Stage hypnosis is hypnosis performed in front of an audience for the purposes of entertainment, usually in a theatre or club. Expert opinion is divided over whether participants' responses are best explained as being due to an altered state of consciousness ("hypnotic trance") or by a combination of deliberate deception and ordinary social psychological factors such as disorientation, compliance, peer pressure, and ordinary suggestion.

A modern stage hypnosis performance regularly delivers a comedic performance rather than a demonstration to impress an audience with powers of persuasion - effects of amnesia, mood altering and hallucination are demonstrated in a normal performance. Stage hypnosis performances often encourage audience members to further look into the benefits of mind powers.^{[citation needed]}

Stage hypnosis evolved out of much older shows conducted by Mesmerists and other performers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Scottish surgeon James Braid developed his technique of hypnotism after witnessing a stage performance by a Swiss Mesmerist called Charles Lafontaine in 1841. Braid recounts similar performances by "electro-biologists" in his day, e.g., the following pamphlet for an "electro-biology" performance by a Mr. Stone which begins by clearly emphasising that a "waking state", as opposed to hypnotic or Mesmeric somnambulism, was being employed.

Marc Savard (born July 17, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently under contract to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the New York Rangers, by whom he was originally drafted in 1995, the Calgary Flames, and the Atlanta Thrashers.

Savard has not played since late in the 2010–11 season because of post-concussion syndrome.

Savard played major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Oshawa Generals, beginning in 1993–94. After his second season with the Generals, in which he scored a league-leading 139 points, he was selected 91st overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers. He continued to play in the OHL for two more seasons and earned his second Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as league leading scorer in 1996–97 with 130 points. Savard then added 27 points in 15 playoff games, guiding the Generals to the 1997 J. Ross Robertson Cup and an appearance in the 1997 Memorial Cup.

In 1997–98, Savard was assigned by the Rangers to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack. He put up 74 points with Hartford while being called up to play in 28 games for the Rangers in his rookie professional campaign. The following season, he earned an expanded role with the Rangers and recorded 45 points in 70 games.

Ormond Dale McGill (June 15, 1913 – October 19, 2005) was the "Dean of American Hypnotists".^{[citation needed]}

Born in Palo Alto, California, McGill became interested in magic as a child (and was later considered legendary in magic circles)^{[citation needed]}, but first studied hypnosis in 1927 while still a teenager. He wrote the seminal Encyclopedia of Genuine Stage Hypnotism (the acknowledged^{[citation needed]} bible^{[citation needed]} of stage hypnotism) in 1947, and continued to teach courses and lecture right up until a few days before his death. He died in his native Palo Alto.

From 1947 to 1954, McGill performed hypnotism and magic under the stage name of Dr. Zomb. His "Séance of Wonders" show featured horror-themed routines and costumed assistants typical of the midnight "spook shows" which were popular during that era.

In addition to his career as a world-traveling magician and stage hypnotist, McGill was also a skilled hypnotherapist and a student of Eastern mysticism. He wrote between twenty-five and forty books (sources disagree on the total), including such titles as Grieve No More Beloved (about his afterlife contact with his deceased wife), Hypnotism and Mysticism of India, and his autobiography, The Amazing Life of Ormond McGill.

Peter Powers is a British television personality and hypnotist. According to his website, he claims to hold the world record of being the fastest hypnotist, as well as inducing the longest hypnotic sleep documented.

Peter Powers also has made sixty TV shows; The Power of One, which is filmed in Australia, and Street Hypnosis which was filmed in the UK.

He made five one-hour TV Specials for UK's Channel 5, entitled The Naughty, Naughty Hypnoshow and recorded two one-hour TV specials for Network 9 in Australia in which well-known celebrities were hypnotized. Two new shows; Celebrity Superpowers NZ were fimed in New Zealand with well known TV personalities..^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, he appeared in a one-hour special ("Housemates Hypnotized") on Big Brother Australia 2008, where he hypnotized a many of the willing housemates.

His TV show in the Netherlands, Peter Powers' Payback, a 10 part series. was broadcast in early 2009.