Experience the Magic of Manual Cinema: FRANKENSTEIN at the Eisemann Center in September

Eisemann Center Presents opens the 2023-2024 Season with the highly original Manual Cinema production of Frankenstein, coming to the Eisemann Center on Saturday, September 23 at 8:00 pm in the Hill Performance Hall. Tickets are on sale now at www.eisemanncenter.com. Love, loss, and creation merge in unexpected ways as Manual Cinema presents its thrilling version of the classic gothic tale Frankenstein. The Chicago-based performance collective imaginatively combines shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, sound effects, and live music in haunting shows like nothing else you’ve ever seen. Frankenstein is a gripping form of audiovisual performance art with no spoken dialogue that immerses the audience in all its elements.

Over the last two centuries, many people have told the story of Victor Frankenstein and his creature through a variety of mediums, from the original novel by Mary Shelley and scary campfire stories to thrilling films. The Emmy-award-winning performance collective Manual Cinema draws on every one of those mediums in their production.

The cast and crew blur the lines between theatrical performance and live film. Throughout the show, the audience views a central screen that shows physical actors, puppets, animation, and textual quotes from the original novel. Additionally, Manual Cinema frames the story in a new way by beginning the show with a portrayal of Mary Shelley’s life leading up to writing the novel, based on true events. 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.

Including Shelley’s personal narrative deepens the emotions the fictional novel “Frankenstein” initially conveys by allowing the audience to see another dimension of Victor Frankenstein’s ambition, his monster’s loneliness, and the loss all characters feel throughout. While “Frankenstein” has been done more times than one can count, Shelley’s life story is less well-known but — as Manual Cinema conveys — just as narratively intriguing, expanding their production beyond a mere recreation. From there, the plot follows the authentic story ofFrankenstein and his monster closely, from creation to abandonment and destruction. At the same time, the production is an original, imaginative depiction that touches every sense to create a longing for family and connection true to Shelley’s initial intentions.

Tickets are $47-$57 and are available for purchase online at www.eisemanncenter.com or by calling the Eisemann Center Ticket Office at 972.744.4650. Group discounts are available for 10 or more persons. Lobby and Ticket Office hours are 10 am – 6 pm Monday through Saturday and during all public events.

 

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