LESSON PLAN

01

Meet Penn & Teller

Meet your new instructors: Emmy-winning magicians Penn & Teller, who have dazzled audiences for more than 40 years. Penn & Teller share the tricks they'll teach you and how the thinking behind magic can resonate beyond the stage.
02

Sleight of Hand: The French Drop

Penn & Teller teach the French drop, one of the most fundamental sleight of hand methods. With students watching, they break down the steps of the trick and explain how it's a building block for hundreds of other tricks.
03

Cups and Balls

Once you've mastered the French drop, you can expand upon that method to develop a routine with cups and balls. Penn & Teller demonstrate a few of the countless variations you can do with cups and balls.
- 04
  
  What Is Magic?
  
  Magic is an intellectual art form that requires the audience's engagement as well as their suspension of disbelief. In this chapter, Penn & Teller crack open the philosophical and psychological concepts behind performing magic.
- 05
  
  Misdirection
  
  Penn & Teller are masters of misdirection. Learn how to use misdirection to persuade the audience to hear the story they want to believe.
- 06
  
  Coin Magic
  
  Coin magic involves the principles of sound misdirection, sleight of hand, and palming. In this chapter, Penn & Teller teach various coin magic tricks that delight audiences of all ages.
- 07
  
  Magic Vs. Lying
  
  To convince an audience, you need to encourage them to arrive at a conclusion on their own. Penn & Teller discuss their philosophy on the deception inherent in magic.
- 08
  
  Mentalist or Crook?
  
  Mentalism is a genre of magic that exists across a spectrum of morality. Learn how Penn & Teller use mentalism to perform a "mind-reading" trick for entertainment purposes only.
- 09
  
  Card Magic
  
  Learn the fundamental moves in card magic that can unlock a world of tricks at your fingertips.
- 10
  
  Exploiting the Best of the Human Brain
  
  How are magicians able to fool audiences? They take advantage of the brain's vulnerabilities. Penn & Teller dive into some of the physiological aspects of the human brain and how it relates to magic.
- 11
  
  Rope Tricks
  
  Rope tricks play with images of destruction and resurrection. Penn & Teller walk you through their version of cut and restored rope tricks.
- 12
  
  Principles of Performing
  
  Authenticity, practice, and research are key strategies for perfecting a performance. As veterans of the stage, Penn & Teller draw from their years of experience to share wisdom and advice for aspiring performers of all disciplines.
- 13
  
  Cause and Effect
  
  Magic oversimplifies and distorts the principles of cause and effect. In this chapter, Penn & Teller discuss the philosophical aspects of cause and effect in relation to magic and the human psyche.
- 14
  
  The Joy of Magic
  
  Empathy, wonder, joy: these emotions are all part of the shared experience of a magic performance. Teller shares a rare emotional account of a childhood memory that sent him on a lifelong path of bringing joy to others through magic.
- 15
  
  Bonus Chapter No. 1: Advanced Student Coaching
  
  Matt Donnelly is a co-host of the podcast Penn's Sunday School and has recently started to learn magic. Penn & Teller team up with legendary magician Johnny Thompson to coach him on a chop-cup routine that requires a lot of practice and technical skill.
- 16
  
  Bonus Chapter No. 2: Piff the Magic Dragon
  
  A professional magician with years of experience, Piff the Magic Dragon gets advice and coaching from Penn & Teller and Johnny Thompson on a new routine that he has created largely from scratch.
17

Bonus Chapter No. 3: Penn & Teller Live at Rio Las Vegas "Cell Fish"

Watch Penn & Teller's unique take on the "card to impossible location" trick in the form of a disappearing cell phone during their live stage show.