Mentalism and Magic Hit The Broad Stage
Ilustration by Octavia Anderson
Is it mind travel, mind reading, hypnosis, or magic? Could it be an authentic mind connection conducted through a virtual medium?
Whatever it is, Scott Silven’s “The Journey” has become the New York Times' Critics’ Pick, and The Broad Stage in Santa Monica is co-commissioning its West Coast premiere from Oct. 20 to Nov. 15.
Ongoing limitations on travel and strict protocols for in-person socializing continue to limit interactions as a result of the pandemic, which brings some sense of isolation.
The idea of the mind having a deeply personal and connecting experience, in real-time, between a group of people and a mentalist in a mystical land almost halfway across the globe, is an intriguing concept.
Illusionist, mentalist, and performance artist Scott Silven is highly acclaimed for his productions including “Wonders at Dusk,” and his sold-out international tour of “At the illusionist's table.” He has received stellar reviews from The New Yorker, Vogue, and The New York Times.
His latest creation, “The Journey,” establishes a virtual portal from his homeland in rural Scotland, directly into the living room and deep into the lives of 30 audience members.
Through the use of illusions, traditional magic, psychology, imagery, geographic soundscape, and a strong narrative, Silven creates what he calls “theatre of the mind,” which he thinks of as the “purest form of magic.” But the real magic may be the power of the human mind to connect one-to-one through this interactive virtual experience.
Days before participating in any of “The Journey” experiences, each of the 30 audience members receives materials that help them become familiar with Scotland’s landscape, and instructions on how to meaningfully reflect on memories of their own lives. Additionally, each member is asked to bring a personal, meaningful object with them during this interactive broadcast.
The audience’s memories, along with the personal objects they choose, will magically become key moments of each night’s story and performance. Silven interacts with each member, saying he strives “to draw on the audience's own thoughts, memories, and experiences to guide the narrative forward and to be the catalyst for the illusions.”
Immersed in the theatrical presentation written by Rob Drummond, imagery by Jeff Sugg, musical composition by Jherek Bischoff, and soundscape by Gareth Fry, audience members will transition from strangers into acquaintances within The Journey experience, as Silven reads their minds.
The Journey’s director, Allie Butler, said, “The Journey asks questions about how physical space and landscape affect the sense of emotional place in the world...traveling across a familiar landscape that suddenly becomes unknown and unfamiliar, but managing to find a way home again.”
Examining our relationship to physical space is relevant and vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. People have shifted their entire lives back into their home space and wrestle with this new relationship to home. It has become their germ-free shelter-in-place fortress but also serves as their podium to the outside world.
Home, what was once a familiar landscape, becomes unfamiliar and unknown. So the journey begins for the world to search and find an internal place of stability and familiarity. We are finding our way home in our homes.
Silven uses his mentalist skills and craft to “explore the audience member’s sense of home, the transformative power of place, and to reveal the mysteries of their own mind.” He said, “There is something truly powerful about gathering together from across the world for a moment to reflect and discover what we might take to the future.”
Yes, “The Journey” is a not-to-be-missed show of illusion, entertainment, surprises and mystery, but it also brings a fresh perspective that should not be overlooked.
Tickets start at $65 per screen and can be purchased at www.thebroadstage.org.
