60–90 minutes · Twin Cities
Friends. Classmates. Coworkers.
They volunteer. I hypnotize them.
What happens next is different every night.
Because they’re your people, it’s your show.
They’re goldfish at feeding time.
They’re trapped on a bus in the desert with no air conditioning.
Someone’s belly button has been stolen.
Someone else’s nose is made of rubber.
The food is gone. The games have been played. People are starting to wander.
Then twelve of them take their seats at the front of the room.
Soon the entire room is watching one of their friends speak Martian. Another is trying to answer his shoe phone. Another is suddenly the strongest person alive and can’t stop flexing.
Dinner is over.
Instead of another presentation, people from the company take the stage.
An hour later, nobody is talking about the hypnotist.
They’re talking about Dave from accounting.
Birthdays. Anniversary parties. Fundraisers. Club nights. Private events.
Twenty-five guests is enough.
A room full of people who know each other is even better.
Copyright © Joshua Rey Peters