Love, loss, and creation merge in unexpected ways in this visually stunning retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic tale, Frankenstein. Chicago-based Manual Cinema imaginatively combines shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, sound effects, and hauntingly beautiful live music to take you on a twisted journey like you’ve never experienced!
Manual Cinema stitches together the classic tale of Frankenstein with the biography of the original novel’s author, Mary Shelley, to create an unexpected story about the beauty and horror of creation. The real-life and fictional narratives of Shelley, Victor Frankenstein, and Frankenstein’s monster expose how family, community, and education shape personhood – or destroy it by their absence. Watch this stunning production come to life using over 400 puppets, overhead projection, live video, and a hauntingly beautiful score performed live.
Commissioned and premiered by The Court Theatre in Chicago in November 2018, with additional commissioning support provided by the University of California, Berkeley, Frankenstein was initially developed with The Public Theater’s Devised Theater Initiative in a research residency partnership with the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, with assistance from the Orchard Project Ari Edelson, Artistic Director. The show was the recipient of the 2018 Jim Henson Workshop Grant.
Recommended for ages 8 and up; there are loud sounds, flashing lights, and haze.
Arizona Arts Live’s Pre-show Costume contest
6:30 PM -7:15 PM | Show at 7:30 | Ages 8+
Even if you don’t want to compete, we encourage you to arrive in festive dress! Folks who want to compete will be judged on effort, presentation, and creativity by members of the Arizona Arts Live community. The costume contest will run on a first come first serve basis from 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM. We’ll be there to guide you through registration, judging, and photos. Winners will be announced before the performance. Costume or not, everyone gets a chance to celebrate their style at the photo booth!
Please note: All costumes must be family-friendly and appropriate for all ages. Makeup, body paint or face paint must not come off through casual contact. No open carry of firearms. Costume weapons must meet weapons policy guidelines.
For safety reasons, the following props are not allowed:
Live animals (with the exception of service animals).
Substances that might damage or stain facilities or other costumes and participants, i.e. fake blood, glitter, confetti, silly string, water, messy body or face paint etc.
Aerosol sprays. (Please apply hairspray or hair color before you leave home.)
Projectiles of any kind. Don’t throw anything.
Flames, pyrotechnics or explosives of any kind.
Metal bats, large wrenches, shovels, or anything that resembles anything like this.
Any object or substance designed to (or which could be reasonably expected to) inflict a wound, cause injury, incapacitate, or cause death
