The PRESENT
(2020)
The Present was inspired by Helder Guimarães’ own life experience with quarantine during childhood. Using his signature mind-bending illusions, Guimarães leads us through a funny, moving, and ultimately illuminating story of lessons he learned when he least expected it.
The Present took place virtually via a secure online platform with a maximum of 25 participants per show. Each participant was mailed a sealed mystery package in advance, the contents of which would only be revealed during the course of each performance, as Guimarães’ story unfolded.
The Present marked the second collaborative effort between Guimarães and Frank Marshall, who first worked together on Invisible Tango.
“Deception transforms into unveiling, the greatest magic of all. The Present casts perhaps its most potent spell in making the strange affectionately familiar. The show represents the present rather than the future. But watching alone on Zoom, I was once again among my tribe, grateful to be spellbound.”
— The Los Angeles Times
“I watched by myself, but I wasn’t alone. Or anyway, I didn’t feel alone. For one of the few interludes in this weird, numbing isolation, I was lured out of my solipsistic concerns and into someone else’s imaginative chamber. And what an oasis surprise can be. The more complicated the trick and incredible the outcome, the giddier I got. Experiencing outstanding magic isn’t about being fooled — it’s about grateful surrender.”
— THE WASHINGTON POST
“After midnight, on my laptop, Guimarães flipped over one named card and then another and another and another and another until each window showed one or more spectators, collectively losing their minds on mute. I don’t know how he did it. And for the first time in a long time, not knowing felt pretty good.”
— THE NEW YORK TIMES
A HIT SHOW, BUT NOT ENOUGH TICKETS
Because of the highly interactive nature of the show, there were a limited number of participant spots available, and supply was unable to keep up with demand. Web traffic for tickets nearly buckled the Geffen Playhouse website and multiple extension weeks sold out within minutes. The Present became a cultural quarantine phenomenon for those who want to escape to an evening of theater. A total of 248 shows, 6,200 mystery boxes mailed, and a waitlist of over 12,000.
As the popularity of The Present soared, the production team couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that many people who were excited about the show would not have the opportunity to see it. “What if we created one blow-out performance at the end of the run that everyone could see,” proposed Helder Guimarães. The Grand Finale seed was sown.
On Saturday, October 17 at 6pm (PDT), a group of 24 invited participants comprised of special guests participated with Guimarães in the grand finale Zoom performance, for more than 6,000 households across the world. The Present won the Webby’s Voice Award for Best Narrative Experience in 2021.