Theatrical Séances
Encyclopedia
A theatrical séance is an aspect of mentalism
that purports to give its audiences the feeling of contacting the spirits of the dead, as in a successful Spiritualist seance
.
Theatrical séances are usually performed in either total or partial darkness to replicate the atmosphere of a traditional seance
, to set the mood for the performance, and to hide the methods of the performer. Performance-goers may be treated to a variety of mentalism
demonstrations during a theatrical séance include examples of clairvoyance
, ESP, precognition
and telekinesis, in addition to or in preparation of apparent mediumship
.
and are often offered for fright value. Private magic cabarets may offer this type of performance, including:
The Dorothy Dietrich
and Dick Brooks (entertainer)
Psychic Theater in Scranton Poconos offers theatrical séances year round. It is one of the longest running performances of its type having started in 2003. The Fall 2008 issue of the Pennsylvania Pursuits Magazine 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 Houdini Museum
offers yearly séances geared specifically toward "contacting Houdini."
A Houdini seance has been presented by Neil Tobin
, Necromancer at Excalibur nightclub
annually since October 2001. This event is presented on behalf of the Chicago Assembly of the Society of American Magicians
during the last week of October to commemorate the late magician's death; Houdini helped found the Chicago Assembly in 1919.
A short theatrical seance also concludes Supernatural Chicago
, a popular interactive theater
show by Neil Tobin
. It is currently in its seventh straight year of performances.
Los Angeles
' Magic Castle has a separate room dedicated to theatrical séances. http://www.magiccastle.com/visiting/seance.cfm 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.
Mentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
that purports to give its audiences the feeling of contacting the spirits of the dead, as in a successful Spiritualist seance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
.
Theatrical séances are usually performed in either total or partial darkness to replicate the atmosphere of a traditional seance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
, to set the mood for the performance, and to hide the methods of the performer. Performance-goers may be treated to a variety of mentalism
Mentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
demonstrations during a theatrical séance include examples of clairvoyance
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
, ESP, precognition
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
and telekinesis, in addition to or in preparation of apparent mediumship
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
.
Popular examples of theatrical séances
Theatrical séances are very popular at Hallowe'enHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
and are often offered for fright value. Private magic cabarets may offer this type of performance, including:
The Dorothy Dietrich
Dorothy Dietrich
Dorothy Dietrich is an American stage magician and escapologist, and the first and only woman to have performed the bullet catch in mouth. She was also the first woman to perform a straitjacket escape while suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope Dorothy Dietrich is an American...
and Dick Brooks (entertainer)
Dick Brooks (entertainer)
Dick Brooks, considered a magician of renown has been a professional performer since leaving school, was born in New York City. As a teenager he joined a Department of Parks magic club headed up by the official magician of New York City, Abe Hurwitz , who was also the father of the soon to be...
Psychic Theater in Scranton Poconos offers theatrical séances year round. It is one of the longest running performances of its type having started in 2003. The Fall 2008 issue of the Pennsylvania Pursuits Magazine 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 Houdini Museum
Houdini Museum
The Houdini Museum was established in 1988 at 1433 N. Main Avenue in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. It is in a turn-of-the-20th-century building that has been entirely renovated. Houdini performed in Scranton and did several special challenges there. His brother, Hardeen, also appeared in Scranton...
offers yearly séances geared specifically toward "contacting Houdini."
A Houdini seance has been presented by Neil Tobin
Neil Tobin
Neil Tobin is a performer of magical and psychic entertainment.Since his performance material often involves themes of spirit contact—in addition to demonstrations of telepathy, precognition, magic, and even divination—he often performs as "Neil Tobin, Necromancer."-Live Performance:Since Friday...
, Necromancer at Excalibur nightclub
Excalibur (nightclub)
The Excalibur nightclub in Chicago was first opened in 1989. It is located in the former Chicago Historical Society building which is a Chicago historical landmark...
annually since October 2001. This event is presented on behalf of the Chicago Assembly of the Society of American Magicians
Society of American Magicians
The Society of American Magicians is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and to maintain and improve ethical standards in the field of...
during the last week of October to commemorate the late magician's death; Houdini helped found the Chicago Assembly in 1919.
A short theatrical seance also concludes Supernatural Chicago
Supernatural Chicago
Supernatural Chicago, currently in its seventh year of performances, has become a mainstay of the Chicago theater scene. The show opened on the appropriately superstition-tinged date of Friday the 13th in February 2004, and continues in an open-ended run....
, a popular interactive theater
Interactive theater
Interactive theatre is a presentational form that breaks the "fourth wall" separating performer and audience both physically and verbally.In traditional theatre, performance is limited to a designated stage area and the action of the play unfolds without any interplay with audience members, who...
show by Neil Tobin
Neil Tobin
Neil Tobin is a performer of magical and psychic entertainment.Since his performance material often involves themes of spirit contact—in addition to demonstrations of telepathy, precognition, magic, and even divination—he often performs as "Neil Tobin, Necromancer."-Live Performance:Since Friday...
. It is currently in its seventh straight year of performances.
Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
' Magic Castle has a separate room dedicated to theatrical séances. http://www.magiccastle.com/visiting/seance.cfm Their evening séance program entitled, "Demons" is a recreation of a Victorian-era séance replete with mediumistic staples such as table-rapping, slate (writing)
Slate (writing)
A writing slate is a piece of flat material used as a medium for writing.In the 19th century, writing slates were made of slate, which is more durable than paper and was cheap at the time when paper was expensive. It was used to allow children to practice writing...
, spirit photography
Spirit photography
Spirit photography is a type of photography whose primary attempt is to capture images of ghosts and other spiritual entities, especially in ghost hunting. It was first used by William H. Mumler in the 1860s. Mumler discovered the technique by accident, after he discovered a second person in a...
, eerie inexplicable sounds and many other "psychic" experiments.
Ethics and legality
It should be pointed out that theatrical séances are not intended to be "real" séances and should only be seen as entertainment; hence the adjective, theatrical. According to Houdini, if the séance leader is honest and admits his trickery, he is a theatrical performer; if not, he is a charlatan and a fraud. Ethically, a paying audience should be notified beforehand that they will be experiencing a work of interactive theater rather than an actual Spiritualist seance. Once the audience is inside the performance space, however, the performer's primary responsibility is to create a convincingly realistic theatrical experience, just as in other forms of theater. Additionally, the ambiguity of whether every manifestation is the result of deception or not may be part of the enjoyment that a theatrical seance provides.Spiritualistic and mediumistic performers
- Anna Eva Fay
- Harry KellarHarry KellarHarry Kellar was an American magician who presented large stage shows during the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
(With the Davenport BrothersDavenport BrothersIra Erastus Davenport and William Henry Davenport , known as the Davenport Brothers, were American magicians in the late 19th century, sons of a Buffalo, New York policeman...
and later in his own illusion shows) - Harry HoudiniHarry HoudiniHarry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
(prior to becoming a debunker of Spiritualist frauds) - Dick Brooks (entertainer)Dick Brooks (entertainer)Dick Brooks, considered a magician of renown has been a professional performer since leaving school, was born in New York City. As a teenager he joined a Department of Parks magic club headed up by the official magician of New York City, Abe Hurwitz , who was also the father of the soon to be...
(co-creator and performer/Psychic Theater) - Dorothy DietrichDorothy DietrichDorothy Dietrich is an American stage magician and escapologist, and the first and only woman to have performed the bullet catch in mouth. She was also the first woman to perform a straitjacket escape while suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope Dorothy Dietrich is an American...
(co-creator and performer/Psychic Theater) - Neil TobinNeil TobinNeil Tobin is a performer of magical and psychic entertainment.Since his performance material often involves themes of spirit contact—in addition to demonstrations of telepathy, precognition, magic, and even divination—he often performs as "Neil Tobin, Necromancer."-Live Performance:Since Friday...
, Necromancer (creator of Supernatural ChicagoSupernatural ChicagoSupernatural Chicago, currently in its seventh year of performances, has become a mainstay of the Chicago theater scene. The show opened on the appropriately superstition-tinged date of Friday the 13th in February 2004, and continues in an open-ended run....
and Medium for The Houdini Seance at Excalibur (nightclub)Excalibur (nightclub)The Excalibur nightclub in Chicago was first opened in 1989. It is located in the former Chicago Historical Society building which is a Chicago historical landmark...