Texas Performing Arts opens its new Austin season with two performances of The Lost Things, an immersive production by illusionist Scott Silven, on Friday and Saturday at McCullough Theatre. The show brings its audience into the performance through illusions shaped around audience members' thoughts and memories.
The production, according to KEYE, uses audience thoughts, memories and experiences to create what the station describes as impossible illusions. Silven demonstrated some of that illusion work in the We Are Austin studio, where host Trevor Scott welcomed him for a preview ahead of the Austin run.
Texas Performing Arts bills The Lost Things as an all-new magical experience combining illusions and storytelling. The organization says the show explores memory, mystery and human connection, according to Texas Performing Arts.
A Forest Built From a Childhood Memory
A personal story is part of the production's narrative. KEYE reported that Silven experienced a life-changing loss in the woods in Scotland when he was 12, and that he has described the memory he created about the experience as itself an illusion. The stage production includes a forest and a 12-year-old version of Silven.
The Gaillard Center, one of the venues that has hosted the production, describes it as an interactive, immersive theatrical experience in which audience members become part of the story themselves. The Krannert Center, a co-commissioner of the work, calls it a joyful exploration of wonder, memory and shared experience — an awe-inspiring 75-minute show that the venue says reveals the mysterious side of human nature through breathtaking illusions and an evocative narrative, per Krannert Center.
Who's Behind The Lost Things
The Lost Things was directed by Graham McLaren and designed by Jamie Vartan, according to Texas Performing Arts. Silven himself has more than 15 years of experience performing at some of the world's most exclusive events and theaters, according to his own website, and his background includes studying hypnosis in Milan at age 15 and gaining recognition from illusionist David Blaine at 19, per Scott Silven's official biography.
The show has traveled well beyond Austin. It was co-commissioned by several arts organizations, including Sydney Opera House and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, according to the Gaillard Center. Krannert Center is also listed among the show's co-commissioners.
Season Context and Earlier Presentations
Texas Performing Arts describes the season featuring Silven’s show as its 45th season, with a lineup it characterizes as featuring international superstars, Austin icons and trailblazing creators, according to Texas Performing Arts.
The Austin performances follow earlier development and presentations. Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s preview listing said the preview came before The Lost Things’ planned world premiere at Sydney Opera House in June 2025.
What Audiences Should Know Before the Show
Venue guidance notes The Lost Things is recommended for audiences ages 12 and up, and that the performance includes loud noises, flashing lights and theatrical haze, according to the Gaillard Center's event listing. Back in Austin, Silven has said he wants audiences to leave the show feeling inspired in their own lives, according to KEYE's report. Texas Performing Arts provides tickets and additional information through its website and box office for those hoping to catch one of the two Austin performances.
Immersive theater also raises questions about where spectatorship gives way to participation. A paper in Trinity University Digital Commons considers how design can blur that line; a study listed on ResearchGate addresses audience perspectives on immersive theater, including productions such as Sleep No More and The Burnt City.
