Thursday, March 28, 2024

Hypnotist Chuck King to Perform at Imagination Station

“Everybody has been hypnotized,” hypnotist and comedy magician Chuck King. “And with that being said, it might not be what you think it is. This is a great example for a layman: If you ever driven your car, and you’ve ever got preoccupied by a thought and driven past your exit, you’ve experienced, witnessed and participated in what’s called ‘road hypnosis’ or ‘highway hypnosis.’

“Another great example is, you pull into your driveway and don’t remember the last 20 minutes of driving. You were driving by what’s called ‘road memory,’ and we use that all the time. It’s where you can function doing two things at the same time.”

King has made a living from understanding the susceptibility of the human psyche for three decades, establishing himself as one of the premiere stage hypnotists in the world. King will bring his skills to the Imagination Station, on August 23 at 7pm, for a performance called “Mind Games.”

See the show, or be the show

“It’s a family-friendly show, that’s important. All my shows are that way,” King said.

“I use a tagline: You can either see the show or be the show. I do call for volunteers to come up out of the audience.”

King first became interested in hypnotism as the co-owner of a magic shop in the early 80s, selling books about magic and other artistic disciplines— juggling, mime, ventriloquism, mentalism. One day he read a tome about hypnosis, which prepared him when a unique opportunity arose during his gig as a house magician at a Club in Lansing, MI. (King lives in East Lansing.)

“I was working at the club, and about 5 o’clock one evening, I got the call from the entertainment director of the property that a fellow by the name of the Amazing Kreskin, a hypnotist, couldn’t make the show that night because of weather.

“He asked me to cover the show,” King said. “Because it was Kreskin, I thought they wanted me to do hypnosis. And I never discussed it. So, I went out and did my very first hypnosis show. And doggone it, I had so much fun with it that they ended up asking me to do it once a week.”

The science of hypnosis

King has gone on to perform thousands of gigs all over the world, with appearances on “The Tonight Show” and in venues as varied as comedy clubs, cruise ships, fairs—and now a science museum, where King says his audience will engage with the science of hypnosis, while getting a laugh or two.

“My job is never to prove that it’s real—it is real. It’s been used in every hospital in the world since 1959. My job is to entertain with it, and I do.”

$30, and attendees may also gain admission to the Body Worlds RXexhibit for an additional $5.

BUY TICKETS – TCP readers, use code mgames for a BOGO special!

7pm | Thursday, August 23
Imagination Station, 1 Discovery Way.
419-244-2674 | imaginationstationtoledo.org

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