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Psychic Host Theatre: A Rare Medium
by: Gary Engle
*Disclaimer: "Visitations" is a theatrical
performance for entertainment purposes ONLY. However,
due to the startling nature of the show, please do
not attend if you are afraid of the dark, terrify
easily, are prone to fainting or seizures, experience
panic attacks, or have a heart condition.
It's Saturday night and just where does one go to find
'psychic entertainment'? Well, if you happen to be in
the Washington DC area, you are fortunate, because
located above Barry's Magic Shop, at 11234
Georgia Avenue, in Wheaton, Maryland is the 'Psychic
Ghost Theatre.' Where believers and skeptics alike
can experience a rare mixture of Magic, Comedy,
Mentalism, Psychokinetics, Spiritualism, and an old
time Seance.
A perfect environment for a psychic experience, the
building that houses the 'Psychic Ghost Theatre' has
a very, very strange past
"Built in the late 1940's, this structure was first
leased to a veterinarian who established an animal
hospital on the premises. The doctor held classes in
the upstairs space now known as the 'Psychic Ghost
Theatre', and the animals and hospital were located
downstairs in the area occupied by the magic shop. It
seems that one evening the doctor suffered a fatal
heart attack while in the animal hospital.
Unfortunately, the doctor's fate was not discovered
for several days. It is said that the dogs, cats, and
other animal patients in the hospital created such a
mournful commotion on the fifth day that the
shopkeepers on the block notified the authorities to
look into the matter. The police entered the hospital
to find only the partially consumed remains of the
doctor amid the clamor of starving, frightened
beasts. Local folklore has it that strange yelps and
moans can still be heard late at night coming from
the downstairs portion of the building.
Following the demise of the animal hospital, the
upstairs portion of the building was rented to a
fortuneteller named Madam Ida who ran a profitable
business there during the early part of the 1970's.
Rumor has it that Madam Ida's business included
removing curses from her more unfortunate clients,
while milking them of considerable amounts of their
hard earned money. Needless to say, the authorities
nipped the Madam's bogus business in the bud. As
legend tells it, Madam Ida cursed the building and
it's immediate grounds, as the police led her away,
and that the gypsy's curse lives on to this day."
The entrance to the 'Psychic Ghost Theatre' is up a
long flight of stairs to the second floor of the
building. On the entrance door hangs a foreboding
portrait. If one is brave enough to open the door and
enter the elegantly decorated establishment, you are
greeted by your hosts for the evening, Barry
Taylor and his wife, Susan Kang. Here you
can sign the guest book and enjoy light,
complementary, refreshments while waiting for the
other guests to arrive. Barry mingles with guests and
entertains them with some impromptu, close-up magic.
The 'Psychic Ghost Theatre' is divided into two
presentation areas separated by a refreshment
counter, creating a cozy place for guests to mingle
before being seated. Each seating area has chairs for
22 patrons in 3 rows. The presentation is divided
into 3 distinctive Acts, which build in intensity as
the night progresses.
Act One: Can You Believe Your Eyes?
During this part of the experience, Barry takes
center stage. Be prepared to experience different
types of routines, beginning with mystic illumination
on the ceiling and continuing with card manipulation,
dove magic, and spirits drinking from a glass. The
performance continues with a Mentalism demonstration
utilizing ESP cards, and a Book test where an
audience member freely chooses a word from a page in
a book and Barry divines the word that was selected.
Susan assists Barry and demonstrates her skills in
Psychokinesis such as spoon bending and levitation.
At one point she mysteriously levitates from the
chair she is seated in.
Act Two: Exploring the Spirit Cabinet.
The next experience is a reenactment of an 1800's
Spirit Cabinet. This presentation is performed by
both Barry and Susan, and begins with an explanation
of the history of the Spirit Cabinet. Developed by
spiritualist mediums of the day, the 'cabinet' was
used to demonstrate the ability to contact and
commune with the spirit world. Two members of the
audience are invited to tie Susan to a chair, which
is then placed inside a curtained cabinet. Once in
the 'cabinet,' Barry hypnotizes her into a deep
sleep. When the front curtain is closed, spirits
appear to manifest inside the cabinet ringing bells,
and shaking tambourines. Several times during the
presentation, Barry opens the curtain to show that
Susan is still sound asleep and tied to the chair. At
one point Barry borrows a jacket from the audience
and throws it into the spirit cabinet. When the
curtain opens Susan, who is still tied up and seated
in the chair, is wearing the patron's jacket!
For The Conclusion to this Story, see Haunted Attraction
Magazine Issue 17
FAST FACTS
Show Length: 2 hours
Admission: $40.00 + tax (Advance Paid Reservations
Only)
No one under 18 admitted due to intensity of show
Proper Attire Required
No admittance after show begins
Show Times: Friday & Saturday 8:00 p.m. Sunday
5:30 p.m.
For additional information call (301)-946-2882
Web Site:
www.romeosquare.com/ghost/info.htm
Gary Engle is a Dark Attraction and Halloween
enthusiast from Burke, Virginia. He can be reached at
gengle@erols.com
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