Next, announce that you're producing a brand new play for one-night-only! Since you are a Tony-award-winning director, there will be lots of press, and people will line up to buy tickets well in advance. Give your show a totally impenetrable name to add to the mystique, and charge exorbitant prices for tickets. The show is to begin at precisely 8:00.

On the big night, sit back and watch all of the seats fill up. When the clocks strike 8:00, don't do anything. See how long the crowd continues sitting in their chairs before starting to get restless.

Once people begin milling around, lower the lights. See how long people quietly sit in the darkness.

Eventually, murmurs in the crowd will get louder, and everyone will begin talking. This is your cue to begin playing orchestral music over the loudspeakers. However, the music is actually a 10-second loop. See how long it takes the crowd to notice that they're sitting in a pitch-black auditorium while the same sample of music repeats endlessly.

Soon the audience will become annoyed, and leave the theater. However, while they were inside, you will have changed the marquee and banners to say that the show begins at 9:00, not 8:00! Everyone will laugh at their mistake, go get some coffee, and return in an hour for the actual play.

At 9:00, repeat prank.

Super Prank: While the audience is sitting in the dark, walk down the aisles and pickpocket everyone. Now, not only has the prank given all of the theater-goers a hilarious story to tell for years to come, but you've also collected a massive number of credit cards! Spend as much money as you can before the prank is over.

Next, announce that you're putting on a brand new play for one-night-only! Remember to charge exorbitant prices for tickets.

When the audience arrives on the big night, they enter the theater, but it's dark inside and the orchestra has already begun playing. All the theater-goers will be embarrassed that they have arrived late, and will quickly take the closest seats.

As the lights come on for the first act, the audience discovers that they're not in a theater at all: they're in a bowling alley! Charge exorbitant prices for bowling shoes, and see how long people bowl.

Meanwhile, take the fancy shoes that have been traded in and sell them.

Lock the bowling alley doors from the outside, to give yourself a head-start for when the theater-goers realize that they've been ripped off.

Super Prank: Instead of becoming a Tony-award winning director, become a world-famous owner of bowling alleys. Announce that you're opening some brand new, state-of-the-art lanes. When the bowlers arrive for league night, they discover that they're not in a bowling alley at all: they're on the stage of a Broadway show!

Next, announce that you're directing a new production of "Death of a Salesman." As usual, charge exorbitant prices for tickets.

When the audience arrives and the show begins, they are shocked to discover that all of the parts will be played by trained bears!

The prank is that the bears were trained at subpar acting schools, and most of them only have credits in CSI spin-offs.

Super Prank: One of the bears is not trained.