As he apologizes for being late, unfurls the carpet and sets the stage with mysterious-looking objects — an antique cigar case, a wooden Viewfinder, a set of cards — Cagigal signals that this is to be no ordinary theatre performance. Beginning a short monologue and facing viewers at either end of the stage, he seems to look at each one individually before he tells them: 

"All magic happens in one place… your imagination." 

Over the next hour, Cagigal’s spellbinding sleight-of-hand magic tricks and autobiographical story-telling weave together the themes of repressed memory, treasured moments, and magic as he recounts his experiences as a young man dealing with his father’s Vietnam-induced PTSD.  

Now and at the Hour a poignant piece on memory & PTSD 

by Rebecca Ugolini