Putting the Performance into Words

Writing about a performance makes me notice how much I usually leave to the performance itself. On stage, I can let a moment develop and trust the audience to experience it. On a page, I have to find words for what I am trying to understand.

My article, When a Thought Fills the Room: Designing Shared Astonishment in Mentalism, has been accepted for VANISH's October 2026 edition. I am excited to share that news. Earlier this year, Paul Romhany featured my journey in the magazine. Now I have an opportunity to contribute some of my own thinking about the art.

The title brings together something I care about in performance: the relationship between an individual experience and a room full of people. Mentalism can begin with one person's thought or choice, yet the presentation has to make sense to everyone watching. That is a creative question I find myself returning to.

Writing gives me a different way to spend time with a question like that. I have to slow down. A phrase that sounds clear in my head may need another look when it sits on the page. An idea that feels familiar may still be difficult to explain simply. I rather like that part of the work, even when the sentence takes longer than I expected.

My interests in film and technology are present in how I think about these things. Filmmaking makes me consider the viewer's experience over time. Technology encourages me to examine how different parts fit together. Mentalism keeps bringing me back to the people involved and the meaning they find in a moment. Writing lets me explore those connections with a little more space.

Contributing to VANISH matters to me because its readers share an interest in the craft. Some will approach a performance very differently from the way I do. That makes the opportunity more interesting. I can offer a perspective from my own practice and be part of a wider conversation among people who care about creating good work.

I am grateful to Paul for welcoming the article. After the July feature, being able to contribute in my own voice feels especially personal. It gives me a reason to keep writing alongside performing and filmmaking, and to give that writing the attention it deserves.

I will share the issue link when it is available. For now, I am looking forward to this piece reaching its readers. It has been a satisfying experience to sit with an idea from my creative life and work patiently towards finding words for it.