Mind Reading Duo Blows Exonians Away

Many Exonians rushed to the Assembly Hall stage in awe last Saturday night as The Evasons, an award-winning mind-reading duo, finished their final act: A ghost appeared behind a volunteering student on stage in a photo taken by the performers. The rest of the night was filled with similar reactions of bewilderment by the crowd as they witnessed Tessa Evason correctly guess students names, I.D. numbers and other facts, while her husband Jeff Evason enthusiastically narrated the show.

According to the former radio DJ, Jeff first met Tessa at a modeling event he was covering. While Tessa was backstage, she gathered a group of four or five models and gave one of them a ring. Then, turning her back to the group, she asked the models to pass the ring among them until one randomly placed in one hand. Tessa then proceeded to guess which model and hand held the ring with astonishing accuracy.

With a preceding passion for the enigmatic, Jeff approached Tessa. The two went on to create the award-winning mind reading act, which they have been performing now for 32 years.   

The two came back for their 5th visit to the Academy this year. Like their previous performances, it was a huge success. Prep Ella Parsons attended the event with the expectation that it would be “exciting and mysterious.” She found the show to be more thrilling than she could have ever predicted.

“The show was very intriguing, and you could feel the excitement in the room,” Parsons said. “Everybody was on the edge of their seats.”

The Evasons’ performance consisted of several psychological tricks where Tessa appeared to read the students minds. From guessing serial numbers to the exact year of students’ first kisses, she continued to surprise the crowd with seemingly impossible tricks. The creative ways in which the duo presented their act only added to the suspense—instead of simply guessing the numbers, they revealed them in the form of math problems and elaborate charts, accompanied by Jeff’s never-ending jokes.

The event heavily relied on audience participation and interaction with the duo, keeping the students thoroughy engaged.

“I was thrilled when I got called up to participate,” upper Stone Sulley said. “I thought the event was going to be lame and awkward, which was one of the reasons I decided to go, but I was blown away by all of their mind tricks.”

Similarly, upper Timur Luke felt the rowdy crowd added a sense of liveliness to the event that distinguished it from a typical Exeter weekend night performance.

“I went with a couple of friends and sat in the middle,” Luke said. “Everyone around us was laughing and excitingly shouting at each act, and the performers themselves were cheerful and cracked a lot of jokes.”

Even students who had previously experienced the mentalist duo’s mind blowing tricks were taken by surprise at Saturday’s show. According to senior Sam Williams, who had seen the same duo two years ago, they still held a certain air of mystery.

The Evasons’ audience extends beyond high school students, to colleges, theaters and even lawyers and clients at corporate events. The duo never fails to amaze the huge range of people that witness their tricks. Even Assistant Director of Student Activities Kelly McGahie admitted being enthralled by the performance.

“As someone who is not a teenager, I still enjoy the show,” McGahie said. “Every time I have seen the Evansons perform in front of a college audience, those students have also loved it. Exonians have been amazed each time they have performed here at the Academy.”

McGahie added that she tries to bring the group back every couple of years so new students get a chance to witness the unique act. “It’s popular,” she said. “That is why they keep coming back. We typically bring them in September since it is the start of the year and we know they will be good.”

Whenever it may be, Jeff Evason said he and his wife definitely plan on coming back to Exeter and are looking forward to the bright, youthful crowd again.

“This is always a great crowd because the students are younger,” Evason said. “The energy is fantastic and the intellect is high. I would love to come back here and perform again.”