Interesting. Thanks for the link, Todd.

Just came across something relevant to my earlier post in this conversation about vaudeville stage performance. Ormand McGill wrote an autobiography. (How that had eluded me is anyone's guess.) He was performing stage hypnosis back in the days of vaudeville and on for decades after that. Now, I haven't read it (ordered but not yet in hand) so I can't be sure but I hope to get a glimpse into what was done at that time.

Wichdochris is right that the presentation would be anachronistic, but I can't help but think that the basic themes would be valid. It's often said among magicians that you get more "WOW" by adopting an old principle than by chasing the "new, hot" trend. The cultural references and accepted notions have changed. Much of what was seen as entertaining in the 20s through the 50s is offensive today. Still, people are people are people as they always have been. The basic principles of the performance would still stand without dressing up as a stereotype.

Anyway, I'm hoping to get some inspiration from McGill. If I only get a cool read, that's ok too.

There is no "new hot" trend in hypnosis. Nothing new it has all been adopted from old principles.

I just did a non comedy hypnosis show the other night. Not on purpose mind you, but it DEFINITELY was not funny!

10 very deep, very unresponsive subjects. Say sleep they practically fall out of the chairs, get them awake and it reminded me or the woman walking backwards into a fan. Nearly disaster! (Dissassedher)

Doesn't happen often, but when it does it is no fun.

Happens to the best of us if you perform enough... How was your tap dancing?

I heard something that brought this thread to mind.

Listened to a podcast interview with an author who wrote a really speculative book. To condense the thesis while tap dancing around things that may offend some, he was theorizing who the historical individual the bible knows as Moses may have been. He attributed a lot of things that people of faith feel strongly about to illusion and trickery. He made a statement that in ancient Egypt there were "sleep temples" (known to be true) where they practiced what we now call hypnosis (not quite as peer reviewed, settled science a statement.)

The part that jumped out to me was to the effect of "all the amazing things done in hypnosis therapy and performance are based on about 200 years of hypnosis. Imagine what three thousand years of practice made possible!"

My thought was, "there is a show there somewhere." Not sure how that gets turned into a show, but there it is. What were the Egyptian sleep temples? What did they do there? No knowing, but if you want to spin a tale around it the ancients probably won't mind.

I don’t see the entertainment value in it personally. It seems rather boring.

I wouldn’t imagine anyone who would book the show.

Egyptian Sleep Temples were dark corridors filled with incense, low lamp light, and likely some kind of drumming/repetitive music. The idea being that the trance state brought on by the environment would cause healing.

While I can imagine the audience that would pay for that, I wouldn't classify it as a show, let's alone a hypnosis show.

A warm hello to all the Hypnotists,
I really like the topic of an Non-Comedy Hypnosis show.
This is my take on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tTbmKAxhgE

The reaction during the show is pure silence and awe. But what I really like is the reaction after the show where a lot of audience members talking about life changing moments. One of the main inspirations was the idea of the sleep temple.
All the best from Berlin Germany

W

I don't speak German so I have almost no idea what's going on in that video. Could you give a synopsis?

Ok I understand,
So let me explain. The first part of my show is to let people experience the power of hypnosis, I perform classical- and new skits where people for example unstuck themselves, feel more connected, get stronger etc. the question in my audience should come up: if this is possible, what else is possible?
In the second part we are going together on a deep trance experience (thats the part with the headphones you can see in the video). The show ends with a big positive pandemonium, where everyone in the audience is laughing.

I am big fan of structure and emotion in the show. This show is first playfulness and amazement, than enlightenment, bliss and deepness and at the end of the show there is pure joy.
Hope this will get some ideas running on what is possible with a new concept of hypnosis shows in the future.

All the best
W

So the non comedy hypnosis show has lots of comedy?

This is a bit off topic but you could just put your own together.

Derren Brown certainly has many examples, more than enough inspiration for a whole Show imo.
https://youtu.be/lQAI1EFg2b4