Geoffrey Durham's torn newspaper

Geoffrey Durham's torn newspaper reveals how a simple stage illusion can illuminate the 'magic' of Quakerism.

A classic stage illusion

Among the more unusual items in Quakers in Objects is not an old book, a meeting house bench or a historical artefact, but a sheet of newspaper — torn, then restored.

The torn-and-restored newspaper is a classic stage illusion. The magician shows the audience a full page, then tears it deliberately into strips and pieces, holding the fragments up for all to see. With careful movement, he unfolds the paper again.

It is whole.

Geoffrey Durham: magician and Quaker

Geoffrey Durham, a professional magician and member of the Society of Friends, has performed this illusion for years. Long before he became known within Quaker circles, he was familiar to British audiences under his stage name The Great Soprendo.

During the 1970s and 1980s he appeared regularly on British children's television, including Crackerjack, touring theatres with a flamboyant Spanish magician persona and the catchphrase “Piff Paff Poof!” For many, he was their first encounter with stage magic.

Yet performance and faith meet in Durham's life.

The magic of Quakerism

At first glance, magic and Quakerism might seem to have little in common. Quakers have no rituals, no sacraments and no sacred objects. They do not rely on outward ceremony to make something happen. Early Friends were wary of anything that looked like spiritual manipulation.

And yet something happens in Quaker Meetings.

Friends gather in silence. There is no minister and no prepared sermon. People sit together and wait.

Gradually, the room becomes still. If someone feels moved by The Spirit, they stand and speak. Often the words are simple, sometimes deeply personal. Many who attend describe the experience as powerful, even transformative.

Today, some describe that stillness in different language, speaking of presence, energy or depth rather than anything supernatural.

Whatever words are used, the core stays the same. The Spirit is the active presence of the divine, and the Inner Light is The Spirit within a person. Together, Friends believe, they have the power to move and transform.

That transformation can feel magical, especially in a secular age.

No supernatural claims

Geoffrey Durham's torn newspaper does not claim supernatural power. It does not pretend to heal the world. But it hints at something deeper. What appears torn is not always beyond restoration.

A newspaper carries the daily record of conflict, injustice and fracture. To tear it is easy. To restore it feels impossible.

Quaker faith makes a similar claim. Not through spectacle, but through stillness. Friends believe that people can change, that communities can heal and that truth can emerge from silence. Restoration is not illusion. It is a discipline of attention.

In that sense, the torn newspaper is more than a stage prop. Piece by piece, it comes back together — a small, papery reminder that what is torn is not always beyond mending.

This is the 'magic' of Quakerism.