Lorette native explores mind control at Fringe

A Lorette native is following up on three successful shows at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival with Control, a new one that explores mind control.

Patrick Gregoire began his Fringe experience in 2017 with a magic show called Dangerous Magic.

He followed that up in 2023 and 2024 with two mentalism shows titled Mindreader and Supernatural, respectively.

He described Control as a completely new show which again falls under the subject of mentalism.

“I would say it’s almost a mix of Mindreader and Supernatural in that there is the lighter, fun side of Supernatural and the darker, more serious side of Mindreader,” he said in an email. “This comes from the more serious topic of mind control blending with my showmanship and persona on stage.”

He describes Control as “a captivating 60-minute psychological magic show that blurs the line between your conscious intentions and subconscious impulses. He dives into what he said is 95 percent of your mind that operates under the radar.

“Although we have free will, we have almost no control over the choices we make, because only five percent of our brain activity is conscious, the rest is all controlled subconsciously,” he said. “Control explores what can be achieved by manipulating the other 95 percent of your mind. I find that mysterious part of the human psyche fascinating, and I’m convinced audiences will agree after they experience the show for themselves.”

Gregoire said audiences will witness and experience some “pretty wild things”.

“I’ve prepared some very unique demonstrations of subliminal influence and mental manipulation via words, music, visuals and more,” he said. “The deeper we go into the show, the more incredible and unsettling it becomes. People will leave excited, and a little bit creeped out at what they just experienced and how easy it was to hijack their thoughts.”

Gregoire said he enjoys the Fringe experience, from the planning stages to the time he presents to an audience.

“I love it when the puzzle pieces slowly come together over time, and they tighten up more and more as we approach the festival,” he said.

Control performances take place from July 16 to July 27 on the second floor of the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain on 340 Provencher Boulevard.

Gregoire has performed well over 500 shows across central Canada.