Derek DelGaudio’s mystifying solo show In & Of Itself, currently playing Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in Union Square, gave us an up-close look at the set and props used in the show.
The show explores identity and illusion, and is created and performed by magician and performance artist DelGaudio with direction by Emmy winner Frank Oz. While the show did not have a typical scenic designer, everything was created and designed by DelGaudio himself and his long-time collaborator, Glenn Kaino.
"Every physical element, including the set itself, was driven by the ideas and narratives of the show," DelGaudio explains, "However, every object on stage also has a utility. So, the materials and objects, found or fabricated, are the result of a meticulous balancing act of form and function."
The show arrived Off-Broadway this past spring following a sold-out, five-time extended engagement at Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles—with one major change.
"In L.A., the Wolf's diorama was a moon that revealed the shadow of a Wolf. This imagery lacked strength and, perhaps more importantly, it was the only diorama I did not physically interact with. For New York, the team fabricated a Wolf's head that transforms as the light shifts. The Wolf holds a deck of playing cards in its mouth as an uncertain offering for me."
Flip through the gallery below to see the props up close, how they are stored backstage, and how they were chosen and created for the show:
