Stage work / contemporary illusionism
Un mago en el desierto
About the work
About the work
A solo work created by Luis Albornoz through research into wonder, perception and audience participation. Developed in Atacama, it combines close-up magic, short stories and performative actions within an analogue stage device built from objects, light and shadow. Its scale depends on proximity: every gesture, appearance and transformation unfolds at close range, making the audience an active part of the dramaturgy. The work invites us to question memory, presence and what we understand as real. Each performance changes with the space and the people taking part. At its centre remains one question: where does magic begin?
Origin
From the Atacama Desert to the stage
The journey began in 2020 with 21 performances at the Magic Castle's Close-Up Gallery in Hollywood. Back in Atacama, that experience grew to a theatrical scale and became a form of stage writing in which illusionism, sound composition and the audience's presence shape a single experience. Supported by a Fondart touring project, the work travelled through Chile, included performances at Teatro Municipal de Las Condes and crossed the Andes as part of a ProChile mission to Bolivia. A search born between close-up magic and the desert thus became a stage work with territorial roots and national and international reach.
Video
Un mago en el desierto
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Press archive
Credits
Team
- Original concept, script and performance
- Luis Albornoz
- Stage direction
- María Paz González
- Script consultant
- Malú Urriola
- Illusionism consultants
- Roberto Mansilla y Hernán Maccagno
- Music and sound design
- Joaquín Vallejo
- Technical production
- Jorge Sepúlveda
- Lighting
- Francisco Berríos y Marco Barría
- Art team
- Juan Lara, Mario Muñoz y José Rojas
Touring
Programming information
- For family audiences aged 12 and over
- Intimate, adaptable format
- Available for touring in Chile and internationally
Contact