Playwright Katie Bender is set to present her solo performance, “Instructions for a Séance,” at the upcoming Fusebox Festival. This unique production takes a daring approach to explore the life of the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini, who was known for his remarkable ability to extricate himself from seemingly impossible situations, whether locked in a box, bound by chains, or submerged in a coffin.
In “Instructions for a Séance,” Bender endeavors to accomplish an even greater feat: reaching out to Houdini’s spirit. The show, which will take place next week, draws inspiration from the Houdini archives housed at the Harry Ransom Center, delving into themes of caretaking, ambition, and the desire to break free from various aspects of life.
Bender began crafting this piece in 2015 while pursuing her graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her mentor, Kirk Lynn, recognized her affinity for immersing audiences in experiences of uncertainty and encouraged her to delve into Houdini’s extensive archives.
“I was immediately captivated by the sheer force of Harry Houdini’s will and ambition,” Bender recalls, noting her fascination with his escape photographs and personal letters. “He has such a particular cadence. It was something I started to really hear, and I felt like I was kind of channeling Houdini.”
The initial vision for the project was a two-person play focused on Houdini’s life, but as she collaborated with actors, Bender found it challenging for them to capture Houdini’s voice. This prompted her to read the script aloud, leading to a realization: “Everybody said it was really interesting having you play Houdini. … I’m a woman, so I would never be cast as Harry Houdini,” she laughs. “There was a kind of cheeky delight in this historic drag of me having a good time playing this man.”
As Bender continued to refine the show, she revisited Houdini’s escape photographs, all while navigating her own life as a working artist and mother. “I would have these long extended fantasies about just going to Mexico alone and disappearing into the sunset,” she confesses. “I realized that I was just craving a kind of escape because I felt like I didn’t have a release valve in my own life.”
The imagery of Houdini mid-escape served as a lifeline for her. “The promise of the escape is sort of built into the image, and I think I really needed that.” The piece evolved to reflect her personal experiences, especially the struggle of balancing art, ambition, and parenthood.
“I came to this realization that it really was a séance to contact Houdini to help me get some of that escape in my life,” she explains. To embody Houdini, Bender incorporates an array of intriguing artifacts, including chains, handcuffs, a séance bell, tarot cards, and a portrait of the escape artist, all inspired by items from the Harry Ransom Center’s collection.
During the performance, Bender actively engages the audience by inviting them to articulate their own desires for escape. “Everybody has something, you know?” she states, as she peruses stacks of small papers filled with grievances. “U.S. politics, inflation, war, headaches, back pain, stuff in my teeth, financial burdens, fundraising, the daily grind of a regular day job.”
Bender has been refining this work for over a decade, initially using it as a means of escaping her family. “It has created the container for me to actually escape my family,” she admits, “which was a thing I really, really wanted.” However, her perspective on ambition and success has shifted significantly over the years.
“I really wanted to be known in the world as an artist and not a mother when I started this process,” she reflects. “And I feel very different now.” She now contemplates incorporating her family into her work-related travels. “I no longer want to escape my family. My family is really the space of love and support in my life, and I need that.”
Having taken “Instructions for a Séance” on the road across the country, Bender is particularly excited to perform it in Austin. “I’m just so delighted to be able to do the séance in this community that is my home,” she says, noting that Austin possesses a unique spiritual energy, influenced by its natural surroundings. “The spirits, I feel like, are alive and well in Austin — and especially in Texas Performing Arts. There are some real ghosts in that building.”
As for her attempts to connect with Houdini? “So far, the séance has failed. I’ve never made contact with Houdini.” Yet, she emphasizes that the journey itself is what truly matters. “What happens next is always something that is really surprising.”
Bender hopes that audiences depart with a revitalized sense of wonder and a deeper connection to one another through the power of live performance. “I hope that the guests leave the theater feeling newly engaged with what live performance can do,” she expresses, “gather a group of people together and commune together and try to escape our troubles together.”
“Instructions for a Séance” is directed by Lily Wolff and will run from Thursday, April 16, through Sunday, April 19, at the Texas Performing Arts McCullough Theatre Rehearsal Room as part of the Fusebox Festival. Further details can be found at fusebox.live.org.
