Mason King’s new magic cabaret show, The Mind Spy is a thrilling, interactive journey into the inner depths of your mind!
“Could YOU be a Mind Spy?! Step into the world of covert psychic experiments where the audience become the test subjects.
Thought transmission, remote viewing and precognition are put to the test in this exciting and immersive experience inspired by the real-life psychic research conducted under Project Stargate in the 1970’s. Let the transmission begin…”
Where: Surgeons Hall at The Space
When: 2-8 Aug, 11-14 Aug, 16 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mason-king-the-mind-spy
Read on for more from Mason.
What exactly is a Mind Spy?
The Mind Spy is part historical fact, part psychological metaphor. During the Cold War, governments really did invest in psychic research.
The hope was that Mind Spies (also referred to as Remote Viewers) could assist in uncovering military and domestic intelligence secrets.
However, in the context of the show, it’s also about how our minds pick up on signals, patterns, and possibilities we’re not consciously aware of.
Sometimes, it’s not about being psychic — it’s about being attuned.
Immersive, interactive, and based on real psychic research. It sounds intriguing. What might audiences expect?
From the very beginning, everyone is involved — because everyone is part of the experiment. That said, everything is delivered in a positive, respectful way.
There’s no need to worry about being embarrassed. Everyone will leave having had a positive… if slightly strange, experience.
The audience will face tests once used during Project Stargate — the CIA’s real-life attempt to train psychic spies during the Cold War. Psychic drawings, intelligence challenges, high-stakes decisions… and no way of knowing what might happen next.
Some moments will feel impossible. Others, strangely personal. And every so often, something happens that wasn’t in the script — and that’s when things get really interesting.
How did you make your start in performing? Do Fringe Festivals inspire you?
I’ve been drawn to the unexplained for as long as I can remember — the paranormal, conspiracy theories, anything that felt just beyond rational understanding.
That fascination sat quietly in the background for years, until my early twenties, when I saw a mentalist perform something I simply couldn’t explain. It stopped me in my tracks — and from that moment, I was hooked.
I began exploring mentalism more seriously, and over time developed myself as a performer, working in all kinds of environments. Each show, each audience, shaped the way I think about what it means to create mystery in a live space.
The first time I visited the Edinburgh Fringe — around 10 or 12 years ago — I knew instantly: this was where I wanted to bring that kind of work. Years later, I finally did. And with each return, each new show, I’ve refined and rebuilt.
This show is the result of that journey — a fusion of performance, psychology, and a lifelong fascination with the unexplained. It brings together everything I’ve been developing over the years.
My hope is that it doesn’t just entertain — it lingers. That it leaves people not just clapping but questioning.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
What I look forward to most in Edinburgh is the city itself — the way it hums with creative energy during the Fringe. There’s a unique buzz in the air, a sense that anything could happen.
But I also treasure the quiet moments between the chaos — early mornings wandering the empty streets, the calm before the next performance.
It’s in those pockets of stillness that ideas settle, and the next layer of work begins.
And where can we see your work next?
I will be performing Mason King – The Mind Spy at Venue 53, The Space at Surgeons Hall on Nicholson Street from 2nd to 16th August (except 9th, 10th, and 15th) at 5.05pm.