EdFringe Talk: Magic for Animals

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I’m never as happy as I am onstage and that I love to be around other performers and creative people.”

WHO: Liz Toonkel

WHAT: “Magic for Animals is a one-woman magic show about agency, consent, and animal rights. Liz Toonkel uses sparkling, incisive humour to offer a refreshing antidote to the gendered and speciesist tradition of magic. It examines how we treat animals, and urges us to reconsider how we treat one another. By day, Liz is a production designer who’s shaped the look of such films as Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Emily the Criminal, by night she’s a performance artist and magician.”

WHERE: Greenside @ Infirmary Street – Olive Studio (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 23:25 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I am excited, and insanely nervous, to be a first time Fringe performer! Last year I had the opportunity to visit the festival and I had the best time seeing so many incredible shows and was really struck by the sense of community. That camaraderie is what inspired me to take the plunge and bring my own show this year. I just returned from performing at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and by far, my favourite part of the experience was spending time with the other artists so I can’t wait to do that again on a larger scale.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve learned that I’m never as happy as I am onstage and that I love to be around other performers and creative people. The pandemic was really challenging for me and in the past year I’ve pushed myself to be more of an active community member. I’ve learned so much from spending more time with fellow artists and it’s made me happier and my work stronger. In 2022, I thought a lot about how I can be a better ally to those around me and how to try and foster spaces of safety and respect. This is something I work on every day and even though I often make mistakes I try my best to learn from them rather than give up which I am wont to do since I’m a perfectionist. My perfectionism is the biggest hurdle I’ve been working to overcome this year. I hope by trying to embody the spirit of the fringe I can push myself further along in doing so.

Tell us about your show.

By utilizing a popular form such as a magic show for its curb appeal, I am drawing in an audience that wants humor, entertainment and spectacle. Already the pivot in my practice towards the magical has invited in audience members who have told me they would have never approached performance art. And if that helps save one more pig, cow or possum then I am one happy clam. I have deep joy for the craft of magic and am thrilled to devise a piece that takes the comedy and razzle dazzle to a deeper level.

Los Angeles Performance Practice is producing my show and they came onboard after I performed a workshop version at their 2021 LAX Festival. I really admire the ethic of their organisation and the way they lift up a diverse set of voices and help support solo work. A workshop version of the show was presented at Aarhaus Festuge 2022 with Live Art Denmark and the show had its world premiere as part of the primary lineup at the 2023 Cincinnati Fringe Festival in June. I hope to book a full tour of the show after Edinburgh and will be presenting it at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta in Utah in early 2024.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

I’d love to suggest three fellow women artists who are also bringing their solo shows from Los Angeles.

Claire Woolner is an amazing performance artist and clown who is going to be my roommate in Edinburgh. We supported each other in building our shows and I love her hilarious and personal show A Retrospection at PBH’s Free Fringe at Banshee Labyrinth.

Brianna Ahlmark and I study clowning together and without her guidance I wouldn’t have finished my applications in time to find a venue in Edinburgh! She is truly my fringe guardian angel. Brianna has so much fun onstage and is impossible not to love, check out her show Dillis at PBH’s Free Fringe at Banshee Labyrinth.

Courtney Pauroso is a performer who I greatly admire. I saw a workshop of her new show and can’t wait to see a more developed version of Courtney Pauroso: Vanessa 5000 at Pleasance Courtyard.

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