Mentalist Marc Salem Brings MIND OVER MILWAUKEE to The Rep, Now thru 2/24

Mentalist Marc Salem brings his interactive stage show, Mind Over Milwaukee, to The Rep for an experience that will leave audiences astounded, dumbfounded and believing the unbelievable. Using psychological techniques, a sharp eye for human nature, a quick wit and more than 20 years of close study, Mr. Salem creates a mystifying, often hilarious show, which explores the depths and true capabilities of the human mind. Mind Over Milwaukee runs in the Stackner Cabaret from tonight, December 28, 2012 - February 24, 2013 and opens on Sunday, December 30.

"How to describe brilliant, witty mentalist Marc Salem and Mind Over Milwaukee? It's not a play, it's not a musical and it's certainly not a magic act. So let's call it an entertainment, tailor made for a Milwaukee audience," says Artistic Director Mark Clements. "Jaws will drop as Marc separates truth from lies in increasingly amazing ways - and the audience wonders, "How did he do that?!"

"How do I do it?" asks creator/performer Marc Salem. "I use a wide range of techniques in my show, I don't consider vision a vital sense, and on the other hand it is not supernatural, it's theater. I pick up a wide range of clues, and I will take advantage of as many elements as possible in order to make the events of the evening occur. I will say that there are some things I do that I cannot explain. It's not that I don't want to, I just can't explain it."

"I suppose some would call it telepathy, but that's not a word I would choose to use," continued Marc Salem. "I've never been quite assured in my mind what is statistical probability, what's picking up on nonverbal clues and other kinds of information. I think part of my talent is being able to pull them all together and make them work and make them work as entertainment."

Marc Salem adds, "I have intuitive feelings about things, other things are statistical, other times I'm getting clues. People stand next to me and I'm getting all sorts of impressions from them. There are changes in the way they breathe, changes in the way they say things; it's such an intricate web of clues."

When asked about Mind Over Milwaukee, the show he's specifically creating for Milwaukee, he responded: "What makes Milwaukee unique? I have traveled the world, but here is a world in a city. As a seeker of thoughts and minds, I have found a rich field here. Where else can I be so much hugged by the rest of the country gently nestled between rivers and steep bluffs? Statues of Lincoln, Washington, King and the Fonz demonstrate a rich intellectual and historical past. The Riverwalk, cool jazz, high tech, local universities, respected ethnicity and a passion for theater, all display a vibrant and exciting present. Mostly Milwaukee is real and solid, and yet, paradoxically, my mind boggles at mysteries she still has for me to discover."

THE CAST

Marc Salem has been a student of the human mind for over 30 years. As an academic he holds advanced degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and New York University, and has been on faculty of several major universities for close to two decades. He is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on non-verbal communication. How the mind creates reality and meaning has been his major focus. As a researcher Professor Salem has traveled the globe exploring the mind and its potential. He was a director of research at Sesame Street studying the development and nature of the mental process. As an entertainer, Marc has performed around the world, astounding and entertaining millions. His show Mind Games concluded two extended runs on Broadway to both critical and popular acclaim. The Sydney Opera House, the Edinburgh Festival and Singapore's Esplanade have also hosted extended runs of Mind Games. Marc has also completed three sell-out seasons in London.

He has also been featured on numerous television shows including The O'Reilly Factor, The Montel Williams Show, Maury, CNN, and has been a frequent guest on Live! With Kelly. He has had two network television specials of his own, with more to come. He is a regular guest on Court TV, and was also recently profiled on an astounding 60 Minutes by Mike Wallace. He will be featured this season on Discovery Science with Morgan Freeman on the television program Through the Wormhole in the episode Hacking the Mind. It will air late January or early February.

CREATIVE TEAM

The creative team for Mind Over Milwaukee includes Brent Hazelton (Production Coordinator), a former Rep Acting Intern, is now in his 14th season with The Rep and second as an Associate Artistic Director, after serving for eight seasons as The Rep's Artistic Associate and Artistic Intern Company Director; Jeremy Dominik (Lighting Designer) is The Rep's Assistant Lighting Design Intern this season; Anna Warren (Properties Coordinator) is a member of The Rep's Prop Department and is a Props Craft Artisan; Natalie Bell (Stackner Technical Director) is in her second season as a member of The Rep's Production Department and is The Rep's Assistant Technical Director; Jason Simpson (Stage Manager) returns to The Rep for his second season as a Stage Management Apprentice after having been a Stage Management Intern last season.

Tickets for Mind Over Milwaukee start at $35.00. Single Tickets for all of Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 2012/13 productions are now on sale and can be purchased online 24/7 at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, through The Rep's Ticket Office by calling 414-224-9490 or in person at 108 E. Wells Street. Group tickets are also available for purchase by calling Patron Relations Manager Christine Yundem at 414-290-5340.

To learn more about The Rep or its productions, visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Audio-Description Performance - On Sunday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m. there will be an Audio-Described Performance for patrons who are blind or have low vision.

New Year's Eve Celebration - Join us for a special New Year's Eve performance of Mind Over Milwaukee. The evening includes party favors and a champagne toast. The show starts at 9:00 p.m. and tickets are $60 per person.

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