ChairLess
ChairLess A CHAIR PREDICTION
NIQUE TAN ~1~
ChairLess
All Rights Reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, invented or yet to be invented, unless without express written consent from Nique Tan Copyright©2012 Unique Magic
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Contents Introduction
4
Effect
6
Preparation
9
Routine Walkthrough
12
Another Example
17
An Alternative
18
Closing Thoughts
20
Acknowledgements
21
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Introduction I have been fascinated with the chair prediction plot ever since being exposed to it after watching one of Derren Brown’s specials, Russian Roulette. With the help of my dear friend Lewis Jones of England, I was able to watch David Berglas perform his mind-boggling routine as well, and that further deepened my need to find a routine that I could incorporate into my own show. Many of the notable routines in print are extremely expensive, considering that they are just one single routine. Some are also hard to find and can only be found in very rare sets of notes. I believe any mentalist who have, and perform their own routine, will be very proud of it, and I can understand why many guard their routines very closely, and charge very high when it comes to releasing it. You would not want just anyone performing a routine that you have put in countless hours of thought, sleepless nights, working and performance tweaking into, to create a baffling a routine as possible for your own requirements. A chair prediction, I find, is a very classy routine, as considering the props used, can play pretty big, almost like a mini illusion, in the programme of an otherwise small-looking mind reading show. It also involves multiple spectators, and thus increases the interactions between you and your audience. Also, because of the numerous effects that can be in the routine, it is extremely versatile and can be used to effectively demonstrate the various skills that one purports to have. Once the concepts are fully understood, there is also huge opportunity for customising the presentations to suit different themes of the events that you perform at, rendering your act very relevant. One main difficulty in performing such a routine is either the necessity to bring your own chairs to the event, or to request for the chairs before the show, so that you can do the necessary prep work on them by labelling them, etc. Although categorised as a Chair Prediction per se, this routine does not require any chairs, making it very practical, and it can be done at a moment’s notice with just the stage once you have made up the props. For more formal
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shows where logistics is not an issue, one can also perform the routine with chairs if one so desires. Over time, I have spent literally thousands of dollars on such routines. What you have here is basically a combination of the many genius chair routines put out by some of the very best mentalists. I have taken what I like from each of them, and after looking for the right combination, have strung them together to form the routine you now hold in your hands. One of the challenges in structuring a chair routine is to decide what to leave out. There are just so many great sequences, effects and reveals that one often has the temptation to try and include them all. Finding the right balance of method versus effect versus practicality is the challenge when you put together your own routine. If anything, I hope this writing gets you inspired to work on something of your own as well, and to amaze your audiences while at it. For now, let us look at the routine proper. I have left out the bulk of the presentation that I currently use, but will go thru the routine in its basic form. I have been performing this routine for a little over 2 years and it has served me well. I sincerely hope you get something out of it. Yours, Nique Tan March 2012 Singapore www.mindmagicshow.com
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Effect Four A4 sized boards are laid out across the stage floor on small picture stands, each bearing the letters A, B, C and D. “What I have here are four boards, with the letters A, B, C and D on them. In a moment, I will be asking three of you to join me on stage. Once you are up here, please go stand at any position that you’d like. There are four spaces and only three of you, which means, that there will be one space that will be left unoccupied... for me. I’ll let you decide which one.” “Also, before anything begins, I have here an envelope with a mysterious question mark on the front... a prediction of sorts, of things to come. I will leave this with somebody in the audience.” An envelope bearing a question mark is handed to a member of the audience, and three audience members are then invited to scuttle to the stage and take up their positions. Let us assume for this example scenario that positions A, C and D are taken up, leaving position B unoccupied. Four numbered envelopes are then displayed and are handed out face down to someone else in the audience for mixing. “I have here as well four envelopes, numbered 1 to 4... Please keep them face down and give them a good mix.” The envelopes are then retrieved and are offered to the audience members on stage. They are kept face down at all times. “These have been well mixed… please, take one, you take one, you as well… and I’ll have whatever you’ve left over for me. Please keep your envelopes facing downwards for now so that you do not know which number you’ve gotten for yourselves.” Stepping off stage and holding his envelope, the performer addresses the three spectators. “I will now ask each of you in turn, if you’d like to change your minds and swap envelopes with me. When I get to you, I will ask if you’d like to switch. If you want ~6~
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to, just say yes and we’ll switch. If not, just say no and you’ll stick with the one you’ve got right now.” The performer, after the switching process, takes his envelope and goes to stand at the unoccupied position B, joining the line-up. “Right, will all of you now show everyone what number you have on your envelope? We have now formed the order... 2, 3, 1, 4. Now, that’s an outcome that is quite random, yes? Well... maybe not. Will you Sir, with the envelope bearing the question mark, please open it, take out what you find and show it to everyone...” The spectator stands, removes a large piece of paper bearing the exact numbers:
“2 3 1 4”. At the end of the applause, the routine continues. “Now, it would seem quite unlikely that I’ve somehow managed to influence the order of the numbers, but actually, I’ve not only done that. Remember at the start I asked the three of you to come up and stand in any position you wanted to? You three left this position empty for me. Please open your envelopes and take out what you find. You will each find a piece of paper folded in half... please do not unfold it just yet.” The spectator at position A opens his envelope and removes a Red piece of paper. The performer at position B opens his envelope and removes a Blue piece of paper. The spectator at position C removes a Green piece of paper and finally the spectator at position D removes a Yellow piece of paper. “Once again, you could have left any space empty, but you chose this one. Unfold your pieces of paper.” All three spectators unfold their pieces of paper and show a big “YOU” written on each one. “That space was always meant for you, you and you. Which obviously means this position was always meant for...?” ~7~
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The performer then opens his paper and shows the word “ME”. At the end of this second applause cue, the routine continues. “Let me show you all something else. Now, when you all came up here, you guys could really stand in any position yes? There was no way I could’ve influenced where you were going to stand?” “Also, the envelopes were mixed by… you over there yes? And there was no way I could’ve influenced how you mixed them? And then you all took one envelope each, leaving one for me. I even allowed you all to switch your envelopes with me. All these would appear to be random events… or so it seems.” “You have a red piece of paper, I have a blue, you have a green and you have a yellow. Please hold your papers in your left hand. With your right hand, pick up the letter boards that you’ve been standing behind all this while and turn them around…” Everyone including the performer does so and the backs of the boards are then shown to be coloured as well, all the colours matching the papers in red, blue, green and yellow.
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Preparation The actual method executed during the course of the routine is quite minimal. There is, however, quite a bit of prep work for this effect in terms of the actual props used, but this is only a one-time thing and after making up a set, it should last you for quite many performances. In a nutshell, this routine is essentially a multiple out routine, but the multiple out happens right at the start of the routine, and then the rest of it is sheer bluff. Here is a list of the materials that you will require. 17 envelopes (I use the size C5, 9” by 6.5”). 1 is to hold the number prediction, 16 are for the “sets” that you’ll be making up. 20 A4 sized sheets of construction paper in 4 colours (5 of each colour, I choose to use red, blue, green, yellow). 4 are for the mounting boards, 16 for the envelope “sets” that you’ll be making up. 4 mounting boards (A4 as well). 4 plate stands or picture stands that will hold up the boards on stage.
Overview of the props required (Envelope Set A shown)
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The prediction envelope: On a piece of paper, write or print “2 3 1 4”, fold it up and insert it into an envelope. Draw a large question mark on this envelope. Preparing the mounting boards: On one side of the 4 mounting boards, stick on a sheet of construction paper with a glue stick, one colour for each board. On the reverse sides, letter them in the following configuration: A:RED B:BLUE C:GREEN D:YELLOW Note: The boards I purchased are black on one side and white on the other. I stick the coloured papers on the white sides. Then, from luminous yellow paper stock, I cut out letters and stick them to the black sides. This really makes the letters visually pop on stage and they can be seen even in a large performing area. For those of you who know it, this yellow on black idea, I got from Jay Leslie’s version of “Cube a Libre”.
The letter boards, front and back
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Preparing the envelopes: This forms the main bulk of the work. I print the large numbers (1 to 4) directly onto my envelopes and words (YOU or ME) onto the papers using a printer. If you are handy with a printer, it will be all the better. You will need to make up 4 sets of envelopes, of 4 envelopes each. PLEASE make sure that these are in the right order and in the right set. I know that it all seems quite confusing at first, but I assure you once you understand the logic behind the setup, all will become apparent. Each paper is folded in half, printing on the inside. The envelopes aren’t sealed; the flaps are merely closed or tucked in. Note: Each envelope in each set must be secretly marked with a marker by putting a small dot on them, on their flap side. The 1st envelope having a dot on the upper left corner of the flap, the 2nd on the upper right corner of the flap, the 3rd at the lower left corner of the envelope and the 4th on the lower right of the envelope. Envelope Set A: 1st envelope: Numbered “3” containing BLUE paper with text “YOU” 2nd envelope: Numbered “1” containing GREEN paper with text “YOU” 3rd envelope: Numbered “4” containing YELLOW paper with text “YOU” 4th envelope: Numbered “2” containing RED paper with text “ME” Envelope Set B: 1st envelope: Numbered “2” containing RED paper with text “YOU” 2nd envelope: Numbered “1” containing GREEN paper with text “YOU” 3rd envelope: Numbered “4” containing YELLOW paper with text “YOU” 4th envelope: Numbered “3” containing BLUE paper with text “ME” Envelope Set C: 1st envelope: Numbered “2” containing RED paper with text “YOU” 2nd envelope: Numbered “3” containing BLUE paper with text “YOU” 3rd envelope: Numbered “4” containing YELLOW paper with text “YOU” 4th envelope: Numbered “1” containing GREEN paper with text “ME” Envelope Set D: 1st envelope: Numbered “2” containing RED paper with text “YOU” 2nd envelope: Numbered “3” containing BLUE paper with text “YOU” 3rd envelope: Numbered “1” containing GREEN paper with text “YOU” 4th envelope: Numbered “4” containing YELLOW paper with text “ME” ~ 11 ~
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By now, I am sure that many if not all of you are way ahead of me. All these 4 sets of envelopes reside in my performance case. I keep the sets separated under a strap on the lid of my case. The basic method happens right at the start once the 3 people come up onto the stage. I simply remove the set of envelopes that corresponds to the position that is left empty on stage. That is it! The rest that then follows is simply handing out the right envelopes to the right people.
Routine Walkthrough (position C left empty) I lay out the picture stands on stage along with the boards as well, letters facing the audience in A, B, C, D order from left to right (audience’s view). This is done as I introduce the effect; obviously as I’m laying out the boards I take care not to accidentally flash the coloured backs.
The picture stand, with a letter board as set on stage
The prediction envelope is handed out to a member of the audience to hold and I bring three spectators up onto the stage to take up their positions. They stand behind the boards in whatever position they so desire. Due to the fact that the boards are on the floor and at an angle, and also because no mention is made of it, nobody has ever spotted or thought that the rear of the boards are of any significance. Even if a spectator spots that the back of their board is coloured, they never get the chance to compare it with another board, and so nothing seems amiss.
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Whilst they are positioning themselves, and once I see that they are settled, I note which space is left empty, go to my case and swiftly remove the right set of envelopes that I need. Just in case you are unclear, if position A is empty, I remove Envelope Set A. If B is empty, Set B is removed. If C is empty, Set C and if D is unoccupied, Set D is removed. Let us assume for this scenario position C is left empty. I remove Set C from my case, display the numbers and then hand them out for shuffling by an audience member, keeping them face down so that the numbers aren’t seen.
Some scenes showing the staging of the routine
Once the shuffling is done, I collect the envelopes back, and keeping them face down, I spot the marks and quickly re-position them st nd rd into 1 , 2 , 3 and 4th order from left to right, in a small fan (please note that by “order” I mean the order of the secret marks, and not the printed numbers on the front). This is done before I reach the stage; no mention is made of this adjustment and as it is consistent with the mixing, it is accepted even if someone notices.
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Now comes a handling of handing out the envelopes which I believe David Berglas uses in his brilliant ESPacology routine. I believe Derren Brown has used something similar in a routine of his involving photos on his “The System” special. Luca Volpe’s “The Ultimate Chair Test Routine Act” also uses a similar technique. I return back to the stage, keeping my back to the audience and obscuring what is really happening, I simply hand out the envelopes in the correct order left to right from the fan, starting at position A, B, skipping position C and ending with position D. In other words, the leftmost 1st envelope in the fan, goes to the person at position A, the 2nd envelope to position B, skipping empty position C, the 3rd envelope goes to the last person at position D, and finally I keep the rightmost from the fan, the 4th envelope, for myself. The script is what makes this work for me. I never use the word “choose”, although I certainly imply that that is what is happening. It goes something like this, “These 4 envelopes have been well mixed, yes? Please take one, you take one, you as well, and I guess I’ll just have what’s left over.” Note: It should also be mentioned that in an earlier handling of this routine, I would not put them back in order, but simply fan them out and bring them over to the spectators on stage. Then, I would simply remove the right envelopes directly from the fan and hand them out to the correct spectators. While this works, I found that for me, during the heat of performance, having spectators up close watching me looking for the marks on the envelopes was a little stressful, and at times I felt that the spectators could tell that I was doing exactly what I was doing! By eliminating that moment and getting them into an ordered fan first, I can then without any pressure, hand them out from left to right in a smooth sequence. I now step off stage and address the three spectators, asking them one at a time if they would like to swap envelopes with me. If they do, I use yet another move I learnt from Derren Brown, which is a “forwards” handling of a sleight based on a move of Juan Tamariz, whom I believe performs it “laterally”. It is a
e
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card sleight, which when applied here, nullifies any effect of the actual switching of the envelopes. I refer you to Derren’s book, “Pure Effect”; one source where this move is described within the context of his “Plerophoria” routine. For the sake of completeness, I will briefly describe it here as well. Do try and follow along with envelopes in hand if you haven’t already learnt this move before. I think it is brilliant. At waist level, I clip my envelope quite lightly along the right edge, in between the first and second fingers of the right hand, as I ask the spectator if they wish to swap envelopes with me. Should they wish to, I then extend my left hand and retrieve their envelope from them, clipping it along its left edge in between my first finger and thumb. At this point, as the hands come together, the envelopes will be quickly switched with each other as follows: The left hand envelope is fed in between the right first finger and thumb. At the same moment, the right envelope is clipped by the left first and second fingers. Immediately after this exchange (which is the work of an instant), the right hand moves forward and then hands the spectator the very same envelope that they’ve just given me. The envelope remaining in the left hand is then repositioned back in between the right first and second fingers, resetting the hands in preparation for doing the sleight again with the next spectator. As mentioned, this move, even when used along with large envelopes, is also extremely deceptive, and gives a strong illusion of switching envelopes when in fact nothing changes. Honestly, some experience performing close up magic will greatly aid the deceptiveness and the execution of the move; the timing and offbeat misdirection required to pull it off is that of doing a top change. The maximum number of times you’d have to do the move is three in a row; in normal circumstances I’ve found that you rarely have to do it that many times. If you are uncomfortable with this move, you can simply leave this switching of the envelopes phase out; in an earlier version of this routine, I never had this phase but found that it played quite nicely as well, with the mixing of the envelopes and the apparent “selection” of the envelopes by the spectators.
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Instructing the spectators to keep their envelopes face down, up till this point, I now take up position in the empty position C, and then have everyone show their numbers on the envelopes to the audience. I look around at the number we’ve formed, and announce it with a tentative quality in my voice – 2 3 1 4. It should almost seem as though it is the very first time you are seeing this set of numbers, and your demeanour should imply as such. The audience member holding onto the initial prediction envelope is asked to open it, remove the paper within and display it to the entire audience. This should bring you to your first applause position. The rest of the routine is already set up. Reiterate that the three spectators could have left any space unoccupied. Have them remove their papers from their envelopes but instruct them not to unfold them as yet, just for dramatic timing of this reveal. You do the same. Once everyone has their paper out, then have them all unfold their papers together to show that they all have the word “YOU” on it. After pausing for a beat, I snap open my piece of paper to show the word “ME” printed on it. This should get you your second applause cue. Note: In my experience of performing this routine, the delay between this second applause cue and the third applause cue should be shorter than the delay between the first and second one. While I always let the first round of applause fade off naturally, I almost interrupt the second round of applause before it ends, leading into the final climax. Picking up the pace of the routine immediately after the YOU/ME reveal, I believe helps the final colour matching reveal to play a little stronger. That said, please do what feels right for your performance. To conclude the routine, I have everyone hold their paper in their left hand. Everyone then reaches down with their right hand, pick up the boards that they’ve been standing behind, turning them around to show the four colour matches. This ends the routine with your final applause cue.
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Another Example (position B left empty) Just to try and make things clearer regarding the distribution of the envelopes, let’s look at another example really quickly. Basically, you will distribute the envelopes to the spectators from left to right, skipping the unoccupied space, and leaving the last envelope for yourself. Everything leading up to the spectators coming up on stage remains exactly the same. However, let’s say now they leave position B unoccupied. In this case, envelope Set B is used. The envelopes are mixed and set back in order left to right in a fan. The leftmost envelope in the fan is given to the spectator at position A, skipping empty position B, the 2nd envelope is given position C, the 3rd envelope goes to position D, and I keep the last for myself. After the switching sequence, I take up position at B. From here on, the routine plays out the same, with everyone’s paper saying “YOU”, and mine, which is blue in this example, saying “ME”.
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An Alternative In recent times, I’ve been handling the indexing, as well as the introduction of the sets of envelopes a little differently. Whilst I still occasionally use my performance case, I have also found an indexing folder with 5 compartments which I now favour using.
The folder I currently use; note the indexing tabs along the right edge
This is the type of folder that one can normally find at any office supplies store. Since there are tabs along the edges of the folder, I can very easily and without looking, locate the right compartment and remove the correct set that I require.
In the first compartment I keep the mounting boards and the prediction envelope. In the second, third, fourth and fifth compartments, I keep the four sets of envelopes respectively. So, apart from the small picture stands, the whole routine fits nicely into a folder and is quite tidy. Note: When I first put together this routine, I didn’t use small stands to prop up the letter boards, but simply displayed them one at a time, and then plopped them flat directly onto the stage. However, I think keeping them propped up looks a lot better visually for the routine. At the start of the routine I bring out the folder and remove the boards from within. I also can be seen carrying it along as I move into the audience, removing the prediction envelope from within to hand to an audience member to hold onto. After the three spectators have decided which position to leave unoccupied, I reach into the folder, remove the correct set of envelopes and then toss the folder off to the wings, backstage or into my performance case. ~ 18 ~
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Since everything has come from within the folder, I do not think the folder to be suspect. It merely seems to be something of a device for me to store all the props required for the routine, and thus I think its use is justified. And, as the folder has been in view right from the onset, I am hoping that it also helps to create the false impression that the four numbered envelopes were “also” in play right from the start of the routine. During the moment of removing the right set of envelopes, all attention can be directed to the stage, by asking them which space was left empty. Even if anyone were to be paying attention to me at that point, it really is so early on in the routine that I do not think anyone will catch on.
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Closing Thoughts There you have it, one of the few chair prediction type routines that I currently perform for my commercial shows. What I like about it is the 3 distinct phases where there are applause cues during the course of the routine. The effect is quite direct, and also, MOST of the work has already been done while you were making up the props! The moment you remove the right set of envelopes, the whole routine’s course has already been set, and the bulk of the routine is sheer bluff. It only leaves you to milk the various phases and the reveals, to gradually reach the final point in the routine. As the method is quite blatant, I find myself naturally performing this routine at a brisk pace. Also, because we are using different sets of envelopes covering us method wise, there are no gaffed props and all can be freely handled by the audience. I quite fancy that all envelopes can be opened by the spectators themselves. There is nothing else to make or replace once you have made up the set of props. At the time of writing, I have another 2 routines which I also developed, but have chosen not to describe them as one too closely resembles another performer’s published routine, and the other, which I call “Compendium”, is just too impractical for regular use – I’ve only performed it in my theatre show. If you are interested, you can watch the routine here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlFvxY9PE7o In this routine, you can see the handling of the distributing the envelopes, as well as the switching of the envelopes in action. ChairLess and Compendium are similar in this respect. I’m sure this is a plot that I will continue to pursue, as I am truly in love with it, and if you’ve taken the trouble to read this far, I can safely assume you feel the same. Thank you for your time.
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Acknowledgements As the usual saying goes, we all stand on the shoulders of giants. Here are the outstanding artistes (in no particular order) I look up to in chair routine matters, whose routines I’ve studied, whose ideas have influenced this routine in one form or another: Gary Kurtz Derren Brown David Berglas Lewis Jones Barrie Richardson Max Maven Patrick Redford Paolo Cavalli Marc Spelmann Paul Stockman Andrew Gerard Colin Mcleod Luca Volpe The colour matching at the end of the routine I attribute to Gary Kurtz in his “Ultimate Chairs Prediction”. The “YOU” and “ME” idea belongs to Max Maven, in his “Goal Mine” routine from his Video Mind series. The routine that got me thinking in this direction for a chair routine comes from Barrie Richardson’s “The Lazy Mentalist” from Theatre of the Mind. It should be mentioned that Colin Mcleod’s “Chair Test” from his set of DVDs Opening Minds, also involves the performer as part of the chair routine itself. Patrick Redford also performs a chair test type routine without the use of chairs, from his Ensconced Fundament notes. Please direct any correspondence to:
[email protected]
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