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New mentalist show opens at The Rec Room

Following a 4-year run of their debut stage show, Connection, Canadian mentalists Beyond Mental Borders are set to open their latest production, Mind Over Matter, at The Rec Room Roundhouse on February 18, 2024.

After returning to the stage from the pandemic in March 2022 with a sold out run of Connection, the mentalism troupe’s new stage production uses the group’s signature blend of psychological illusions, power of suggestion, and humour to examine the decisions we make and how they influence and guide our day to day lives.

“We originally wanted to bring a Vegas-style magic show to Toronto with Connection,” said Armand Antony, one of Beyond Mental Borders’ performers. “We realized that we had something special when our first few performances took a different direction towards something less flashy and more about creating a grounded experience. It became a fun and less scripted approach to magic and mentalism where every show had something unique.”

“We aren’t magicians that are masters of sleight of hand and can wow you with card tricks, or grand scale illusionists with fancy props that cost thousands of dollars,” said Alexandra Brynn, another member of the troupe. “We’re performers that happen to love finding out what people’s tells are and connecting with everyone in the room in some way. If it all goes to plan, it’s the joy and wonder you get from a magic show, but human connection that leaves you wondering how we got inside your head.”

In their latest creation for the stage, the performers play a series of mentalism games to engage audience members on stage, exploring the themes of nostalgia, memories, and the innocence of the past.

Shelby Handley, who began performing with Beyond Mental Borders at the start of 2020, added “coming out of the last few years, our new show aims to engage more with light-hearted sensibilities while remaining grounded in all of our original techniques. We wanted to create something fun and accessible; reminiscent of easier times while still creating wonder in new experiences. It’s dynamic, intimate, and will leave you with plenty to talk and even strategize about.”

Mind Over Matter previewed on January 21 with two sold out performances. The show is set to run through November 10, 2024 in The Hall, the multi-purpose theatre at The Rec Room Roundhouse.

Beyond Mental Borders are a Canadian mentalism troupe made up of Toronto performers Shelby Handley, Armand Antony, and Vancouver’s Alexandra Brynn. They debuted with their first performance in June, 2019. They developed a virtual performance during the COVID pandemic which was performed for thousands of audience members globally, returning to the stage in 2022 with a 20-month run of their signature show, Connection. Beyond Mental Borders is one of the only illusion acts globally to feature two female leads.

Mind Over Matter opens Sunday, February 18, 2024. Performances at 5:00pm and 7:30pm at The Rec Room at Toronto Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd

Tickets: $27.50-$32 available on Eventbrite