Which of your special effects are real and which are faked? – Jack M., Elm Grove
There is one section of the show where we describe Tesla’s grand finale to his demonstration at the World’s Fair, and how he shot electricity from his fingertips. At that point, we project lightning onto the back wall to give an idea of what that effect might look like, but there is no actual electricity coming from the presenter’s fingers at that point. That demonstration is extremely difficult to perform safely, and to try and recreate it several times a day, in a show as fast-moving as Tesla Lives!, would be magnificently dangerous.
We don’t fake ANY demonstrations during the show. Everything you see onstage is absolutely real – we really light up a flourescent bulb wirelessly, throw and catch lightning, conduct electricity through HUMAN BEINGS, and all the rest. One of our goals for the show was to stay away from trickery and mystery. While we do a lot of flashy stuff onstage, and can create some amazing visual effects with the equipment we have, we also do our best to explain the science behind everything the audience sees. Obviously, due to time constraints we can’t go into as much detail as we’d like sometimes, but that’s what this website is for.
Check out the Videos section for a more in-depth look at some of the equipment and effects we employ during the show. And keep asking questions!
“Have you ever gotten hurt doing the show?” – Elizabeth, Milwaukee
Never during the show. When I was first learning how to use the Van de Graaff generator, I did manage to charge myself up with static electricity and then give myself a series of very painful shocks. After that, I made sure I understood how to use the equipment BEFORE turning it on. Learn from my mistakes!
Some of the equipment onstage is very dangerous, but we have a very skilled crew of technicians whose job it is to make sure all that equipment is working properly and is being used safely. Plus, we have a couple of switches near the stage which can instantly cut off all the power going to the equipment. Any time I’m using more than a small amount of electricity, I put on a pair of big thick insulated gloves. So no matter what happens, everyone in the room is completely safe at all times.
-Andy
If you have a question about the show or its topics, leave a note here, in the comments.
