Real Magic From Afar

Today a lady cried happy tears after I read her mind on Zoom. She sat stunned, in complete silence, while her coworkers silently clapped in their respective windows.

It's one of many amazing moments I've gotten to share with the tens of thousands of people I've interacted with online during the past 10 months or so. I've had people run out of the room, laugh hysterically, scream their heads off, and more. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to share a memorable moment, even from afar.

Today in particular reminded me of a post I wrote years ago about a lady who had been moved to tears during a show I did in Rhode Island. That performance has really stuck with me over the years because it felt like something different amidst all of my other shows around that time. I may have started that show as a variety entertainer but I ended it as a mystery artist. Everyone in that room left that show different than we had come in.

I'll be the first to admit I don't always capture that moment. Sure I give good shows but they often get lost in the hubbub of daily life. For a moment people are amazed and entertained, then it's back to their kids and their bills and their jobs...but every once in a while, I can break through all of that. In those moments, I look around from the stage and I can see it in the eyes of the audience. I can tell that they know what I know, that this show was something special. In those moments I know we'll always remember that moment.

It's easy for the virtual shows to blur together. Log on, un-mute, camera on, Ta-Da!, log off... But today was NOT one of those days. Today we shared something special. Today we found that next level - an 11 out of 10, a real connection, a diamond in the rough.

Today was one of those shows that I'll remember years from now. For a moment we weren't on zoom, we weren't in a meeting, we weren't living out our daily lives on the internet. In that moment we were just 150 people sharing an unforgettable moment together. It truly was real magic.

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About Mark Toland

Mark Toland is an award-winning mind reader and two-time TEDx Speaker. His mind blowing skills have been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, NPR, WGN, Sirius XM, and more. Mark’s blog is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a professional entertainer, full of creative thoughts for creative people. Sign up below so you’ll never miss a post.

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Real Magic

It was hot. Super hot.

The building was old so the only air conditioning we had were open windows around the room. It was fine for the guests but I was under the lights.

So I was hot. Super hot.

But I'd forgotten how hot it was. I was working. I was in my element - in the moment - on stage. 

For months I've been working on a piece for the end of my show. The routine has several strong moments throughout but those little moments are only there to build up to a huge climax. And that's where I was now.

Magic only exists in the minds of the audience, so getting a volunteer to react properly is a must. If their reaction is strong then the audience will react strongly, too.

The pieces were in place. During the earlier moments, I had gently conditioned the volunteer on where to stand and how to react. The time was now.

She was thinking of a memory and I gently steered her to a point where I thought I could get the best reaction. I looked her in the eyes and said the magic words - the exact memory she was thinking.

And she lost it. Her eyes welled up and she said "I'm going to cry."

I jotted down one last thing on a pad and showed it to her. And that was it.

With tears rolling down her cheeks she hugged me and thanked me as she left the stage.

It was still the same group of people in the same hot room we'd been in all night. But something was different now. The room had shifted. The applause wasn't because I'd asked for it. It wasn't because I was taking a bow. This applause was different. Everyone was clapping because they knew they'd just witnessed something special.

As people rose to their feet, I thought back to all the writing and rehearsing I'd been doing this year. It had all paid off.

For just a moment, I had been an artist. I had taken a small idea and pushed it to its limits. I had shown a small group of people something they may never see again.

I had shown them real magic.