Combining analog craftsmanship and digital dexterity, the Chicago-based performance collective Manual Cinema engineers a live movie before the audience’s eyes in Mementos Mori, a meditation on death and ephemerality. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #BAMNextWave.
Program Notes
Coming soon!
Read
Co-artistic director Julia Miller explains the company’s production process and how their live cinema evolved into a spectacle of its own.
Article
Memento Mori (Museum of Art and Archaeology)
A bit of background on the show’s medieval Latin title (a phrase roughly translated to “Remember you will die”), shared along with selected gallery images that illustrate the concept.
Review
Manual Cinema’s remarkable sleight-of-hand goes far beyond puppetry (Chicago Sun-Times)
Theater and Dance Critic Hedy Weiss reviews Mementos Mori, praising how the show “completely draws you into its multifaceted storytelling and distinctive characters.”
Watch & Listen
Manual Cinema: Mementos Mori (YouTube)
During a residency at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Manual Cinema members speak about the medium they work in—including its challenges and learning opportunities.
Video
Behind the Scenes with Manual Cinema (YouTube)
The Chicago Tribune peeks inside a rehearsal with the performing company, sharing elements involved in its trademark storytelling.
Video
Invisibilia (Manual Cinema)
Manual Cinema visits the NPR studios to animate an Invisibilia podcast that explains the concept of non-complementary behavior.
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