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Matthew Cassiere (Matt the Knife), magician and mentalist, kicks out his act at “Matt the Knife” event. He opened the show with audience participation and laid the groundwork for an evening of illusion and psychology.
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MTK captivates the crowd with a profound stunt during his act. His performance examined the audience’s perceptions while demonstrating the skill of magic.
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During an interactive section of his show, MTK interacts with Tiffany McManis, director of Student health, and her husband. The performance used magic and psychology to investigate emotion, connection and perception.
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Students watch MTK perform in the Memorial Union Washburn A/B room. The Oct. 22 “Math and Knife” event was hosted by the Campus Activities Board.
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Gavin Igercic, freshman physical therapy assistant major, joins MTK on stage during the show. The event brought laughter and amazement as students helped perform live tricks.
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MTK captures students with close-up card magic during his show. His innovative entertainment promoted audience participation and kept them guessing all night.
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MTK plays a mind game with a student volunteer during his performance. His compelling presentation kept the audience on edge as he demonstrated how psychology and attention to detail may impact what people believe.
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Lyttia Linck, freshman history education major, performs a magic trick at the event. The performance encouraged children to participate and witness the magic up close.
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Students engage in conversation with MTK following his performance. The session provided audience members with a more in-depth look at how observation and sight play roles in his tricks.
The Math and Knife event, held on Oct. 22 from 7 p.m to 8:30 p.m in the Memorial Union’s Washburn A/B room, brought about 40 students to experience a performance that went far beyond simple tricks and illusions. The Campus Activities Board sponsored the event, inspired by a performance seen at the NACA conference.
Students witnessed an extraordinary blend of magic, psychology and human connection during a unique performance by magician and mentalist, Matthew Cassiere, who goes by Matt the Knife or MTK.
The audience started to participate straight away. Students picked out, acknowledged and personalized cards that the magician used to show how body language, micro expressions and observation can create the illusion of “mind reading.”
MTK is a 12 Guinness World Record holder who has performed in 21 countries across four continents.
“I love blurring the line between what’s fake and what’s real… I want people to experience miracles,” MTK said.
MTK emphasized that magic isn’t just about hiding tricks.
“I give you a little bit of a vibe and understanding of how it is and so it’s not really about obfuscating things so much as it is trying to have you experience the miraculous,” MTK said.
MTK added that a strong performance should evoke a wide range of emotions: amazement, humor, sweetness, fear and even sadness while connecting personally with the audience.
The show also highlighted the human side of magic. Couples were invited to take part using their personal histories to affect the trick. For one couple, the magician recounted their life with cards, from their first meeting to decades spent together, demonstrating how two lives mix over time.
Audience members noticed how the performance reflected emotional connection and shared experiences, making the magic feel highly personal.
Isaiah Bryant-Collier, director of Student Involvement and Development, helped organize the event and explained how it came together.
“The conference last year when we originally started looking at booking him, was in late February, early March, so I would say, probably sometime around May, we probably contracted them, and then yeah. So, the contract probably took, like, a couple of weeks to get processed…And then after that, it was a done deal,” Bryant-Collier said.
Bryant-Collier said the event was one of the smoothest the campus has had this semester. He highlighted what sets this event apart from others on campus.
“Typically, we don’t bring a lot of novelty acts on campus, like, we don’t bring a lot of magicians or things like that. So, it’s kind of, you know, we might do it like, once a semester, sometimes once an academic, school year,” Bryant-Collier said.
Beyond card tricks, the magician created games that challenged intuition and probability. In a simple but fascinating exercise, participants make predictions on outcomes, learning about risk, odds and strategy all while having fun.
The show’s climax had a creative twist. Selected audience members were instructed to sketch something unique, instead of standard shapes such as homes or trees. The magician’s drawings quietly revealed personality traits and thought patterns, demonstrating the interplay of art, psychology and perception.
Gavin Igercic, freshman physical therapist assistant major shared his experience in the event.
“The whole show was impressive. I did not believe that this sort of thing was real. And then it was real. All the magic with the cards was fascinating” Igercic said.
Lyttia Linck, freshman history education major, shared her favorite part of the show.
“My favorite part was whenever my friend did the drawings,” Linck said.
Interviewed students highlighted how MTK’s engagement with the audience made the performance feel personal and interactive.
Audience members were not only entertained, but also inspired to improve their ability to observe, feeling and human connection skills. The event showed how magic, when mixed with psychology and true participation, may turn a simple show into an unforgettable and fascinating experience.
Edited by Arohi Rai and Stuti Khadka
