Chris Jones, a hypnotist and past America’s Got Talent competitor, brought curiosity, skepticism, and, most importantly, entertainment to Milton on Friday, April 3. A large crowd gathered in King Theater to get entertained, or, perhaps, to attempt to get hypnotized by Jones.
Before the show officially began, Jones stated his intent for the event, explaining he wanted students to leave with a laugh. Then, he began with some pre-show activities. One of the activities was imagining a balloon in your hand, and then raising your hand higher and higher. Chase Collins ’28 claimed that “everyone was engaged in this activity. [He] looked around the theater, and saw everyone’s hand up in the air.”
When the show began, Jones invited volunteers to go up to the stage. There were around ten seats on the stage; on the left and right were two unhypnotized spectators, while everyone else in the middle was hypnotized. One of the students, Jake Stanger ’29, who experienced the hypnosis on stage, said that he “[believed] the hypnosis to be real.” “Some of the kids on stage were really hypnotized, while others were faking it. I almost got hypnotized on stage,” said Stanger.
Some students in the audience felt suspicious. Matthew Ngure ’29 claimed that “the students on stage were all acting. It was pretty fake.” He admitted that he was “faking to be asleep so that Jones could pick on [him].” According to Nguere, the performance “relied more on student participation and their willingness to play along than actual hypnosis.” Furthermore, he added that “it was the atmosphere which made people a bit sleepy. The slow music and the dim lights really played a huge role.”
Although some students were skeptical, others were more convinced of what they witnessed. Several audience members pointed out the consistency of the “hypnotized-face” of the students. An audience member, Samuel Dabora ’28 notices that “everyone who got hypnotized looked exactly the same.” In addition, he added that “not even their best friends could make them break character.” When being asked if he himself was hypnotized, Dabora admitted that he was “a bit drowsy.” Some other students had a similar experience as Dabora.
Collins described feeling totally drawn into the moment, explaining that he “actually felt like [he] was getting hypnotized. The lighting made it easy to clear [his] mind and just follow along." He further emphasized that the dim lighting was an important part of Jones’ hypnosis. According to Collins, the experience “felt different than simply watching a performance, but like an experience of drifting out of [his] own body.” These student experiences suggest that even students who were not selected to be on stage could still be hypnotized.
However, regardless of different opinions on the validity of the hypnosis, many students agreed that the show was highly entertaining. Collins stated, “I’ve never seen such a show like this.” Similarly, Ngure also claimed that “the most amusing part of the show was not getting hypnotized, but seeing other kids get hypnotized.” For many, the entertainment and engagement of the show outweighed the question of whether or not hypnosis is real.
Ultimately, whether students were truly hypnotized or simply caught up in the moment remains unclear. The mixed reactions from the students highlight how individuals approached this experience differently. While some were convinced that the hypnosis was somewhat valid, others saw it as a combination of participation and atmosphere. Despite the students’ different stance on this question, Chris Jones’ show succeeded in bringing the community together, mainly through laughter.