Fantastical Storytelling, Character Comedy, Close up Card Magic & Stage Illusions Darren Gooding Member of Mid Essex Magical Society

darren@nothingupoursleeves.co.uk

Stage Magic With Darren Mr. Splint & Mr. Cane Compere

After graduating from Middlesex University with a BA Honours in Performance Arts, Darren won a scholarship to Mountview Theatre School. Since then he has acted on stage and television and performed his drama and sketch comedy in various locations, including Downstairs at the King’s Head, London’s Cambridge Theatre, and at the Edinburgh Festival. He has also written sketches for Radio 4’s “Weekending” & “The News Huddlines”.

In 2004 he founded “Truelove Tours Theatre Company” for which he still continues to produce and tour cycles of eclectic solo performer shows.

In 2011 writing “The Cabinet of Leopold Thorn” awakened in Darren a long dormant fascination with stage illusion, which subsequently led to him forming “Nothing Up Our Sleeves” with Dean Allen Jones, Harvey Kennett and Steve Ward. In 2012 Darren wrote and directed the Magicians of Nothing UP Our Sleeves in “Inventions of the Impossible” - a Steampunk Stage Magic Show, in addition to Writing and Directing his second comedy film “Magic: The Hidden Horror”.

He is a regular writer / performer with I Hear Voices Theatre Company, where he co-writes “The Adventures of Bentley Strangetrousers” with Damien Bell.   In 2013 Darren was commissioned to write and produced the opening event for the Colchester Comedy Festival - “Civic Ceremonial - An Audience with A Mayor of Colchester” Shortly afterwards he acted in Emanuele Gabbi’s short film comedy “Streetfighter”, playing ironically enough “The Magician”!

Darren is currently touring a full cycle of four Leopold Thorn plays; collectively titled, “The Storybook of Leopold Thorn”

Perhaps his most extreme theatrical experience involved acting in the 24 hour epic “The Warp”, under the direction of the late great Ken Campbell.