Vinny DePonto's Mindplay

Vinny DePonto always knew he wanted to be a performer. It all started when he was very young. He became interested in acting, scripting, music, theatre, and puppets, and he realized magic could be the best container for all these things.

His show, Mindplay, has been running in New York since December 2024 and will close on May 11th. DePonto previously performed the same show in several other cities, including Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and Boston.

The show has changed over time, adding new layers and elements to resonate with different venues, cultures, and types of audiences.

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Mindplay is a mind-reading show. But don't get dragged into the old cliché of the mentalist controlling the audience's thoughts—DePonto created the show as a conversation with the audience, where his thoughts and vulnerabilities are also at stake. Speaking with us, he shared:

During our conversation with DePonto, we found at least two big takeaways that we believe can really improve the way we think about our magic—and (if it's your cup of tea) mentalism, too.

A Conversation With The Audience

One is this idea of "the big conversation," which feels more like sharing than controlling. We're so familiar with the idea of the mentalist controlling, making predictions, and always being one ahead (no pun intended) that this feels so refreshing.

DePonto embraces this development throughout the show, evolving his character as the minutes go by and attempting to address the bigger question: Why are mind readers after somebody else's thoughts?

This strong emphasis on the audience's experiences permeates every aspect of DePonto's show.

So we asked him, How can magicians apply this same philosophy and build stronger connections with their audiences?

Setting Challenges

The second key takeaway from our conversation is to challenge yourself. That is the one piece of advice DePonto would offer to magicians who want to explore mentalism more deeply and make their performances stand out.

And this comes from experience: for Mindplay, DePonto set himself a challenge of never writing anything down. Think about it—that's quite unusual for a mind reader, right?

DePonto does not have Sharpies or big white pads to reveal people's thoughts. He had to work hard to avoid this cliché, and during the process, he came up with creative solutions to address it. To do so, he drew from his design background and explored how he could "visualize thoughts."

DePonto encourages other magicians to reflect on how they view and present their magic, crafting it in a way that draws from their background and identity, while also creating a meaningful and lasting connection with the audience.

DePonto has done a lot of work for theatre, consulting on Broadway shows. He has a deep interest in music, writing, and art, and this diverse set of inspirations helped him write the show over time, too.

The process started in 2016, and he stresses the importance of "physicalizing" ideas. For him, that came through a notebook full of sketches and notes that later became the show.

Nearly ten years later, the show is still evolving and adding more layers to adapt to the audience.

DePonto highlights the importance of staying open to inspiration wherever it may come from. Whether it’s drawn from a personal memory, a museum visit, or a moment in a film, any of these elements can feed into and enrich the larger conversation you share with your audience.

We feel that this may be a unique and crucial element that can spark further reflection. This also connects to the idea behind the show itself, which taps into theatrics as well as magic.

The Theatrical Elements

Magic is made of tricks. This is the very first association we make when we approach the craft. However, although the tricks are somewhat necessary and tend to be the first elements we focus on as we approach magic, some performers choose to go even further than that.

You can see it in the work of people like Derek DelGaudio and Ben Hart, too—magicians who craft their tricks as much as they care about all the rest.

As DePonto states, finding inspiration everywhere you go is a crucial element that goes way beyond the single magic routine.

Sometimes, when looking at theatrical magic shows, the most memorable and distinctive parts may not be the tricks or methods but the sum of the many layers that surround the experience.

Designing magic in this way requires patience and attention to elements like the setting, the lights, the music, and of course, the character of the magician on stage and everything surrounding them, including their clothes, their lexicon, and the way they move.

To prove how specific the experience can get, DePonto has just released an actual album containing the original music composed for the show by his friend Alex Harris.

When a magician releases an album of the music designed for their own show, you can tell their attention goes way beyond just the single trick.

Some might also think that adding theatrical elements to magic could make the performance weaker or less impactful. But the success of the big names who took that route seems to prove the opposite—the tricky part is figuring out which layers will work on stage and truly connect with the audience.

Consider DelGaudio. He took the bold route of making his In & Of Itself show about the audience and who they are. Call it theatre, call it magic, but it works beautifully. And we hear DePonto speak about connection with the audience as a central part of his work—some elements just seem to be essential.

You might say—Why should this matter to me? Most of us never get to put together an actual show, let alone in a theatrical setting.

We actually think there are great takeaways in this approach. Let’s look at three.

The first is originality. You don't need a multi-million-dollar budget to create something truly original. Even if we're flooded with new tricks being released daily, the best and most accessible way to get creative is not by creating new methods.

Everyone can incorporate original elements into their routine. Even using specific music, dressing in a unique way, or choosing not to do something other magicians do can make you a lot more original in ways the audience will remember.

This is also a friendly reminder that you don't need to obsess over coming up with new methods to do better magic.

The second key element, we'll take it straight from DePonto's words—challenges.

In the same way that he challenged himself by performing mind reading without writing anything, you can set yourself challenges according to the type of magic you perform.

If you're a card magician, perhaps you can try to perform an entire set where no members of the audience pick a card. Or you can always perform magic with objects given by the audience.

Sometimes, these changes won't require you to learn new material but only to reframe what you already do in a new and original way.

The third and final element is—inspirations.

The key to theatrical magic is the coordinated work on multiple layers, way beyond the single tricks.

If you start collecting inspirations from the elements you like or you're naturally attracted to, you will create a unique and original set of inspirations for the show.

This ranges from the art you like in a museum to the kind of music you listen to, your hobbies, your job, your roots, and a lot more. You don't necessarily need to talk about yourself during the show, but you should want the show itself to do the work and talk for you.

If you have seen any of Derren Brown's theatre shows or Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself, you know how these layers beautifully combine and how the magic stops being about "just tricks" and becomes something else—a combination of visuals, storytelling, and inspirations, all supported by an artistic vision.

Even if you don't have theatrical aspirations, this type of mindset will likely have you stop thinking about the new methods to purchase, and you'll want to ask yourself deeper and more exciting questions.

The answers you'll give to these questions will improve the quality of your magic and will create better and stronger connections with your audience—the exact elements Vinny DePonto considers the core of his work.

We’ll end on DePonto's words,