The Today Show and French Media such as CCTV and TV5 Monde. James created The Magicians Cabaret theatre restaurant and its own in-house theatre company in 2009. James has produced three major works La Fortuna, La Lumiere and La Belle Rose which he wrote and directed. Sydney Arts Guide wrote "I can recommend La Fortuna." MW magazine quoted "craftsmanship in creating a visual feast." Additionally his work has again received global detection with UK Magic Week Magazine writing, "The show is spellbinding and mesmerizing" and USA-based celebrity magazine Cliché writing "simply amazing, unpredictable and enchanting" and voted The Magicians Cabaret as best three things to do in Sydney after dark. In 2016 Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies of Channel Sevens The Morning Show presented a feature story and interview on James creative work.