The Questions and Answers Act, or Q&A Act is a mentalism performance in which a performer appears to divine and respond to personal questions posed by audience members, under conditions suggesting genuine psychic ability. The Q&A Act involves collecting queries—commonly written and sealed—from spectators, then providing answers or revelations that seem impossible to achieve through ordinary means. The Q&A Act is a hallmark of mentalism, blending psychological subtleties, secret info gathering, and theatrical presentation to create the illusion of mind reading or spirit communication.

The structure of a Questions and Answers Act includes distributing slips or cards for audience members to write questions, collecting these in a manner that preserves secrecy, then dramatically revealing the content or answering the questions on stage. Methods range from sleight-of-hand and coded assistants to advanced psychological techniques and cleverly designed props. Notable practitioners such as Joseph Dunninger, Kreskin, and Derren Brown have elevated the act with innovations like blindfolds or apparent telepathy, enhancing the sense of authenticity and mystery.

Applications of the Questions and Answers Act extend from intimate parlor performances to large theatrical shows, the climactic segment of a mentalist’s repertoire. The act’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to foster a personal connection with the audience, as each answer feels uniquely tailored and inexplicable, reinforcing the performer’s reputation as a master of the mind.