Theatrical séances is that aspect of stage magic that pretends to contact the spirits of the dead.
Theatrical séances are usually performed in either total or partial darkness to set the mood for the performance and to hide the "behind-the-scenes" goings-on of the magician and his assistants. Performance-goers can be treated to a variety of magic tricks during a theatrical séance include examples of clairvoyance, ESP, precognition and telekinesis. Séances performers will often utilize ventriloquism, hypnotism, cold reading, warm reading, hot reading, secret confederates and many other theatrical and stage magic tricks to present the illusion they are in "contact with spirits."
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Popular examples of theatrical séances
Theatrical séances are very popular at Hallowe'en and are offered for fright value. Private magic cabarets usually offer this type of performance including the Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks (entertainer) Psychic Theater in Scranton Poconos which offers theatrical séances year round. This is a full evening presentation of paranormal experiments such as mind reading, telekinesis, psycometry leading to the 7 steps to a seance, which concludes the presentation. It one of the longest running performances of its type having started in 2003. The Fall 2008 issue of the Pennsylvania Pursuits Magazine [1]put out by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania picked Psychic Theater as one of the 10 most haunted places in Pennsylvania, placing it at number 9. The article says "be ready for a true scare", and "not for the weak of heart." The Houdini Museum, in the same building http://www.houdini.org/, offers yearly séances but geared only towards specifically "contacting Houdini" who, to this day, has never made contact.
Los Angeles' Magic Castle has a separate room dedicated to theatrical séances. [1] Their evening séance program entitled, "Demons" is a recreation of a Victorian-era séance replete with mediumistic staples such as table-rapping, slate (writing), spirit photography, eerie inexplicable sounds and many other "psychic" experiments.
Ethics and legality
It should be pointed out that theatrical séances are not meant to be "real" séances and are only seen as entertainment. Hence the adjective, theatrical. Unfortunately, unscrupulous performers will avoid being clear with paying audience members. To be clear, a fake séance, that is, one that is planned and fabricated and uses contrivances, is a theatrical séance. If the séance leader is honest and admits his trickery, he is a theatrical performer. If not, he is a charlatan and a fraud. [2]
Spiritualistic and mediumistic stage magicians
- John Nevil Maskelyne (Always from an anti-spiritualist standpoint)
- Harry Houdini (prior to becoming a debunker of spiritualist frauds)
- Dick Brooks (entertainer) (co-creator and performer/Psychic Theater)
- Dorothy Dietrich (co-creator and performer/Psychic Theater)
References
- ^ Christen Gruebel (2008). Pursuits Magazine, Top 10 most Haunted Places. Pennsylvania Tourism Office, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. pp. 56, 57, 58, 59, 60.
- ^ Houdini in The New York Times, Hints of Seances at White House
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