ROUGH MAGIC: SCENES FROM A LIFE takes the reader on a journey through the life of a creative, introverted young boy who, much to his own surprise, grows up to become a professional stage actor.

This book is for anyone who had a dream but not the slightest idea how to fulfill it. It's for anyone who fantasized about being a Major League Baseball star but who barely had enough talent to warm the bench. It will appeal to anyone who spent adolescence wondering whether he or she would ever belong anywhere.

Jonathan Gillard Daly sets out on a journey of self-discovery as he draws from the personal journals that he kept for his entire adulthood, in an account of how he discovered his inner talent and passion for acting. He wrestles with some of the more profound questions confronted by anyone contemplating a career in the arts: can one be a success without being famous? Is it possible to have a successful career and a rewarding private life too? Is one's identity as an artist only real and true if there's a paycheck attached?

ROUGH MAGIC: SCENES FROM A LIFE abounds with anecdotes of a life in the theatre, the kind of backstage drama, onstage disasters, and sublime moments of true artistry that theatre fans love to read about. But this memoir steps away from the footlights, changes into street clothes and exits the stage door into the world of a satisfying, demanding, uncertain and meaningful life . It's a look at the offstage life of an actor, told with openness and candor.