Lea Hinz: The Director Behind Shuffled

When Andi Gladwin set out to create Shuffled, his new intimate magic show at The Rhapsody Theater in Chicago, he knew the production needed directors who could match his vision: people who understood how to shape a live performance experience from the ground up. He found those collaborators in Lea Hinz and Carisa Hendrix.

Hinz is a German-born director, choreographer and performer who has spent fifteen years working at the intersection of circus, theatre and immersive entertainment. Based in Las Vegas, she has directed large-scale arena productions, immersive experiences, and theatrical shows for companies including Teatro ZinZanni, Particle Ink, and her own production company, Cosmic Drama. She has performed on stages from Berlin to Las Vegas, originating a solo aerial act in Spiegelworld's acclaimed Las Vegas show Absinthe.

Hendrix is a Canadian magician, comedian and variety artist whose work spans cabaret, theatre and magic. A 15-time award-winning entertainer, they have been crowned Stage Magician of the Year at the Magic Castle for two consecutive years, received the prestigious Allan Slaight Award, and hold two Guinness World Records. Hendrix is perhaps best known for their character Lucy Darling; a sharp-tongued magician who became a viral phenomenon in 2024 For Shuffled, Hinz and Hendrix brought their combined experience shaping live performance from the inside out. The show is built around an unusually intimate premise: every audience member is invited to bring their own deck of cards, a grandmother's Bridge deck, a souvenir from a holiday, a family Uno set, which then becomes part of the performance itself in the hands of Gladwin’s masterful sleight-of-hand.

"The best magic creates a story," Gladwin has said. That philosophy aligns closely with both directors' approaches to their work. Throughout her career, Hinz has consistently prioritised character, narrative and emotional experience over spectacle alone, whether working with acrobats, dancers or, in this case, a magician whose principal instrument is a borrowed deck of cards. Hendrix brings a similarly character-driven sensibility, built over years of semi-improvised cabaret performance in which connecting with the specific audience in the room is everything.

The collaboration brings together three artists at the top of their respective fields. Gladwin is a winner of Penn & Teller: Fool Us, has appeared on British ITV's Next Great Magician, and is a season regular on the CW's Masters of Illusion. He has performed for President Obama's inauguration in Washington, D.C. and at prestigious private events worldwide. Hinz has directed everything from German gymnastics galas at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin to sold-out immersive shows in the Nevada desert. Hendrix has thrilled audiences across North America, Europe and Australia, and brings to Shuffled a rare fluency in both the language of magic and the craft of theatrical direction.

Shuffled runs at The Rhapsody Theater in Chicago. Each guest is invited to bring their own deck of cards.