"I think that made my show different from other hypnosis shows on campuses is that I started out as an entertainer. A lot of hypnotists who come out of the therapeutic side come out on stage and demand total quiet. I have never been like that. I want the audience totally involved and I don’t care how loud they are. I am going to get these people in a trance regardless. For me, nothing couple be worse than to have someone say, Okay, no one make a peep for the next seven minutes."
"Occasionally, I will get someone on stage who may not be hypnotized for one reason or another. Sometimes they will start to play along because they don’t want to be embarrasses by not being part of the crowd. I gently cut back on the number of people I have on stage during the show and those people are removed without any ill feelings. I look for rapid eye movement; flushing of the skin…the lower lip enlarges itself just a little when in a trance. Most people that come on stage are good candidates for hypnosis. In many cases, the ones who are not going to make it are students who become freaked out when they get on stage because their friends are watching them or because someone just fell in their lap."
"A student is not going to do anything under hypnosis that they would not do under any other circumstances. We sometimes get feedback from people who have seen bar hypnotists who do "X-rated" shows, but that is just a
Let me first say that I was amazed at the response
to Michael’s performance. We had been invited to visit with Michael
and see his show at the University of South Carolina as part of their
back to school bash. With all that was going on that day, the Russell
House ballroom had an overflowing crowd. When students were invited to
participate they rushed the stage. Others standing in the aisles quickly
filled the participants’ seats. As the show grew in intensity, students
became so involved in what was going on stage they stood on their chairs
so they wouldn’t miss anything. It was his fifth time playing the
school and each year the show gained popularity.
Part of the success of Michael’s performance
is that he arrives early and does teasers in the cafeteria before the
show. There is enough magic in what he does, and it entices students to
attend the show to find out what might happen next. When he actually appears
on stage, he warms up the audience with a little one-on-one prior to the
to commencing with the hypnotism. He puts the audience at ease by telling
them the benefits and dispelling some of the myths associated with the
science.
Barely looking much older that a student himself, Anthony creates a bond
with the audience – a trust if you will. They feel comfortable with
the level of control he uses to not only help them relax but entertain
their friends.
"My great uncle was a stage hypnotist and a magician. He used to
do mentalism back in the day when performers used to wear turbans. As
a kid, I was fascinated. Any time he would come over he would pull coins
out of my ears. I watched his hypnosis show and was intrigued."
Michael worked in Canada for nearly ten years before performing in the
United States. "I did more sleight of hand and illusions at first.
I was working two nights a week and making more money than my dad. All
the while I was researching and practicing hypnosis. At my first show
I got a standing ovation and I was simply dumfounded. It just seemed to
work for me…it was so natural. A lot of my success I have to contribute
to my family. "My mom is my biggest fan. As a kid, I would, I would
be performing and make silly mistakes and my mom would act like she didn’t
see them. She just loved to see me perform. If I perform anywhere near
them, they are there. My parents have been huge supporters the whole way."
"I was working for General Motors a long time ago making $22 an hour
with all the benefits and I could have taken that all the way to retirement.
But I wasn’t happy, I just walked away!"
Michael’s first big show was at Sheraton College in Ontario near
Toronto. "I was hanging out with a guy who said he knew the girl
who booked shows for the campus. I asked him to get me a meeting with
her because I knew if I could see her-face-to face, I could get the show.
I did the show, got a standing ovation, she booked me for a second show
as well as another school close-by.
Out of 120 shows per year, more than 80% are colleges. He currently rates
at the top of CA Magazine’s Report Card. " I love the college
market. There is no audience that is
