Film, puppetry and music combine for Manual Cinema's 'Lula del Ray' at CLC
"Lula del Ray," a feature-length animated film by Manual Cinema, performed with overhead projectors, shadow puppets, actors in silhouette and live music, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27 in the Studio Theatre of the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts at the College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake.
The James Lumber Center is offering special pricing for this event: buy one ticket at any price level and get one ticket free.
Set in the mid-century American Southwest, the original score is inspired by Hank Williams, Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline. "Lula el Ray" is a mythic reinvention of the classic coming-of-age story. "Lula del Ray" was developed at the University of Chicago in the Theater and Performance Studies Program where Manual Cinema served as Ensemble-in-Residence in the summer and fall of 2012.
Sadie Dingfelder of The Washington Post described it as "A hybrid of live acting and puppetry that results in something like a vintage silent film." Scotty Zacher, Chicago Theatre Beat, wrote: "... a talented cast and crew using inventive storytelling techniques elevates this show to being a unique experience that you should not miss."
Told almost entirely without dialogue, "Lula del Ray" is the story of a lonely adolescent girl who lives with her mother on the outskirts of a vast satellite array in the middle of the desert. After a chance encounter over the radio, Lula becomes obsessed with a soulful country music duo, the Baden Brothers. Inspired by their music, she runs away from home and into a world of danger, deception and disappointment.
Manual Cinema Lula del Ray"Attending a Manual Cinema performance last spring was the most innovative experience I've had in a long time," said Gwethalyn J. Bronner, executive director of the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts. "They present a uniquely different performance experience. Imagine telling a story with movement, sound effects, live music, shadow images and more. Words are an accent, be they spoken live or recorded. The technical aspects, done onstage, are very interesting to see. Multi-dimensional story-telling is such a creative concept, and Manual Cinema implements that concept very well," she said.
Following the performance, members of the Manual Cinema Company will hold an informal demonstration and question and answer session with the audience to show how the performance blends the technical and artistic aspects into a riveting and unique experience. To watch a trailer, visit http://manualcinema.com/lula/.
Regular tickets are $32, $31 for Senior/CLC Staff/Alumni and $17 for CLC Student/Teen $15. Ticket price includes a $2 JLC facility fee. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office in the James Lumber Center, Room P112 on the Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St., by phone or at www.clcillinois.edu/tickets. For more information call the Box Office at (847) 543-2300 (option 5).
The Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to performances. To request a brochure, call (847) 543-2300 or sign up for the mailing list at www.clcillinois.edu/tickets. Groups of six or more people are eligible for discounted ticket prices. Call group sales at (847) 543-2431 or email JLCgroupsales@clcillinois.edu for more information.