Stacy Alan never expected her life to revolve around magic. This 2006 graduate of Kent State University, who uses the stage name “Alan” and identifies herself a mentalist, has always had a passion for the mind and dedicated her life to studying and analyzing how the mind works, starting with her BA in psychology. Once she met her now-husband Jason Alan, a lifelong magician, her life flipped and that passion for the mind turned into a passion in tricking other’s minds - through magic.
Stacy and Jason met in 2010 and started their journey together by doing pop-up magic shows in Northeast Ohio. After quitting their jobs, they dedicated their lives to traveling the country to showcase their magic. The Alans have spent the last four years trying to land a spot on the CW’s show “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” and this year, they were finally successful.
“Penn & Teller: Fool Us” is a magic competition show where aspiring magicians attempt to fool the American magician-comedian duo Penn & Teller. If successful, the competitors get the opportunity to perform in Las Vegas as the opening act for Penn & Teller’s show at the Rio Hotel and Casino.
The Alans explained how different the experience was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no live audience, just Penn, Teller and the Alans.
“We finally made it on, and we stood in front of Penn and Teller which was terrifying,” they said. “It was one of the most gratifying and exciting experiences, all while being incredibly anxiety-provoking.”
Stacy's favorite memory at Kent State was when she was a research assistant for Maria S. Zaragoza, Ph.D., chairperson for the Department of Psychological Sciences, for two years. Stacy explained that the lessons learned from Zaragoza’s development of false memory helps her form and develop tricks and pieces in their act to this day.
“While in college at Kent State, I worked for a research lab and a lot of what I learned there I have implemented in my practice as a mentalist,” Stacy said. “Kent’s city in itself is the place we go to walk around and spark inspiration for our acts. We love being there.”
The Alans have some advice for college students. Stacy said you never know where the things you are learning now will take you and to soak it all in while you can. They said they both had no idea their lives would be where they are now.
Stacy and Jason’s act for the show revolves around the night they met, leaving audiences laughing and completely fooled. The episode aired on Jan. 22, 2021, on the CW and can be found at https://thealanslive.com/penn-and-teller-fool-us-the-alans/.
For more information about Kent State’s Department of Psychological Sciences, click https://www.kent.edu/psychology.