Manos: Live Act

Manos

LIVE

ACT Jan. 27th 2019

ACT Notes

First of all, I would like to thank you for investing your time and money to get my ACT. I have to admit that I was a little nervous performing in English as I live in Greece and perform solely in my native tongue; but I sincerely hope that you can see past that and find value in what I’m sharing. I certainly believe that there is something here for everyone and am confident that you will discover ideas to either add to your repertoire or get your creative juices flowing. There is a specific reason why each routine is in the ACT and I will do my best to illustrate why they deserve that place.

Brick Opener I love this routine for the following reasons: ▪

It provides variety in a mentalism act (it’s not mind-reading, influence, etc.).

▪

I can always hear audible gasps from the audience the moment when the brick hits the table. The image of the brick and the sound it makes create an interesting visual in my opinion that mentalism performances sometimes lack.

▪

It incorporates the element of surprise (which is another thing that mentalism acts really need). It’s easy for an act to become predictable and repetitive: you read someone’s mind to get their PIN code, then you read someone’s mind and reveal a word, then you read their mind and reveal a drawing etc. Although these effects might be impressive as stand-alone effects, I believe that adding the element of surprise and throwing the audience a curve ball at the right time always elevates the impact of the effect in an act.

▪

It involves the whole audience, helps you build rapport and

guarantees that you will have a willing participant join you on stage. ▪

Starting your show with a routine that has a strong impact is always a good thing.

Note: I have also used the controlled coin toss technique to select the luckiest person in the room in order to help me in a “smash and stab” routine. As I invite the person on stage, I switch the coin for an identical ungimmicked coin. I mark one side of it with a big red X and the other side with a green ✓. I then hand this coin to the participant and ask them to decide whether I should smash each bag or keep it. When we are down to 2 bags I ask them if they want to trust the coin toss for the last bag or ignore it and make up their own mind. This, in my opinion, creates an interesting moment since my whole presentation is based on how big of a role chance/luck plays in our lives and whether we can control it or not. At the end I reveal that the last bag contains the nail and I also reveal a prediction that describes who the luckiest person in the room would be (similar to “Brick Opener”).

What I like about this routine is the fact that the participant can freely toss the coin at its conclusion - adding another layer of deception. I also give away the coin as a souvenir because I believe that the way it is marked creates an interesting object that carries with it an interesting story. If you want more details about the presentation and the controlled coin toss feel free to read this complete performance and explanation:

Performance “I have a question for all of you… Do you feel lucky today? If I were to ask you, ‘Do you think you are the luckiest person in this room?’ would you admit that you are?” The performer pauses for a moment, glancing around the room as if looking for an answer. “Well, I am looking for the luckiest person in the room today. In fact, I have devised a procedure to find out who it is. I would like all of you to stand up please. Great. We are going to play a little game that I am sure you are all

familiar with; it’s called ‘Heads or Tails.’ I have a 2 euro coin here.” The performer approaches the spectators on the first row and shows both sides of the coin as he continues, “The side with the 2 euro value is traditionally ‘Tails’ and the other side is ‘Heads.’ To demonstrate your choice, all you have to do is put your hands on your head – if you believe that the toss will land heads up, or touch your ‘tails’ – if you think that will be the winning outcome.” The performer matches words to actions and shows how to signal each choice. “Those who guess correctly will remain standing. Those who get it wrong will take your seats again – you’re officially eliminated from the game. Please don’t choose the same thing every time – alternate between your choices. If you all choose heads, for example, you will either all be seated or remain standing and I am sure no one wants us to do this forever.

Please get ready to make your first choice.” The performer tosses the coin in the air and asks the audience to choose between heads or tails. “Okay, as you can see it’s tails. All of you who chose heads please take your seats, the rest of you advance to the next round!” The game is repeated another three to four times until, from an audience of two hundred, less than ten people are standing. “Now let’s try something different to speed things up. I will ask you to guess the date on the coin – it’s between 2000 and 2010. If no one gets it spot on we will settle with whoever comes closest.” Each of the spectators offer a guess. The performer reads off the date as he shows it to someone in the first row for confirmation. “It’s 2007, did anyone get it? Who was it that said 2007?” The performer looks around and spots the spectator who made the winning guess. Everyone else is instructed to take their seats. “I believe we have just found the luckiest person in the room. Please give this man a round of applause as he joins me on stage!”

The spectator joins the performer up front where he takes a seat center stage. “There are two identical gift bags on the table. I would like you to help me label the bags. I have two stickers here, one with an ‘H’ for heads and one with a ‘T’ for tails. What do you want this bag to be – heads or tails?” The spectator makes his choice and the bags are labelled accordingly. “Thank you. In a moment, we will choose a bag based on the final flip of this coin. Whichever side lands up, that is the bag I will empty over your head. So if tails comes up I will empty the bag with the ‘T,’ but if it lands on heads then we get to see what is hiding in the bag labelled ‘H.’ I will not tell you what is in the bags, but I will tell you that one of the two outcomes will be positive and the other one... unpleasant. You should not be worried however. You are, after all, the luckiest person in the room today. Don’t you feel lucky?” The spectator seems a little unsure at this point.

“Before I toss the coin I will give you five seconds to switch the labels if you want. After that, you cannot change your mind.” The performer counts down from five to zero and the spectator chooses not to change the labels. “Alright, let’s see what happens.” The performer tosses the coin, catches it, and brings it in front of the spectator. “Please say out loud what came up.” The spectator says that it landed on tails. The performer picks up the bag with the “T” and empties it on the spectator’s head to reveal that there was nothing inside but a feather. “This seems to me like a good choice! Please give this man a round of applause!” After the applause quiets down the performer continues, “I told you not to worry. After all, what could go wrong?” As the performer says these words he empties the remaining bag onto

the table to reveal, with a loud thud, a hefty brick hidden inside. “You truly are the luckiest person in the room! However, I can’t help but thinking that in the beginning, before you correctly anticipated every coin toss, before you guessed the date on the coin, and before you avoided being hit by the brick, you didn’t think you were that lucky, right? I want you to know, though, that I always trusted you to make all the right choices.” The performer draws attention to a piece of paper that he previously secured to the brick by a rubber band. “I wrote this down just before I walked out on stage tonight. The note reads: ‘As I am looking at tonight’s audience I know that one of them will be extremely lucky. He will get all the coin tosses right, guess the date on the coin correctly, and avoid being hit by the brick. I believe this person will be the one-eyed midget wearing a Rolling Stones shirt who is sitting in the third row’.” The spectator, who is in fact a one-eyed midget from the third row

wearing the specified shirt, is impressed as well as the rest of the audience and the performer gets his well-deserved applause.

Method Before going on stage you must spot a spectator in the audience for whom you can prepare a good description (based on their characteristics and attire) and write a prediction similar to the one described earlier. Make sure you choose a spectator that is sitting somewhere you can see easily because you need to follow all the choices they will be making (heads or tails). You then rubber band the prediction on the brick, set everything in place, and you are ready for the performance. The next thing you need to do is control the coin toss so that you keep your target spectator in the game until the end. In order to control the outcome, you must prepare the coin slightly prior to your performance. I use a 2 euro coin. The side with the 2 euro inscription (tails) is completely normal but on the other side (heads) I have applied a layer of clear tape over the entire surface. This is completely invisible but it makes a world of a difference when you feel the coin in your fingers. Alternatively, for a more permanent gimmick, you may prefer to apply a coat of clear nail polish or resin (similar to

the kind used in the construction of jewelry or other arts and crafts). Attention: If you choose to use nail polish be aware that the coin might stick to other coins within your pocket. I think the best option (besides the clear tape) is the resin. The tails side feels rough because of the large 2 euro inscription. You can easily feel it with your thumb as you close your hand around the coin during the catch. The heads side, however, is extremely smooth due to the clear tape (or resin/nail polish). When you catch the coin move it to finger palm position and use your thumb to feel if the side facing your body is smooth or rough. Let’s assume that you are feeling a very rough side (tails). Your hand is now closed (and palm-down), the coin is in a position similar to a fingerpalm, and you know that the tails side is facing the ceiling. If you want to show that the outcome of the toss is heads all you need to do is turn your hand palm-up and then open it. By turning your hand 180° you basically rotate the coin into a position where the heads side, that was originally facing the floor, is now facing the ceiling. If, however, you want to show the tails outcome (starting from the same position with the heads side towards the floor in your closed, palm-down, hand), all you need to do is open your hand slightly as you rotate at the wrist so that the coin rests on the fingertips showing the

tails side. During this move the coin never flips over. Please refer to the following images for an illustration of the move:

Image 1: I catch the coin and feel it with the thumb. In this case I am feeling the rough side (tails). Image 2: As I am feeling the coin I close my hand into a fist. I know that tails side is going to be facing the ceiling as I close my hand. Image 3: I close my fist completely. I know tails side is facing up to the ceiling and heads is facing the floor. Now that I know the orientation of the coin in my hand there are two options.

Option 1: If I want to flip the coin over and show heads I keep my fist closed and rotate my hand 180° at the wrist. My fingers open only when my hand is fully palm-up. (Refer to images 4-6.)

Option 2: If, instead, I want to maintain the orientation of the coin (so that it shows tails) I open my hand slightly and let the coin rest on my fingers. I continue to extend my fingers forward causing my hand to automatically turn palm-up. (Refer to images 7-9.)

Note: The photographs above are taken at key moments within the two moves to highlight the differences. Each move is slightly exaggerated* for illustration purposes. At normal speed these two moves look identical. *In reality, when I rotate my hand 180° (thus showing heads per this example), my palm starts opening somewhere between image 4 and 5. Additionally, the opening in image 7 is almost unnoticeable in actual performance.

When you perform for small crowds the coin toss alone will efficiently eliminate all but one person without dragging out the process for too long. However, when I perform for larger audiences of two hundred or more, I make use of another technique in order to speed things up. I repeat the coin toss until I am down to ten people or less and then I ask those remaining to guess the date on the coin. I usually announce that it’s a date between 2000 and 2010 to make the accuracy of the guess more plausible and believable. I hear what the target spectator says and miscall the date to make his guess correct. I get away with this bold ploy because at this point the whole procedure makes sense and no one thinks that I have a reason to control the outcome. I also create the impression that someone seated in the first row of the audience confirms the date on the coin. I do this in the following way: During each elimination round of “Heads or Tails” I always show the outcome of the coin to audience members in the first row to confirm

that it is indeed what I claim it to be (I can cleanly show it since I have controlled the outcome). A little later, when it’s time to miscall the date, I approach the front row just as I’ve done several times before but pretend that the lighting is poor and I cannot see the date. I take a step back and angle the coin so that it hits the light (ostensibly to see it more clearly), miscall the date, and then turn towards the rest of the audience and ask, “Who was it that said [miscalled date]?” I focus all my attention on the self-identified individual and then walk away from the front row to meet my target spectator. When the spectator sits on stage I have him label the two bags. I then reveal that I am going to empty the contents of one of the bags on his head. I, of course, know which bag contains the brick and control the coin toss such that I empty the other bag onto the spectator’s head. On the heels of this first climax you then proceed by revealing the prediction on the brick – this is an extra punch that no one will see coming!

Final Thoughts I really like the revelation of the brick in this routine because it’s visually interesting and the noise it produces upon hitting the table is unmistakable. Theatrically this creates an interesting moment for the

audience – and god knows how much we need that in mentalism! Although mentalism can offer some very powerful experiences to an audience, the routines in a mentalism show run the danger of becoming repetitive, predictable, and less interesting as the show goes on. A performance of mentalism needs to be something more than, “someone thinks of something and the performer tells them what it is.” Yes, that can be really impressive – but if all the routines in a show fit that description then I think the performance has not reached its full potential. The way I deal with this in my performances is by trying to create visually interesting moments that will resonate with the audience and add a specific characteristic to each routine. That characteristic can be humour, emotion, suspense etc. Another technique I use is to let the audience think they know where an effect is going and then throw them a curve ball and take them in a direction they didn’t see coming – but more on that later. If you choose to put a feather in the other bag as I do, you might need to add a rectangular piece of cardboard to the bottom of the bag (depending on what bag you are using). This addition not only helps the bag maintain a good shape so that it solidly sits on the table, it also provides some weight so that you can handle it more easily. Furthermore, it makes the two bags look identical. The reason I use

stickers in place of writing directly on the bags is because I do not want the audience to pick up on the fact that one bag looks empty while the other looks as though it contains something heavy. As far as the kicker prediction of the person is concerned, after it is read aloud it should be clear to the whole audience that the description could not possibly fit another person in the room. Start with the more general characteristics (a man, short hair etc.) and end with the most striking ones (wearing a T-shirt with the Rolling Stones logo on it; has a tattoo of an anchor on his right arm; etc.). In closing, I hope you use the controlled coin toss wisely. In my opinion this is an extremely versatile and useful technique – its uses are limited only by your imagination. However, I strongly believe that you should employ it covertly most of the time. In this routine, for example, I use it three to five consecutive times to keep my target spectator in the game, but that’s fine because no one knows or could imagine that these choices are of any importance to the routine. If, on the other hand, I was using it to merely win a game of “Heads or Tails” five times consecutively, everyone would suspect that something is going on. Note: Although I came up with the method to control the coin toss independently, I later discovered in my research that Gregory Wilson, Atlas Brookings, and Looch have developed techniques that are almost identical. Whereas in their techniques you try to determine the

orientation of the coin by feel alone, the difference in my approach is the application of the clear tape (which makes a world of a difference in my opinion). I am sure that Gregory, Atlas, and Looch can perform this without the use of tape, but when I was testing it out I found that I was much more accurate (and faster) when using the prepared coin. I can perform this with 100% confidence knowing that I will never think that I am feeling the wrong side.

Credits Ken Dyne: For his “Heads or Tails” routine (as found in his Penguin Live lecture) and for the story of the one-eyed midget. Atlas Brookings and Looch: Their controlled coin toss is detailed in Looch’s The Black Project. Max Maven: His DVD Multiplicity contains a similar routine wherein a brick and feather are dumped out of gift bags. Luke Jermay: For his “Dangerous Opener” (originally published in Coral Fang). Anton Chigurh: For taking the coin toss concept to a whole new level.

Derren Brown: The “Which Hand” opener that he plays with the entire audience was a major inspiration for this routine. Bruce Bernstein and Ted Karmilovich: For the concept of predicting the appearance of a “randomly” selected audience member as used, respectively, within their routines “The Crossiet Affair” and “Target Number.” Seamus Maguire, Patrick Redford, and Paul Shirley: They all have work on controlling/tracking the outcome of a coin toss or spin. Michael Murray: He offers a unique approach to the controlled coin toss wherein the participant intuits the outcome while the coin is in his or her hand. You can find this under the title of “Orchestration” in his A Piece of My Mind. Gregory Wilson: His DVD School of Cool features a similar, although not identical, technique to sense the result of a coin toss. Greg’s routine is called “Heads or Tails?”

Postcards This routine is in the act because I wanted to have a mind reading demonstration where nothing is ever written down. I also wanted to create the illusion that the participants genuinely think of information on the spot which I am able to divine. I know that the performance recorded for the ACT did not go as planned and that was because I perform it in Greek and the force drawing at the end is something different. However, what I wanted to illustrate through this routine was a concept I call “Lazy Tracking” (inspired by Atlas Brookings’ amazing “Train Tracking”). The main difference here is that I start by knowing what the participants are thinking – either by peeking (this is the more advanced handling) or by forcing a piece of information – and then guide the participants to think exactly what I want them to think. When I perform it in Greek, most of the time I choose to force a word where the last letter is an “η” so I can force the drawing of “’ήλιος” (sun). I would strongly encourage you to develop this concept further in your own language. It is a process that will take some time and experimentation but in the end you will be able to reveal thought of drawings or other pieces of information. In my experience this

technique makes routines stronger and adds a flare of genuine mind reading. For further inspiration on such ideas in the English language I would strongly suggest studying the work of Atlas Brookings, Joshua Quinn, and Stephen Yachanin who are all pioneers in this kind of thinking. I would also suggest finding a category which would restrict the participant’s choice without seeming restrictive. For example, if you ask them to think of a colour, a day of the week or a month, everyone knows that the range is 1 out of 12 (or less). However, if you ask them to think of a simple drawing – something that even a child could draw in less than 10 seconds – you can narrow it down to 1 or 2 things (choose the letter you want to force wisely) while at the same time creating the illusion of a much greater choice that could be literally anything.

Credits Joshua Quinn, Atlas Brookings, Looch, Stephen Yachanin

My take on Phill Smith’s “Stegosaurus” I fell in love with Phill’s routine the moment I saw it. I had already been playing with the idea of converting words into code but Phill was the one who beat me to the creation a polished routine using the concept. Because I already knew how to turn words into binary code, I had no problem creating my own list in Greek. I am sure you can do the same in your language once you understand how the coding works. I soon realized, however, that the presentation I was building around the routine needed an extra phase. I wanted to reveal a thought of word as the climax. I think using an impression device hidden on the back of one of the cards used in the demonstration is the best way to go because it makes everything self-contained; the moment you peek is much more deceptive; and writing down the information is justified through the presentation. In my opinion “Stegosaurus” is one of the most overlooked effects

released in the last few years—it is absolutely brilliant and you should definitely support Phill by purchasing it.

Credits Phill Smith

ProMetheus I have always believed that Colin McLeod’s “Perfect Prediction” is the best “Which Hand” style routine because it is so much more than just finding the location of a hidden item. I am especially proud to have created an alternative (completely propless) handling that maintains the same level of simplicity in the presentation. Now, I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about this. I am not saying that “electronic items” are not good or don’t have their place in our tool box. On the contrary, some of them are great – but by learning “ProMetheus” you have an alternative method (or back up) that allows you to perform a similar effect on occasions when the device isn’t with you (or functioning properly). If you want to learn the details of the logic puzzle behind this routine feel free to delve further into the full description of the routine that follows:

Performance The performer walks on stage and sets a box down on the table positioned center stage. “I’ve always been fascinated by two skill-sets in particular: the ability to influence someone’s decisions… and the ability to read people. At times it is enough for me to simply identify if someone is lying or telling the truth… other times I find it necessary to learn exactly what they are thinking. I would like the help of two gentlemen to demonstrate the latter.” The performer identifies two men from the audience. “Please join me on stage as the rest of the audience gives you a warm round of applause.” They make their way to the front. Once the men are in position, the performer removes something from his pocket. “We are going to play a very simple game with this coin. You are going to hide the coin in one of your hands and I am going to try to find it. I will leave it here on the table for now.

When I turn my back, you are going to do two things. First, one of you is going to take the coin and hide it in one of your hands. When I turn back around I am going to ask you where the coin is and one of you is going to tell the truth and the other one is going to lie to that question. So the second thing you must do is decide who will lie and who will tell the truth. To do this secretly, signal each other with a thumbs up if you want to tell the truth or a thumbs down if you are going to lie. It’s important that you each choose a different option so that I can attempt to spot the difference in your responses. Do you understand what you need to do? Great! Please do everything in secret so even the audience doesn’t know what decisions you have made.” The two spectators turn their backs to the audience so that no one can follow along and the performer turns away from the men to face the audience. “Okay, so remember – first, one of you takes the coin and hides it in one of your hands; then, show a thumb up for “truth” or a thumb down for “lie.” Finally, place both your hands behind your back and ask me to turn around when you are ready.” The participants indicate they are ready and the performer turns around.

“Great! In a moment, I am going to ask you if the coin is in one of your hands. Hopefully I will be able to understand if you are lying or telling the truth and that will help me find where the coin is hidden. Before we begin I want to explain that, usually, the people who tell the truth tend to respond immediately while people who lie take some time to think about their answer before they say anything. I tell you this so that you don’t make it so easy for me. Please both think about your answer for three or four seconds before you say anything – and remember to answer in character.” (For explanation’s sake, from this point forward we will differentiate between the two spectators by referring to them as “Spectator A” and “Spectator B.”) “Right then, let’s start with you sir.” The performer touches Spectator A’s right arm and asks, “Is it in this hand?” After three seconds of silence the spectator responds, “Yes.” “Very well, that sounded quite confident and honest… maybe too honest though.”

The performer now approaches Spectator B, touches his right arm and asks, “Is it in this hand?” Again after a few seconds of silence, the second spectator responds, “Yes.” “Alright, I think that response told me a lot! Let’s try and take this a step further. Forget about lying or telling the truth, I will try to pick up on an actual thought locked away in your mind.” Now the performer touches Spectator A’s left arm and says, “If the coin is in this hand, I want you to imagine holding a full-grown elephant. If this hand is empty imagine a delicate cloud resting on your palm. Okay, hold that thought… Great!” The performer next approaches Spectator B, touches his left arm and says, “If the coin is in this hand, I want you to think of a heavy rock pulling your hand down. If it’s empty think of an enormous helium balloon

trying to lift you off of the floor.” The performer takes a good look at both spectators and then says, “Okay, both of you please bring your hands forward. I know that you (motioning toward Spectator A) are thinking of a cloud and you (indicating Spectator B) are thinking of a balloon.” Both men react to this statement and confirm it to be true. Without skipping a beat, the performer continues by saying, “This tells me which three hands are empty – so now I know exactly where the coin is.” He immediately touches Spectator A’s right hand and instructs, “Open this hand.” The spectator opens his hand and reveals that the coin is, indeed, hidden in this hand at which point the audience rewards everyone involved with a round of applause for the entertaining performance. After the applause quiets down the performer continues, “I did say in the beginning that two of the things that fascinate me are

the ability to read people and the ability to influence their thoughts. I managed to read both of you correctly and discern that you (addressing Spectator A) were telling the truth and you (speaking to Spectator B) were lying. I also knew that you were thinking of a cloud and you were thinking of a balloon… but I never showed you how I can influence your thoughts.” The performer opens the box that has been on the table since the beginning and reveals a helium balloon in the shape of a cloud. The spectators are amazed and reward him with an even more enthusiastic round of applause.

Method There are two strategies employed within the method of this routine. The first allows you to locate where the coin is hidden; or to be more precise, where it is NOT hidden. The method for this was shared in my last book V² within the routine “Verbalist 2.0” and it is based on a logic puzzle that I created. In order for this to work you need to set the premise as was described in the performance – specifically, that one of the spectators will lie and the other will tell the truth. You then ask the question, “Is it in this hand?” to both spectators while touching their right arms. If both spectators

give the same answer (“Yes”, “Yes” or “No”, “No”) then you know that the coin must be hidden in one of the hands that you touched. If their responses are different (“Yes”, “No” or “No”, “Yes”), then you know that the coin must be in one of the other hands that you didn’t touch (the left hands in this case). The reason you touch their arms and not their hands is because the spectators have both hands behind their back. This is a far more comfortable position for the spectators than holding their hands outstretched for an extended period of time and I believe it adds a little to the impossibility of the routine by eliminating the thought that I’m somehow able to tell where the coin is by the way they are clenching their fists. Bear in mind that you could, of course, touch their left arms but I choose to always touch their right arms because later in the routine when it’s time for the revelation of the coin I don’t want to struggle to remember which hands I touched. If you want to know exactly how this logic puzzle works you can study the following tables, otherwise skip ahead and just remember that all you need to know is if their responses are the same or different.

Is it in this hand?

Spectator A - Truth teller

Spectator B - Liar

(has coin in RIGHT hand)

(both hands are empty)

Left hand

RIGHT hand

Left hand

RIGHT hand

No

YES

Yes

YES

Is it in this hand?

Spectator A - Truth teller

Spectator B - Liar

(both hands are empty)

(has coin in RIGHT hand)

Left hand

RIGHT hand

Left hand

RIGHT hand

No

NO

Yes

NO

The tables above show the possible responses from each participant when the coin is hidden in a right hand. As you can see, no matter who has the coin, the answers must be the same when you touch their right hands (Yes/Yes or No/No). Alternatively, as you can see from the tables on the next page, if one of the participants has the coin in his left hand, the answers must be different when you touch their right hands (No/Yes or Yes/No). In this case you have an extra bit of information – the spectator who says, “No” must be the truth teller. At this point in “Verbalist 2.0” I would use Max Maven’s linguistic ploy from “Kurotsuke” to reveal where the coin is hidden. The exact script I use after revealing the thought each person has in mind is, “This tells me which three hands are empty – so now I know exactly where the coin is… Open this hand.”

Is it in this hand?

Spectator A - Truth teller

Spectator B - Liar

(has coin in LEFT hand)

(both hands are empty)

Left hand

RIGHT hand

Left hand

RIGHT hand

Yes

NO

Yes

YES

Is it in this hand?

Spectator A - Truth teller

Spectator B - Liar

(both hands are empty)

(has coin in LEFT hand)

Left hand

RIGHT hand

Left hand

RIGHT hand

No

NO

No

YES

As I explained earlier, the logic puzzle allows you to narrow the location of the coin down to two hands so you simply need to touch one of those hands and deliver the line in a commanding manner (without exaggerations in the tone of your voice). Said correctly, this instruction will prompt to the spectator to react without any hesitation. If the coin is in the hand you just specified you have accomplished your objective and the script makes perfect sense. If the specified hand is empty you should immediately continue by saying, “… this hand is also empty; as is this hand. That’s how I know that the coin is in that hand – please show everyone!” In this scenario you identify the other two hands you know to be empty (based on the logic puzzle), leaving the hand holding the coin for last. The script again makes sense because you stated that you know which of the three hands are empty (thereby learning the coin’s location via process of elimination) and that is exactly the procedure you use in the revelation sequence.

If for some reason you prefer one outcome over the other I encourage you to think of the following: Imagine that you are 100% certain that the coin is in Spectator A’s right hand. I repeat – you are 100% certain about this! Do you reveal this by saying, “Open this hand!” or by saying, “This hand is empty, this is empty, this one is also empty. The coin is in your right hand.” Hopefully you realize that if these two revelation styles don’t appear all that different to you, your audience will feel the same – both effectively prove that you located the coin. I said earlier that there are two elements to this routine. The first (explained above) is the core method for my routine “Verbalist 2.0.” The second is based on the works of Colin McLeod and Michael Murray. Colin McLeod has used the concept of forcing information using the spectators’ hands in his “Perfect Prediction” routine (an explanation of which can be found in Colin’s Penguin Live lecture as well as his book Divine) and Michael Murray uses his “Universal Force Technique” which can be applied to anything, not just hands, in his book A Piece of My Mind. Although the prediction is achieved in a similar manner to Colin’s routine, the method within “ProMetheus” is quite different on two accounts: first, it uses my location method from “Verbalist 2.0”; and second, instead of forcing the information based on which hand holds the coin, you force the information based on which hands are empty. More specifically, as was explained earlier, the logic puzzle allows you

to identify if the coin is in one of the two right hands or if it is in one of the two left hands. As soon as you know that, you use that knowledge to force the two words on the hands that are empty. In the performance example I’ve provided, the two spectators gave the same answer (“Yes” and “Yes”) when the performer touched their right hands. Based on that we know that the coin is in one of the right hands (and both left hands are empty). The performer then forced the words “cloud” and “balloon” by touching the left hands (knowing they are both empty) and saying to one of the men, “If the coin is in this hand, I want you to imagine holding a full grown elephant. If this hand is empty imagine a delicate cloud resting on your palm…” and to the other, “If the coin is in this hand, I want you to think of a heavy rock pulling your hand down. If it’s empty think of an enormous helium balloon trying to lift you off of the floor.” It goes without saying that if you get two different answers when touching both right hands (“Yes”, “No” or “No”, “Yes”) you proceed to the next phase where you force the information by pointing to their right hands (again because you know that they are both empty).

Final Thoughts The reason I do not want the audience to see the choices the two

spectators make on stage (where the coin is hidden and who will tell the truth vs. who will lie) is because I want the audience to feel the uncertainty of where the coin might be and if the spectators are lying or telling the truth. If the audience feels like nothing was given away during the procedure, this feeling adds to the impossibility of the effect. This is a similar strategy to what some escape artists use when they ask the audience to hold their breath while they are underwater. As mentalists we have associated certain coins with certain methods so you might be thinking, “If this is an un-gimmicked version why use a coin and not something else?” The reason I use a coin is because I want to frame this routine around the abilities I wish to demonstrate (reading people and influencing their choices) and not the object itself. I am using a coin because, for a lay audience, it is something trivial and ordinary. I didn’t want to use another object that calls too much attention to itself. Having said that, you are free to use whatever object is small enough to be concealed in a closed fist. Obviously, the final revelation in this routine is a nod to Colin McLeod. Bear in mind that I have had great success with this routine even when not walking around with helium balloons in my pockets. I will often find something in my surroundings that I want to force (a painting, a sign, etc.) and then write down a prediction saying, “Look at the

painting…” or “Look at the sign…” which I leave in full view. I then perform “ProMetheus” using a coin (or even just the folded prediction paper). I have also considered having two words engraved on the coin itself so that it can act as the final revelation.

Credits Gerald Kosky: “To Tell The Truth” from Apocalypse (June 1978). Max Maven: For the linguistic ploy from his routine “Kurotsuke.” Atlas Brookings: “Imbalance” from his Penguin Live lecture. Michael Murray: “The Universal Force Technique” from his book A Piece of My Mind. Ryan Frame: “ROTVARI” from the Prevaricator DVD project. Colin McLeod: “Perfect Prediction” from his Penguin Live lecture and book Divine.

Unlock I have experimented with a few variations of this piece over the recent years. Basically, I wanted a routine where the participant, in a believable manner, demonstrates an amazing ability on stage. The first thing I tested was Rasmus’ “Steel” and that worked great for me; though I later decided to change the script and incorporate a visualization process which, in my opinion, makes the mind reading procedure more interesting. For this reason, I decided to change from “Steel” to Propdog’s “Easy to Bend Keys” because they fit the presentation better. My goal with this routine was to make the participant the star of the show and empower them with a positive message. It also demonstrates another one of my abilities to the audience (hypnosis) and adds some variety to the act.

In Closing

I hope you enjoyed what I had to offer through my ACT. If you are anything like me you know that what works for one performer might not work for anyone else – but when you find even one idea that inspires you, it makes the material worthwhile. I hope you have found something like that here. Thanks again for investing your time and money in my work – I truly appreciate it. A special thanks as well to Drew Backenstoss for assisting me with editing and design of these notes. Until we meet again, Manos