Making Magic At Home

Momentary leads unique ‘journey’ to Scotland

“Initially, I just went walking in the landscapes I used to go in as a kid,” Silven says of returning to Scotland, “and rediscovered a carving in a tree that I put there when I was like 8 years old. That was the kind of catalyst for this experience. And then hearing this myth that I’d been told by my grandparents when I was a kid, about this little boy who ran away from home, that was the sort of genesis for the story. It’s been really lovely to actually slow down and appreciate what I have and be back in a landscape that is incredibly serene and calm and your heart is sort of set to the rhythm of the place. It’s pretty special. So I’ve tried to make the most of it.”

(Photos by David Wilkinson, Empirical Photography. Courtesy of the artist)
“Initially, I just went walking in the landscapes I used to go in as a kid,” Silven says of returning to Scotland, “and rediscovered a carving in a tree that I put there when I was like 8 years old. That was the kind of catalyst for this experience. And then hearing this myth that I’d been told by my grandparents when I was a kid, about this little boy who ran away from home, that was the sort of genesis for the story. It’s been really lovely to actually slow down and appreciate what I have and be back in a landscape that is incredibly serene and calm and your heart is sort of set to the rhythm of the place. It’s pretty special. So I’ve tried to make the most of it.” (Photos by David Wilkinson, Empirical Photography. Courtesy of the artist)

Scott Silven may be able to read minds, but even he couldn’t have predicted when he flew home to Scotland in the spring — for what he thought would be a two-week visit — he might be there for the rest of 2020.

And, OK, he can’t really read minds, either. But if you give yourself over to the fun and mystery of one of his performances, you might easily convince yourself otherwise.

“Really, what I strive for in all my work is that it is just as much a theatrical and emotional experience as it is an experience of amazing magic and mentalism,” Silven says over Zoom from his home across the pond.

An illusionist and “world renowned mentalist,” as Vogue described him, Silven’s 2020 plans were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic like every other live performer’s. In the middle of a world tour, he found himself headed back to Scotland from the States for a brief visit with family. When the borders closed, and he realized he’d be stuck in the lush landscape of his childhood for a while, Silven started planning.

“I thought, this is a really serendipitous and interesting moment to maybe create something new that can connect with audiences from afar,” he recalls.

Lieven Bertels, director of the Momentary, must have read his mind, Silven shares, because not two weeks after his return to Scotland, Bertels contacted Silven in the hope of developing a virtual experience.

What emerged is a completely new adventure for Silven and for the world with new technology developed specifically for this production. The Momentary will present the world premiere of Silven’s new show/ performative experience, “The Journey,” Sept. 29-Oct. 18 before (virtually) it heads to The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, Calif.

“It’s lovely that it’s going to be the first stop on the digital tour as well; it sort of came full-circle in some ways,” Silven says of debuting his new show in Bentonville. Though he won’t physically be here, Silven admits he has a special place in his heart for Northwest Arkansas as Bentonville was the first stop on his 2018 world tour of “At the Illusionist’s Table,” following a sold-out Off-Broadway run.

Yours truly was in attendance at one of those intimate January performances, and I can confess I remain enchanted by the encounter nearly three years later. After participating in Silven’s immersive evening of storytelling and mysticism firsthand, it’s hard to conceptualize how the experience would translate to a screen.

“I had the same questions that you probably had when I initially thought about how am I going to create something here,” Silven admits. “Because everything I do is about human connection; it’s about the intimacy of the experience. And I’ve never had the experience before of performing to people on the other side of the world and trying to have an authentic rapport and connection with them. So that was my North star, was creating something where the technology didn’t feel like a challenge or a hindrance, but we exploited the technology in an interesting and compelling way.”

Bringing together a team of notable creators from across the globe, “The Journey” took shape quickly — in fact, it’s the shortest lead time in which Silven has ever developed a show — as a performance that will invite only 30 participants per event into Silven’s own home. By that point, having already seen artists and creators using Zoom and other such tools to connect with and perform for their audiences, Silven knew the online platform simply wouldn’t do for the kind of interactive engagement he was looking to achieve. Then, of course, there’s the issue of adding magic into the mix.

The nature of Silven’s work always invites a sense of paranoia or suspicion among some, he reveals. Add a screen between himself and the participants, and how can one be sure what they’re watching is truly happening before their eyes? That none of the other viewers are plants? It was a tough, but thrilling challenge, Silven enthuses.

“Whilst there’s a challenge of connection because we’re in separate spaces, there’s also a very profound link connecting with someone as they sit in their own home — as you’re surrounded by your personal objects and the comfort of your own space, with your family or with your partner — that I thought was a really interesting thing to explore,” Silven muses.

“The story and illusions and the audience experience are all, hopefully, perfectly intertwined,” he goes on. “And what is also important for me in all of my work is that it’s not about me standing on a stage or sitting at a table or standing in a room saying, ‘Look at these amazing things I can do.’ It’s about the collective experience and us going on that journey together. So the illusions I’ve created for the experience, and the experience as a whole, hopefully allow the audience to interact very keenly with us in the show, shape the story, be agents of the experience, and they’ll achieve the impossible together at the end.”

Broadway and West End award-winning veterans Jeff Sugg (visuals) and Gareth Fry (sound), Tony winner for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” designed the experience utilizing Streamweaver, a new system that integrates IT operations management. Streamweaver’s application and vast range of technologies will be introduced to theatrical presentation for the first time with “The Journey.”

“We were kind of amazed that this sort of stuff just doesn’t exist in the industry so far,” Silven shares. We’ve all had the experience, he notes, of being on a clunky Zoom call with audio cutting in and out, sub-par picture quality and trying to wrangle 15-plus people to be productive. “The Journey” will be nothing like that, he assures. Through the use of pre-filmed visual content and a biurnal sound experience that viewers will watch leading up to the performance; the audience participation in bringing their own memories to the experience; and the process of utilizing projection and HD video, hopefully all these elements will lay the foundation for an immersive journey that builds connection as well as a sense of the fantastic.

“I think Scotland itself is just a place where myth and mystery, it’s woven into the fabric of its identity. So it felt like a natural place for me to return to and create something here from that moment,” Silven says warmly. “I remember as a kid, all I wanted to do was leave Scotland as quickly as possible, and tour the world, head to New York. And being forced into this standstill really has made me reconnect with the power of those landscapes of my childhood. The power of nostalgia and the power of memory, rediscovering things from your past, really did have a profound effect on me.”

FAQ

Scott Silven:

‘The Journey’

WHEN — Sept. 29-Oct. 18, 6 & 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2 & 4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday WHERE — Purchase tickets at themomentary.org; participants will be sent the performance link COST — $25 per screen, only one person per screen ($20/ members) INFO — 657-2335, themomentary.org, scottsilven.com

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