Austin-based theater company The Hidden Room conjures an evening of magic and mystery with Harry Houdini on the 90th anniversary of his death. In “Houdini Speaks to the Living,” the year is 1926, and Houdini is taking his crusade against Spiritualism and fake mediums straight to the public in a series of performance lectures filled with magic and seance-debunking. At the same time, his good friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, is lecturing on behalf of Spiritualism, believing it to be “a great Philosophy” that will usher in a new age for mankind. Watch these two legends battle over the true nature of magic. Much of “Houdini Speaks to the Living” is drawn from correspondence, essays, photographs, diaries, and books from the Harry Ransom Center’s Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collections. Starring acclaimed magician Patrick Terry as Harry Houdini and award-winning actor Robert Matney as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Runtime: 45 minutes.

This event is free and open to the public. Please be aware that the Ransom Center’s Charles Nelson Prothro Theater seats 125. Line forms upon arrival of the first patron, and doors open 30 minutes in advance.