Does this new performance trend that escape artists are gravitating toward bother you? 'Cause it sure bothers me. The thing I'm talking about is revealing to the audience that you will be escaping, from whatever death defying confinement, using a lock pick. Where is the magic... the mystery... the escape?

In my opinion, the whole effect falls flat. Why strip away the mystery from an escape and reduce it to nothing more than a stunt? By conveying that this is something that ANYONE can do makes it less special and it weakens its impact. The whole point of escapes is to make it look impossible and most important entertaining.

It can be argued that ALL escapes are stunts - which is true - but by adding mystery (something that is difficult or impossible to explain or understand) changes an ordinary test of endurance to something worth watching. You're missing the mark if you don't add mystery.

The public knows, to some degree, that it takes skill to do what you are doing. But by telling them exactly how you are going to achieve this impossible feat you take away their perception and opinions. Making the audience "in on it" doesn't make them feel special but it has the reverse effect your presentation becomes ordinary and then people question why should they even watch?

Look at Harry Houdini, the most popular escape artist - even today 80+ years after his death. Although the times are different today, the mystery is still the same. Do you think we would still be talking about Houdini if he told his audience HOW we was getting out of all of the handcuffs? Probably not. Houdini is a fascinating artist to study because he added some great theatrics to all his escapes, the danger or maybe not getting out, being strip searched or having the local law officials restrain him. He didn't deflate the impossible feat, but rather he built on it. Most important, which I think is key, he let the audience draw their own conclusions. The impact was greater because not everyone in the audience is on an even playing field.

The success of doing an escape is letting the audience draw their own conclusion. When I am performing my straitjacket escape on roller skates, in a dress, I create a mysterious mood that I can't skate really well, but in reality I can. I try hard to keep my balance while I'm being restrained. My movements are jerky and uncertain. This puts the audience on edge, especially when I get dangerously close to the edge of the stage, as I try to get out. I create a tension in the audience as they all wonder is she going to get out or is she going to fall? The best part is when someone in the audience, usually a kid, can't hold the tension in anymore and yells out "oh my gawd she's gonna fall!

In this day and age, people feel like they need to explain everything, but really you don't need to. If your audience wants to find out something, and they have a computer and the Internet, chances are they can find out. That's unfortunately something you can stop, but don't forget not everyone wants to find out. Don't run if your not being chased.