Hypnotist

Joshua Seth at Centerstage

When most people think about onstage
hypnosis, embarrassing images of grown-ups frolicking like animals
come to mind. But according to internationally acclaimed stage
hypnotist Joshua Seth, who’s putting on a show at the Center Stage
this Sunday, “You won’t see anybody quacking like a chicken or
barking like a dog. What you are going to see is unbound creativity
let loose from the subconscious minds of the people I
hypnotize.”

A registered hypnotherapist whose psychologist parents opened
his mind early on, Seth uses his “rapid, modern hypnosis technique”
to free the “inner creativity” of those audience members who
volunteer in order to “live their dreams.” Sound goofy? Not so much
when Seth explains that he hypnotizes people into believing that
they’ve won the lottery or are driving their dream car. “You see
people really going through that unrestricted emotional release,”
Seth explained. In so doing, the volunteers and audience members
are taught that what seems unattainable might actually be
achievable. So powerful and entertaining is Seth’s show that he was
once given a primetime slot on Japanese television, where he’d
hypnotize people on the street, including a young, dentist-phobic
girl whom he convinced to get two abscessed teeth yanked without
painkillers. An American version is currently in the works, said
Seth, who just moved to Santa Barbara and is doing this show to
build hype for a possible performance at the Lobero or the
Arlington.

Still not sure? Then take Seth’s promise to heart: “Anybody that
comes in doubting leaves a believer.” He takes Center Stage on
August 13, at 7:30 p.m. Call 963-0408, see centerstagetheater.org, or check out joshuaseth.com for more
info.