{"id":127357,"date":"2026-01-27T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=127357"},"modified":"2026-01-27T14:02:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:02:45","slug":"a-magicians-touch-paul-tate-depoo","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2026\/a-magicians-touch-paul-tate-depoo\/","title":{"rendered":"A Magician\u2019s Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2500\" height=\"3333\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-de-Poo-portrait-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Chris Sorensen<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Theatre<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Magician\u2019s Touch\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Paul Tate dePoo III brings a flair for illusion and a love of spectacle to his lavish set designs for Broadway and beyond<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 27, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">Marc Chalufour<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph has-dropcap is-style-dropcap-outlined\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>There\u2019s an old story in Paul Tate dePoo III\u2019s family. They had gathered to watch the Buffalo Bills play the Dallas Cowboys in the 1993 Super Bowl. At halftime, Michael Jackson exploded from the stage. Accompanied by a 3,000-person choir, fireworks, and a giant inflatable globe, the pop star sang and moonwalked through a four-song set. Five-year-old dePoo (\u201910) was transfixed.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Who<\/em> made that?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe football people,\u201d one of his parents responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">\u201cAnd I famously said, \u2018The football people did <em>not <\/em>make that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">That\u2019s dePoo\u2019s earliest memory of a true spectacle. Growing up in Key West, Fla., he was far from Broadway. But childhood trips to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus and magician David Copperfield cemented his interest in entertainment. By high school, dePoo was designing his own elaborate magic show, which included making an airplane appear onstage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">Now the owner of Tate Design Group, the New York\u2013based production design studio he established in 2012, dePoo has worked on a long list of plays and musicals, including <em>Sweeney Todd<\/em> and <em>Grand Hotel<\/em>, for which he received a 2020 Helen Hayes Award. He designed <em>Turandot<\/em> for the world\u2019s largest outdoor opera stage, in Vienna, Austria, and Usher\u2019s 2021\u20132022 residency in Las Vegas, Nev. He\u2019s designed restaurants, corporate events, and a TEDx stage. \u201cIt\u2019s all theater, it\u2019s all drag, it\u2019s all performance,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot4-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot2-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1687\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1984x1116.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1628x915.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Turandot1-854x480.jpg 854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><figcaption>DePoo\u2019s set design for <em>Turandot<\/em> in Vienna. Photo by Jerzy Bi\u0144<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>DePoo\u2019s productions have ranged from the modest to the grand. His first Broadway show, <em>The Cottage<\/em>\u2014directed by Jason Alexander (\u201981, Hon.\u201995)\u2014takes place in a living room. His designs for a revival of the musical <em>Titanic<\/em> achieve a very different tone and scale, dominated by massive criss-crossing trusses and walkways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DePoo relishes using a magician\u2019s flair for illusion\u2014but he\u2019s also inspired by the exposed rigging and structures of a circus tent. \u201cThe base of my style, no matter the scale of it, is that as you zoom further and further in, there\u2019s so much detail,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s intricacy and a very deceivingly simple perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are projects that dePoo still dreams of designing\u2014the Academy Awards, an Olympic Games ceremony, and, of course, the Super Bowl halftime show. For the past four years he\u2019s been living out one of those dreams: bringing <em>The Great Gatsby<\/em> to Broadway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong><em>Gatsby<\/em> Comes to Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>F. Scott Fitzgerald\u2019s classic novel has lived in dePoo\u2019s mind since high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wish I still had the book\u2014I remember doodling what it would look like if it was a play,\u201d he says. \u201cI remember thinking that was one of the darkest books I had read because of how much there was beneath this facade of spectacle. I\u2019ve always been obsessed with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1968\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1-636x417.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1-1024x672.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1-1536x1008.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1-2048x1343.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby1-1524x1000.jpg 1524w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cyan-color has-secondary-background-color has-text-color has-background\" style=\"font-size:15px\">DePoo&#8217;s set design for <em>The Great Gatsby. <\/em>Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:300px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer alignfull has-secondary-background-color overlap-top-250\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:80px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When dePoo heard that director Marc Bruni was working on a musical adaptation of <em>Gatsby<\/em>, he created a series of renderings of his vision. After meeting with Bruni about another project, he pulled them out. \u201cI\u2019m usually not that up-front about asking for something,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I would\u2019ve regretted it if I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote magazine-block-bu-pullquote is-style-pop has-secondary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">I remember thinking that was one of the darkest books I had read because of how much there was beneath this facade of spectacle.<br\/><br\/><\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Paul Tate dePoo III (CFA&#8217;10)<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Bruni hired him as scenic and projection designer. DePoo reread the book multiple times and listened to an audio version on repeat, searching for clues about the story\u2019s key locations. Each mention of billowing curtains or a rose-hued interior helped inform his elaborate designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working closely with the lighting and costume departments, dePoo and his team designed almost everything on the stage. To create models of the sets they used 3D modeling programs, 3D printers, and laser cutters. The finished designs were shipped off to specialty shops where the life-sized sets are built. \u201cWe are the architects,\u201d dePoo says. \u201cWe are also the interior designers and the personal shoppers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1793\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7-636x380.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7-1024x612.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7-1536x918.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7-2048x1224.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby7-1628x973.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><figcaption>DePoo&#8217;s set design for <em>The Great Gatsby.<\/em> Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When <em>The Great Gatsby<\/em> opened at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, in October 2023, a <em>New York Times <\/em>critic wrote, \u201cMore than once I wished I were sitting farther back in the audience because a production this lush\u2026deserves, like the novel, the long view.\u201d Before the move to Broadway in 2024, dePoo and his team added even more detail to their scenes. There are elegant mansion exteriors, immaculate interiors, waterfronts, and two cars. With a video projection, they transformed the orchestra pit into a virtual pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sets for the show\u2019s 50-plus scene changes fill every backstage nook at the Broadway Theatre. They require 22 winches, plus tracks to move the sets on- and offstage. DePoo compares the behind-the-scenes choreography to a game of Tetris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby2-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby6-1024x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby6-1024x765.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby6-636x475.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby6-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby6-1536x1148.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby6-2048x1531.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby6-1338x1000.jpg 1338w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"757\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby8-1024x757.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby8-1024x757.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby8-636x470.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby8-768x568.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby8-1536x1135.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby8-2048x1513.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby8-1353x1000.jpg 1353w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"611\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby5-1024x611.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby5-1024x611.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby5-636x380.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby5-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby5-1536x917.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby5-2048x1223.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby5-1628x972.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe design team here has pulled out all the stops and achieved something nearly unprecedented in terms of scale and quality,\u201d wrote Christian Lewis, a critic for <em>Variety<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DePoo takes pride in designing video projections as well as physical sets. They allow him to extend the scenery and animate surfaces with textures, movement, and light. Used well, they can bring static sets to life. In <em>Gatsby<\/em>, they play a starring role. When the actors are in a car, for example, projections create a sense of motion; when they\u2019re on the waterfront, Long Island Sound ebbs and flows behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2001\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg.png 3000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-636x424.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-1536x1025.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-2048x1366.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-1499x1000.png 1499w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-900x600.png 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-450x300.png 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-Gatsby3.jpg-600x400.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><figcaption>DePoo&#8217;s set designs for <em>The Great Gatsby<\/em>. Photos by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHis projections are masterful, utilizing tiny details (rolling clouds, lapping waves) to transform what might be painted backdrops into amazingly realistic backgrounds,\u201d wrote Lewis in <em>Variety<\/em>. \u201cRarely has projection design been so expertly executed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tate Design typically has multiple projects in the works. They\u2019ve recently been working on <em>Immediate Family<\/em>, a play directed by Phylicia Rashad; a national tour of <em>Spamalot<\/em>; and a Los Angeles production of <em>Sweeney Todd <\/em>directed by Alexander. And, dePoo says, \u201c<em>Gatsby<\/em> is multiplying.\u201d They\u2019ve built sets for productions in London and Seoul, and a US tour begins in January 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>A Flair for Magic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>DePoo\u2019s career may have gone in a different direction\u2014if not for Hurricane Wilma. He was preparing an elaborate magic show in Key West, with about 20 high school classmates assisting, when the 2005 storm flooded the theater where they were working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI remember it being the biggest relief,\u201d he says. \u201cI knew that the show I had wanted to create in my mind I probably wasn\u2019t able to do at that age. And I remember thinking, I wish I knew how to properly do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1688\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1984x1116.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1628x916.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Magicians-Touch-SP26-CFA-magazine-usher-854x480.jpg 854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><figcaption>Usher\u2019s 2021\u20132022 residency at The Colosseum in Las Vegas. Photo by Brian Friedman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After that realization, he decided to pursue design rather than performance. But dePoo has retained the language of a magician, where illusion and sleight of hand and confusing the audience combine to create a true spectacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">He still has a vivid memory of sitting in the audience at a David Copperfield show. \u201cThousands of people were on this journey to believe something that actually wasn\u2019t possible,\u201d he says. \u201cI get a thrill in defining and creating the impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWho made that?\u201d he asked. \u201cThe football people,\u201d one of his parents responded. \u201cAnd I famously said, \u2018The football people did not make that.\u2019\u201d That\u2019s dePoo\u2019s earliest memory of a true spectacle. Growing up in Key West, Fla., he was far from Broadway. But childhood trips to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6143,"featured_media":127668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[378],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[448],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/127357"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127357"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/127357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127643,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/127357\/revisions\/127643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127357"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=127357"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=127357"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=127357"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=127357"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=127357"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=127357"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=127357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}