Spotlights above the stage illuminated nearly 30 limp bodies that sat slumped across carefully lined chairs. Silence hung in the air as everyone in the audience wondered what would happen next.

The Great Hall of the Memorial Union was packed last night for Anthony Potmesil’s show that featured a blend of hypnosis and comedy.

The crowd he drew started arriving more than an hour before the show began at 8 p.m. The audience was so large that many people had to sit on the floor or stand around the perimeter of the room.

Potmesil began by cracking a few jokes and assuring audience members that being under hypnosis would not cause them to do anything that went against their morals.

He had no problem getting volunteers. As soon as Potmesil invited audience members to approach the stage, people rushed to the front, eager to be hypnotized.

Beginning with 17 students, he placed a glowing blue ball in the center of the floor and told volunteers to stare at it. As he talked to them, his deep, raspy voice became smooth and was accompanied by calm background music. Soon, volunteers were in a deep sleep, slouched on the shoulder of strangers sitting beside them.

Audience members that had fallen under hypnosis were brought to the front of the room as another row of chairs was added to accommodate the group of now 30 students.

While in the trance-like state, volunteers shrieked after realizing they were covered from head to toe with insects, impersonated erotic dancers, became pregnant with a 45-pound baby and sold hot dogs to audience members while speaking Chinese.

For Tramell Lackland, freshman in pre-business, this was not the first time beening hypnotized.

“Whenever I get hypnotized I can remember everything,” Lackland said. “I would be able to stop if I wanted to, but it is such a relaxing feeling.”

Between eruptions of laughter and applause, audience members stood and craned their necks to get a better view of the stage.

“This was the best hypnotist show I have ever seen,” said Nathan Curtis, sophomore in liberal arts and sciences-open option. “He was hilarious.”

Potmesil, who has been doing these shows for five years now, said he enjoys his job and the surprises it brings.

Potmesil ended by telling the audience they would have extreme amounts of energy and that one hour under hypnosis is equivalent to eight hours of very deep, very comfortable sleep.

“You all could go back to your dorm rooms and stay up all night, sleep for seven or eight minutes in the morning, and you would be good to go,” Potmesil assured the volunteers.