The Pittsburgh Tatler: Mary Shelley is said to have invented the genre of science fiction with Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus, a novel she wrote in response to a competition proposed by Lord Byron during a cold summer she and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley spent at Byron’s villa on Lake Geneva. Her novel combines elements from the epistolary novel, the gothic romance, and the ghost story to extrapolate the impact of her protagonist Dr. Frankenstein’s quest to use his scientific knowledge to bring dead matter to life.
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I had the incredible opportunity to work on a Manual Cinema collaboration show when I was a Stage Management intern at Opera Saratoga. Saratoga was doing a version of Hansel and Gretel, and I remember during install we separated the stage into three sections: the orchestra, the area for the singers to stand, and the “play” area for the Manual Cinema performers. Everything was packed into suitcases, and watching them create this shadow puppet/texture/live action experience was incredibly thrilling. I saw Wendy’s article and got incredibly excited - i think this is a great story to tell with their talents, and somehow they are able to link the author to her art in a nuanced way that - to my knowledge - isn’t often done. In response to the article, if you’re going to watch a Manual Cinema show live you often will need to see it three times - one time to just watch the performers scrambling around, another time to just watch what they are creating on the screens, and then maybe another time just for good fun.
I went to see this and it was actually really good! I was skeptical of the whole "drive in live theater" thing, but they actually did a really good job of it. It was comparable to a silent film with a live band playing the score. They had filmed content from their live show incorporating puppetry and live actors, but they cut it together in a beautiful way that incorporated silent film work as well. There were moments in the film where I could not tell whether it was a live actor or a shadow puppet I was looking at, and I found that completely enthralling. The live band was really strong and made the whole experience feel really genuine and impactful. The next step for something like this I feel like would be incorporating live voice actors which I believe could be done easily with social distancing in mind. Having a full live cast might be difficult, but that could also be achievable soon enough. I actually really liked this style, and could see it continuing on for longer than the pandemic. Being in your car and being able to chat with your friends there was a nice reprieve from being in an audience where you can’t talk or look at your phone or anything.
Manual Cinema’s work pre-pandemic reminds me of what many cinema houses do when they play Rocky Horror Picture Show. I love the idea of blending film with live theatre because its possibilities are endless, especially now. I also love the surge of drive-in theaters hosting this combination of live and virtual arts and am so thrilled that City Theatre is dabbling in this, though of course it is pre-recorded for safety reasons. I think that as some restrictions begin to lift this type of mixed performance could be spectacular for some companies to start working again. It seems to be the safest option for the audience, performers, and crew to keep their correct distance and even their masks on. The audience could remain in the safety of their cars and performers could have specific spots on stage that are marked just for them to avoid any kind of contact tracing. While at first glance these safety rules do seem a little inhibiting but for the right company of artists these rules could lead to an epic form of storytelling.
I don’t know anything about Frankenstein. I had a friend who was in a production once, but I never got to see the show. While this article is more about the intricacies of the show, what pulled me most to this article was the notion of this “drive-in” production. What a genius idea! I always romanticized the concept of a drive-in movie, but there was never a place to go. I do love theatre, so a drive-in show sounds amazing! I never imagined that there would be a drive-in nearby as well. I might just have to find myself researching more on drive-in events and go… except I don’t have my car anymore. But still, this is something I can still fantasize about and imagine one day being able to not only enjoy theatre, but enjoy it without some random stranger rubbed up against my shoulder.
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