Ian Saville
Encyclopedia
Ian Saville is an English
magician
whose act incorporates ventriloquism
and comedy
. His performance is distinctive primarily for the fact that it is geared towards a comic form of socialist propaganda
. He says of his act, "whereas David Copperfield
is content with little tricks like making the Statue of Liberty
disappear, I aim at the much more ambitious goal of making International Capitalism and exploitation disappear (though I haven't quite succeeded yet)".
He was born in the East End of London
, England
to Jewish parents. He began conjuring at the age of 11. He reached the semi-finals of the Butlins national talent contest. Becoming interested in theatre, he studied Drama at Exeter University
. He toured with the political theatre group Broadside, as well as working in community theatre.
In 1979 he started developing his "socialist magic" act. He cites Bertolt Brecht
as a major influence, and one of his shows features a ventriloquists' dummy of Brecht. He has collaborated with left-wing folk singer Leon Rosselson
in two shows.
Two of his standard "tricks" are "The Class Struggle Rope Trick" and "The vanish of the military-industrial complex".
In 1990 he received a PhD from City University, London
for his thesis on political theatre in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. He currently teaches part-time on theatre courses at Middlesex University
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
magician
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
whose act incorporates ventriloquism
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
and comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
. His performance is distinctive primarily for the fact that it is geared towards a comic form of socialist propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. He says of his act, "whereas David Copperfield
David Copperfield (illusionist)
David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...
is content with little tricks like making the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
disappear, I aim at the much more ambitious goal of making International Capitalism and exploitation disappear (though I haven't quite succeeded yet)".
He was born in the East End of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Jewish parents. He began conjuring at the age of 11. He reached the semi-finals of the Butlins national talent contest. Becoming interested in theatre, he studied Drama at Exeter University
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
. He toured with the political theatre group Broadside, as well as working in community theatre.
In 1979 he started developing his "socialist magic" act. He cites Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
as a major influence, and one of his shows features a ventriloquists' dummy of Brecht. He has collaborated with left-wing folk singer Leon Rosselson
Leon Rosselson
Leon Rosselson is an English songwriter and writer of children's books. After his early involvement in the folk music revival in Britain, he came to prominence, singing his own satirical songs, in the BBC's topical TV programme of the early 1960s, That Was The Week That Was...
in two shows.
Two of his standard "tricks" are "The Class Struggle Rope Trick" and "The vanish of the military-industrial complex".
In 1990 he received a PhD from City University, London
City University, London
City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....
for his thesis on political theatre in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. He currently teaches part-time on theatre courses at Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
.