Fay Presto (born 17 May 1948) is the
stage name of Letitia Winter, a British
magician and member of
The Inner Magic Circle known for her
close-up magic
Close-up magic (also known as table magic or micromagic) is magic performed in an intimate setting usually no more than 3 meters (10 feet) from one's audience and is usually performed while sitting at a table.
Sleight-of-hand, also known as pr ...
.
Career
Winter's first job was as a lab assistant at an atomic energy research company, and she tried returning to study and working in sales before developing an interest in performing magic in her late thirties. She joined
The Magic Circle, but was asked to leave when she began to
transition. When The Magic Circle voted to allow women members in 1991, she was one of the first women to join.
As Presto, Winter specialises in
close-up magic
Close-up magic (also known as table magic or micromagic) is magic performed in an intimate setting usually no more than 3 meters (10 feet) from one's audience and is usually performed while sitting at a table.
Sleight-of-hand, also known as pr ...
, and had held a residency at London's
Langan's Brasserie since the start of her magic career. She is known for her "bottle through the table" trick, which was ranked as the 37th greatest magic trick of all time by Channel 4's ''
50 Greatest Magic Tricks''.
Presto was part of the UK touring show
Champions of Magic from 2014 to 2017, alongside fellow magicians Edward Hilsum, Alex McLear and
Young & Strange.
She was profiled in the BBC documentary series ''
40 Minutes'' in 1994 in the episode "Fay Presto: Illusions of Grandeur" directed by Sally George. In 2017, Presto was the subject of the documentary ''Fay Presto, the Queen of Close-up''.
Television appearances
Winter has appeared in a number of documentaries and played herself in cameo roles.
Awards and accolades
In 1998 Winter was voted "Party Entertainer of the Year" by
''Tatler'' Magazine.
In 2012 Winter won the title of The Magic Circle Close-up Magician of the Year 2012.
Personal life and charity work
Winter is a
transgender woman
A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...
, and regularly organises and performs in benefits to support the rights of women, children and the LGBT community. She is an ambassador for
Action for Children
Action for Children (formerly National Children's Home) is a UK children's charity created to help vulnerable children & young people and their families in the UK. The charity has 7,000 staff and volunteers who operate over 475 services in the ...
.
References
External links
Fay Presto official websiteThe Magic Circle
*
Fay Presto, Queen of Close-up film website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Presto, Fay
1948 births
Living people
British magicians
Female magicians
LGBT magicians
English transgender people
British LGBT entertainers
Transgender women entertainers