Brendon Peel

Brendon Peel is a mentalist and illusionist.

Biography

Born in Port Elizabeth and started learning magic at 13, and by the time he was 18, he was the youngest magician ever to perform a solo magic show at the National Arts Festival. He studied drama and journalism at Rhodes University – his lecturers including Andrew Buckland and Janet Buckland – before doing a post-grad business qualification.

Contribution to theatre and performance in South Africa

Brendon has performed at every Grahamstown National Arts Festival since 2011 with solo hit shows such as Think Twice, Magic Through the Ages, Mind Over Magic, Hocus Pocus, Magic & Mentalism and Mysteries of the Mind.

He has also performed all over the country in other festivals, as well as large corporate events in places such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, East London and Bloemfontein. In 2017 he performed Hocus Pocus at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In 2018 he and Li Lau created and performed The Carnival Sideshow (And Other Magical Things), which ran daily at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown from June 28 to July 2. It was also performed at The Savoy in Port Elizabeth, during December.