“Magic for Animals” is an unapologetically witty and insightful one-woman show employing sparkling, incisive humor and magic to conjure laughs and hard hitting truths. Magic engages pressing issues of animal welfare, climate change, and sexism through a continuous personal narrative woven throughout each illusion, ultimately paving a way forward with empathy and self-awareness. Supremely stylish, Liz is praised as “daring” while showing “vulnerability, empathy, and above all humor,” by L.A. Dance Chronicle. Cincy Fringe reviewers call her a “fantastic storyteller…fearless” (The Sappy Critic) and “delightful…polished” (The League of Cincinnati Theatres). Edinburgh critics comment how “she commands the stage” (To Do List) and note how “the audience waits on her every word” (FringeReview). Broadway World raves that “The piece is clean, heartfelt, and demonstrative of a level of craft that will make it a Fringe Festival standout”. “Magic For Animals” is an unforgettable experience where making a difference is as important as making you laugh.
Content Warning: Frank discussion of Animal Cruelty and Sexual Assault
Liz Toonkel is a creative force who believes in the storytelling power of design in theater and visual art. As a queer Jewish female magician, performance artist and animal rights activist she felt the magic show format needed shaking up and was in urgent need of fresh approaches. Toonkel is “an irresistible performer who deserves to break out in the UK and worldwide” (To Do List) and her work ranges from performance and installations to films.
She recently performed and displayed her artwork at the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival (Winner: Best Costume Design, Finalist: The Splash Award, Soaring Solo Social Impact Award, Nominee: Best Cabaret & Variety), The Center for the Arts at Kayenta, the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (4 stars (To Do List), Highly Recommended Show (Fringe Review)), the 2023 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Aarhaus Festuge with Live Art Denmark, Honor Fraser Gallery, LAX Festival, ltd Gallery and the 2016 Queer Biennial in Los Angeles. Liz was nominated for an Art Director’s Guild award for her production design of the Oscar nominated animated feature film “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”. Liz was the first time recipient of the Calarts Distinguished Young Alumnx of the Year Award in 2023 for her work across the arts.
Liz has been a resident at Asylum Arts, Automata, PAM, The Marble House Project and the Transart Institute in Berlin. She has studied clown and performance with Spymonkey, Dr. Brown and the Idiot Workshop. She earned her BFA at New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts in Film & Television Production with a minor in Gender & Sexuality and holds a dual MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in Art & Technology and Scenic Design. She is a magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts.
Doors at 9:30 PM, Show at 10:00 PM
Seating begins 15 minutes before showtime, there is NO LATE SEATING. Seats are assigned on a first come first served basis, from the front of the theatre to the back. If you want to sit closer, be sure to arrive earlier.
Shows start no later than 10 MINUTES after the scheduled show time.