Wednesday night, a different kind of magician thrilled students in Stewart Theatre. Performing to an almost-full house, Jim Munroe, or ‘Maze,’ began an act at 6:30 p.m. that would last for two hours. ‘

Upon entering Stewart Theatre, Munroe began by greeting the crowd and promising a night of ‘psychological illusion’ magic.’

According to his website, Munroe aims to ‘be an entertaining and powerful tool for those who have been confused by postmodern philosophical smokescreens.’ ‘

The purpose of magic in his show is to leave audiences wondering what is real and what is not. This is the message Munroe says he is trying to convey.’

‘Reality is a perception; I want you to think about what you know to be real,’ he said.’

Shakaela Webb, a freshman in biology, said she was excited for the show and picked the second row to be close.’

‘I’m very excited to see a magician in person instead of on TV,’ she said. ‘From the flyers he looked fun and I hope he’ll pick me to volunteer for a trick since I’m so close.’

Various tricks, including nailing a nail into his nose and pulling thread out of a mole on his stomach, were all part of the act.’

To involve the crowd, Munroe had students pass a nerf ball around the theatre to choose people for various assistant positions.’

Katherine Guess, a junior in zoology, was chosen out of the crowd to help with a trick.

She said was nervous to help Munroe after catching the ball.’

‘Once I caught the ball I became really nerve-racked, but I had fun and didn’t expect anything he did,’ she said.’

Chris Cimino, a freshman in computer science, said Munroe’s tricks were interesting.’

‘Some were easier to figure out than others, but either way they were entertaining and interesting,’ he said.’

Before a five minute intermission Munroe grew serious and informed students of the mission for his show. He showed a video of people with terminal illnesses and spoke of his battle with cancer. After the video, he warned students if they were easily offended it would be in their best interest to leave.’

‘What I’m going to say after intermission will insult some people, but I’m just here to help you see the truth I have seen,’ he said. ‘

In his speech after intermission Munroe diffierienated between religion and spirituality.’

‘Religion is a lie, it is the antithesis of spirit,’ he said. ‘Jesus came to turn on the spirit inside of you, not to make all these religions.’

As a small number of people walked, out Munroe continued his speech, assuring students he was not there to preach or to convince them to join a religion.’

‘I’m here to introduce a thought; I hope to reach some people and have them go, ‘Yeah, I have been living in the dark,’ he said.’ Marshall Hutchens, a sophomore in business administration, said he was not offended by the message.’

‘I think everyone has a right to say what they believe, and my beliefs are strong enough to not be affected by what he says, so overall it was an interesting show,’ he said.’

In closing, Munroe reiterated a quote from earlier in the evening.’

‘Life is like a maze; there is only one way out.’