Jon Tai in Road Signs

Come with him on a journey that Sean Collier of Pittsburgh Magazine called a "remarkable" and "moving" experience. Inspired by the Ship of Theseus paradox, this play with magic transports audiences through a time warp and into the wilderness, backlit by lanterns and bonfires, where past and present blur and audience members become primary characters in the evening's story. “Road Signs” explores questions about personal identity, reinvention, and escape through Tai’s quintessentially human brand of storytelling and magic, which the Chicago Sun-Times calls “beguiling” and “simply astonishing.”

Jon Tai is a celebrated magician and storyteller, whose mission is to foster connections between people through shared moments of astonishment. He performs magic across the country and around the world, in person and virtually, and has called the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Liberty Magic Theater his home base since its grand opening in early 2019. He is best known for having co-created and starred in “Missed Connections” Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters in New York City, following its premiere at Chicago’s MacArthur Award-winning A Red Orchid Theatre. Jon is a ten-year veteran of the medical software industry and is proud to support several health and human services nonprofit organizations through his magic including Hello Neighbor, the Cancer Caring Center, Beverly's Birthdays, and Pace Schools. A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Psychology, he lives with his wife Kate and tiny dog Nina in the Troy Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Alex Gruhin is a dot connector and interdisciplinary storyteller. Favorite conceptions to date prior to “Road Signs” include “Missed Connections” – also with Jon Tai – at Chicago’s MacArthur Award-winning A Red Orchid Theatre and Off-Broadway in New York City at 59E59; over 75 magic, music, and wellness-inspired immersive event collaborations with Chef David Bouley; and Nightcap Riot: Mombucha at Magick City. Alex is passionate about learning and development, currently serves as Head of Brand Experience for NovoEd, and has guest lectured on arts and experiential design and marketing at Columbia Business School, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Northwestern University, and the University of Indianapolis. Alex is a proud graduate of Cornell University’s Hotel School and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. He lives in New York City with his wife, Ariel, and their two cats: Cali and Golda Meir.