About

David Cassel

David Cassel has worked professionally as a writer, director, designer, teacher, and performer since 1978. Over his global career, he has created unique shows that mix comedy, clowning, storytelling, acting, circus skills, juggling, acrobatics, dance, and improvisation. Additionally, his work focuses on engaging people through interactive and immersive experiences.

David has created educational programs and workshops in physical theater and performance for schools at all levels worldwide. Besides outdoor shows and spectacles, he has broad experience in indoor theater design, filmmaking, digital programming, production, and artistic leadership.

David’s work combines digital and physical arts, showcasing what 21st-century technology can achieve. In 1995, he won the European Outdoor Performer of the Year award in Rotterdam for his solo show Hotch’s 3D TeeVee. His work has appeared on the front pages of seven international newspapers. Additionally, he has received several Australian University Comedy and Short Film awards.

David has performed and taught in over 30 countries. For example, he played the lead in Neil LaBute’s This is How It Goes at English Theatre Berlin in 2012. He also served as Story and Physical Theatre Coach at Die Etage School for the Performing Arts, Germany’s second-largest performing arts school. Additionally, he was Creative Developer for Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE (2012/13). David performs live as The Ukulele Bandito, creating custom songs and videos worldwide. In 2016, he appeared as Detective Weeks on TLC’s Untold Stories of the ER. His latest musical project is TUB Puppets.

My Pioneering Project: Timeshifter

In 2000, interdisciplinary performing artist David Cassel was commissioned by the Museums Board of Victoria, Australia, to create Timeshifter. This groundbreaking 45-minute multimedia experience was part of the Hollywood Special Effects exhibition at Scienceworks Museum. The show transported audiences from a futuristic cinematic world set in 2029 live onto the stage in 2000. It blended film, live performance, and interactive storytelling.

As Space Commander, David guided 200 audience members through the museum to the show’s finale. The performance combined screen imagery with live actors. Visitors could explore different story paths online at spacecommander.tv/vortex—a visionary idea ahead of its time.

Inspired by early interactive games like Space Ace (1986), Timeshifter evolved into a series of 24 integrated films titled Space Commander’s Adventures in The Vortex. The full series was released online in 2016. The remastered footage lets viewers choose branching narrative paths or follow a linear story, inviting them to start their journey in 2029.

Subscribe to David’s YouTube channel to be among the first to experience this epic story online—more than 20 years after its initial concept.

Note: YouTube’s 2015 removal of interactive features limits how the series can be viewed today. DVD copies are available by request—email David for details.

Digital Education and The Agency

David’s flagship educational project, The Agency, combines online digital learning with physical theater training. It showcases how modern technology blends digital and physical arts.

Originally created using Flash (now deprecated), The Agency represents a decade of innovative development. You can find a link to the project in David’s Performance Archive, but viewing it requires installing Flash.

Each year, interdisciplinary performing artist David Cassel shares his teaching methods with actors, dancers, clowns, students, and enthusiasts. He helps them build skills and grow personally. David is dedicated to education as the key to understanding and success.