Lightwire Theater's “The Adventures of Tortoise & Hare: The Next Gen" at the University of Dubuque -- April 2.
Sunday, April 2, 1 p.m.
University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque IA
Lauded by Rolling Stone as “absolutely incredible” and Broadway World as “an eye-popping display of storytelling that's like nothing else you've ever seen,” the electrified talents of Lightwire Theater bring their touring smash The Adventures of Tortoise & Hare: The Next Gen to the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on April 1, an unforgettable event by the America's Got Talent competitors whom judge Sharon Osbourne declared “spectacular in every sense of the word.”
With Lightwire Theater's latest stage sensation for family audiences, the company begins with Aesop's classic fable of The Tortoise & the Hare, and continues it with a story that finds the pair 10 years down the road, now with children of their own and exploring modern-day distractions. As smart phones and video games create a new landscape of lost connections to life experiences, The Adventures of Tortoise & Hare: The Next Gen features Tortoise Jr. and Lil' Hare in a whole new kind of race where their adventures (and misadventures) lead them into unexpected territory. Meanwhile, Old Man Tortoise and Big Daddy Hare must come together, despite their differences, to find and save their children. What hurdles will they have to overcome to make it to the finish line? With dazzling visuals, poignant storytelling, and the creative employment of music from classical to pop, this production brings Aesop's timeless tale into a brilliant new light.
Semi-finalists on America's Got Talent and winners of Tru TV's Fake Off, Lightwire Theater combines the stage and technology to bring stories to life in complete darkness – works that are internationally recognized for their signature brand of electroluminescent artistry. Lightwire co-creators Ian Carney and Corbin Popp met in New York City while dancing in the Tony-winning Bill Joel revue Movin' Out, and after coming across a product known as “el wire,” their creative lights turned on and their possibilities seemed endless. Together with their wives Eleanor and Whitney, Carney and Popp began to experiment with shapes and designs to develop puppetry-based neon creatures that quickly came to life, and to date, Lightwire Theater has brought its innovative theatrical experiences to such disparate locales as Hong Kon, Canada, China, Estonia, and Abu Dhabi. And building their effects from the ground up, Lightwire is proud to utilize recyclables for their stage magic, with materials including aluminum rods, election signs, skateboard wheels, dryer ducting, plumbing supplies, PVC pipes, fishing poles, duct tape, zip ties, and backpacks employed to help define peaks and angles.
Lightwire Theater's The Adventures of Tortoise & Hare: The Next Gen lands at the University of Dubuque Heritage Center's John & Alice Butler Hall on April 2, admission to the 1 p.m. stage show is $16-30, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)585-7469 and visiting Dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
