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A slide depicting lanternist Terry Borton as he
operates a magic lantern and points to the theater’s screen. |
Theater-goers can travel back in time while watching a
family-friendly production of America’s only Victorian magic-lantern
show, which will take place at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, October 20.
The production, which will be held in the Goodroe Auditorium of
Memorial Hall, takes the audience back to the Victorian era when
magic-lantern shows were a common form of entertainment, both in
theaters and in homes, and were the forerunner of today’s television
shows, movies, videos, and DVDs.
The Victorian Halloween Magic-Lantern Show is the second of the
College’s Fine Arts and Lecture Series events this fall, and will
feature a series of mini-shows, including an adaptation of Edgar
Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” “The Parade of Ghosts and Goblins,” “The
Pied Piper,” “The Worm Song,” “The Specter Pig,” and “The Secret
Society,” among others.
Terry Borton, a fourth-generation lanternist, will narrate the
performance. Nancy Stewart, a pianist and soprano, and Valerie
Nicolosi, a mezzo-soprano and pianist, will perform as well. All are
members of The American Magic-Lantern Theater based in Connecticut.
The magic lantern that will be used for this performance dates from
the 1890s and is made of mahogany and brass. It is actually two
lanterns in one, which allows it to produce special effects. The
lantern itself is similar to a modern day slide projector. The
slides were made from small three inch glass plates that were
painted in color by hand and framed in wood.
Magic lantern slide shows are dramatized on screen by a live showman
and singer/pianist while authentic 1890s visual arts are projected
on a full-sized screen. Audience members are key to a fun show,
organizers say, as they are encouraged to create sound effects and
join in chants and sing-alongs.
Many of the slides that will be used in “A Victorian Halloween Show”
were painted by Joseph Boggs Beale, America’s foremost magic-lantern
illustrator, who developed a special artistic style for the
magic-lantern and over a 25-year period produced 1700 slide
“designs.”
The performance is funded through the Office of Student Activities
and is free and open to the public. For more information, please
call 706-272-4428. |
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