More Tools & Performance Pieces

Featuring the following …

• “The Real Thing” presents a fresh and deceptive twist on a corporate-friendly plot originally introduced by Bruce Bernstein. Participants are invited on stage and given document-sized envelopes, which they mix and distribute among themselves. Despite the seemingly random arrangement, when opened simultaneously, each envelope reveals a letter that forms a customized message for the audience. The performer does not interfere after distributing the envelopes, ensuring a genuine and engaging experience without any gimmicks.

• “Disjuncture” offers a clever take on the classic Bank Night effect. In this transparent version, a participant and the performer alternately select from a set of envelopes, with the participant always choosing first. As envelopes are removed, the choices become fewer, yet the participant enjoys a fair and unrestricted selection. Ultimately, the performer reveals three envelopes containing large-denomination banknotes, while the participant’s chosen envelopes hold colored slips of paper. This effect can be tailored and repeated without any changes in method, ensuring a fresh experience each time.

• “Square, Circled” revisits the innovative 4×4 magic square technique from Mindsights, focusing on platform presentations. This version eliminates complex calculations and accommodates various sizes, including three-digit totals corresponding to chosen calendar years. Each square can be presented in twenty-eight unique ways, introducing new concepts that enhance audience engagement and are particularly effective in corporate and trade show settings.

• “The Polliwog Progression” is a groundbreaking full-deck Zener card stack that utilizes all 25 cards, is cyclic for easy mixing, and shows no discernible patterns, even under scrutiny. It requires no arithmetic to predict the next card and features a unique mnemonic design for easy memorization. This is an invaluable resource for Zener card enthusiasts.

• Explore two methods for recreating classic parapsychological experiments with standard “ESP” cards, one utilizing the Polliwog Progression and the other leveraging a lesser-known feature of the traditional Zener deck.

• Additionally, discover an exciting psychological force, an “anomalous motion” optical illusion that can be quite disorienting, along with insights on mentalism performance from a former President of the Psychic Entertainers Association.