About

Jo Bannon: The Dirty Work

Peek behind the velvet curtain of The Dirty Work, a new solo performance by Jo Bannon.

Blending the tricks of the trade – a white rabbit, a magic wand, a puff of smoke – with her lived experience of visual impairment, Bannon invites you to glimpse a world where truth and illusion, performance and reality converge. Through delicate choreography and magician’s patter, which reveals more than it conceals, she unveils the invisible labour that shapes how we navigate the world - balancing effortlessly between what is seen and unseen.

Through a crip* lens and with a trick up her sleeve, Bannon reveals “the dirty work” that often goes unnoticed on stage and in everyday life. This isn’t just a magic show; it’s a meditation on visibility, disability, and the unseen labour we all perform.

Say “white rabbit” three times, and see the magic unfold before your very eyes!

*Crip is a political and cultural identity embraced by some disabled people.

Commissioned by Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Cambridge Junction, The Place & Tramway. With additional support from Fabric and Horizon. Supported using public funds through Arts Council England.

The Dirty Work is part of Blind Magic: A triptych of artworks exploring the performativity of visual impairment. A film Passing, an installation Sleight of Hand and live performance The Dirty Work created by Jo Bannon.

Blind Magic has been commissioned by Unlimited, Wellcome Collection, The Space, Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Cambridge Junction, The Place & Tramway. With additional support from Fabric and Horizon. Supported using public funds through Arts Council England.

'a timeless experience, rich and resonant' Total Theatre, on Exposure by Jo Bannon

Image credit: Paul Samuel White