Local playwright Karen Poulsen pays tribute to modern magic with her original play "Ta*Da!," which will be presented six times in January and February.
The comedy is set in a 1904 sideshow, where mismatched performers attempt to entertain the audience after they discover that all the regular performers have disappeared. It features four experienced actors who are familiar to audiences from Volusia and Flagler counties: Tosha Williams as the fascinating Mademoiselle Marveline; Ryan McNally as a roustabout turned magician; Valerie Orzel as a nervous magician's assistant; and Wes Jones as Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, the father of modern magic.
The free presentations are part of the Volusia County Public Library's NEA Big Read, a six-week celebration of "A Wizard of Earthsea," a 1968 fantasy novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
Reservations are not required. For more information, call the Volusia County Public Library at 386-248-1745.
Photo from left: Local actors Tosha Williams, Ryan McNally, Valerie Orzel and Wes Jones. Photo by Mike Kitaif.