Chris Stolz – Chair Up There 2 (official pdf version)

Description

Introduction
Thank you for choosing Illusions Canada!
Chair Up There was originally created and performed in 2001 using the method outlined in this document. When I
decided to release the effect to the magical public, I released it with an entirely different method. This alternate
method was chosen because it was very simple to construct and could easily be built in just a few hours.
Since its release, I have had many requests from performers looking for a way to perform the effect without the
extreme use of black art. Many also wanted the option to use a hoop curtain so they could perform the effect
surrounded. And so here it is, 6 years later, the original method of Chair Up There and the answer to all of the
requests.
Background
Chair up There was the solution to a problem that had been plaguing me for years. I absolutely loved Dekolta’s Chair
illusion, but I was always disappointed with the props that modern performers were using to accomplish the feat. A
little wooden chair sitting atop a rather large and shiny metal base just didn’t click with me as a designer, performer or
an audience member.
As with many ideas out there in the world today, the chair and base idea was certainly on a good track as stage traps
were no longer required. The idea however, still had room for improvement. A chair on a thin table with a set of steps
high above the base seemed to be the simple answer I was looking for. All of the materials would be either wood or
metal but never both at the same time, in order to achieve some sense of continuity. The angle of the steps would
naturally draw the eye upward to where the action was taking place, and ultimately away from the method. I built it,
rehearsed it, performed it, and it worked.
This illusion was first performed in my show “Enchantment”, which toured B.C. Canada in 2001 with great success. I
certainly do hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.
The Effect
The lights come up on a three foot high table with its own set of stairs which the audience can clearly see through. The
performer climbs the stairs, places a chair on top of the table, and holds up a white curtain just big enough to hide the
chair from view. The audience can see below the table, above the chair, to the sides, and through the spaces within the
stairs. Less than a few seconds later the performer whips the cover away to reveal his beautiful assistant sitting on the
chair! The assistant and magician may descend the steps to engage in a magical dance or routine before finally
returning to the platform. The assistant is seated upon the chair where she is covered with the same white curtain and
vanished.