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What Sort of Venue Works Best? |
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It's possible to stage a hypno show in almost any kind of venue. The main thing is to have enough room, comfortable seating for the audience, and not too many distractions such as noise or people coming and going. Ideally a hall or theatre type space works best. Cabaret style seating (like a café) or theatre style seating (rows) allows for a good number of people. Remember that the volunteers will need to be able to get from their seats in the audience to the stage. Also, if the volunteers can leave the stage and interact with the audience during the show we can use more skits and gags than we could if the volunteers have to remain in the stage area. One of the principal considerations is whether or not there is enough power for the lighting and sound equipment. Even a modest stage lighting setup can overload a standard power outlet, and if all the equipment has to operate of the same standard domestic fuse then the fuse will certainly blow. Bang! Dark. No Show. Most larger establishments have the necessary power outlets, especially those that are equipped with a stage and are used to having bands or theatrical acts. But sometimes halls and other venues have limited power and this can pose some restrictions on their use for a show.
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How Big Should The Stage Area Be? |
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A stage is useful for raising the action up higher so that everyone can see it, though a proper stage is not always necessary. There does need to be plenty of space for the volunteers to sit in one or more rows, while the hypnotist needs to be able to easily walk along behind them. There must also be enough room for the volunteers to lark about on the stage. If there’s not enough space, they won’t be able to express themselves fully, and too little space with a steep drop is a safety risk. |
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What About Sound Equipment? |
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We will bring a full PA sound system for your show or we will use the in-house PA if it is suitable. If an in-house system is to be used, we need 2 microphone channels, and two stereo channels at a minimum. Though generally we will use three or four stereo sound sources. We prefer to use our own stage microphone. We have tried several different models, and have found that the AKG C900 condenser microphone works best for our show. Choosing a stage microphone is very subjective and professional performers and sound engineers have their own preferences. |
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We will bring stage lighting, stands and a controller if they are not available at the venue. The stage lighting requirement is quite simple, but the sound engineer needs to be able to work the lighting controller and the mixer. So having to get up from the sound desk to work the lights is impractical. |
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What About Seating On Stage? |
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Here are some special requirements for the chairs used by the volunteers. They must be able to sit comfortably with their feet flat on the floor. The chairs should not have arms, as chair arms restrict movement, and prevent the participants falling asleep on each other. Sleeping on each others shoulders and laps is an important part of the hypnotic setup – it can be funny in itself, and breaks down the mild inhibitions people have when seated next to complete strangers. We have used some softer chairs with great success, but armchair styles and sofas are generally too deep and don’t allow people to get up easily enough to be used for the show. The basic cloth or vinyl padded chairs used at many halls and restaurants are usually quite good for the purpose of stage seating. |
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