by Hope Smith

The MAZE is not a magic show. The MAZE is not an illusion show. The MAZE is not a turn-you-into-a-believer show. The MAZE is a show designed to blow your mind.

On Monday night, a man who travels with only a suitcase will mount the stage to do things that you have only seen on television – and he will make you wonder whether or not anything at all is real.

Jim Munroe, illusionist, leukemia survivor and self-proclaimed “professional liar,” will open his suitcase and perform feats that will scramble your brain and leave you asking yourself questions about reality.

Campus Crusade for Christ and IMPACT, two of UK’s Christian ministry groups, have worked for months to bring the show, which has been to colleges all across the country, to UK’s campus.

“He will allow an avenue for entertainment and the question of what’s true in life,” UK Campus Crusade for Christ staff member Justin Schriver said. “He will evoke emotion and dialogue and will expose the deceptions that exist in our culture today.”

The MAZE, a blend of psychology, magic, mystery and illusion, challenges audience members to examine what is real and what is not.

According to the show’s website, people who have witnessed the MAZE do not know how to describe it or tell other people about it.

Campus Crusade for Christ director of staff John Strange agrees with the website’s assertion.

“You can’t explain what they do at this show,” Strange said. “People walk away wondering what they just witnessed. It’s hard to explain unless you were there.”

Munroe causes inanimate objects to float mid-air and quickly stabs around his own hand with a knife while blind-folded. He makes other illusionists look like rookies while creating conversation among audience members.

Part of Campus Crusade for Christ’s mission is to bring people together and create healthy dialogue, Shriver said. He hopes this event will spark conversation and create a stir.

“It’s going to freak people out,” Shriver said. “They’ll leave amazed, entertained and disturbed.