The year is 1924, and the Great Houdini is taking his crusade against Spiritualism straight to the public in a series of lectures filled with theatrical magic- and seance-debunking. At the same time, his close friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, is lecturing on behalf of Spiritualism, believing this movement to represent “a great Philosophy” that will usher in a new age for mankind.

Watch these two legends battle out the true nature of magic through a historically-based, largely verbatim play from writer-director Beth Burns and writer-performer Patrick Terry, using original materials from University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center archives. The result is a 75-minute performance complete with spell-binding magic and potent reflections on the afterlife in a sharp debate from these iconic figures. The performance will be followed by a Q&A with the creative team.