Bird Machine

Bird Machine is Concrete Temple Theatre’s multimedia, multi-disciplinary, allegory. A visceral mixture of objects, puppets, shadows and projections creates the environment and landscape of Bird Machine, a play about technology, a contemporary fable that explores the desire to live beyond human limitations. Part one reveals: Leo, the dreamer, obsessed with flying; Vince, the realist, trying to control his world through miniaturization; and the Emperor, destroying Leo and his flying machine, out of fear that others will use the technology to conquer the walls of his city. In part two, Vince vindicates Leo’s murder by turning his miniature garden into a larger-than-life garden, to lure and trap the Emperor. Audiences of Bird Machine will experience two worlds and two technologies. The beginning of the piece depicts a world that is pastoral, the mechanics simple: a bird flaps across stage then soars overhead. Part two, still a puppet- driven environment, uses projections to introduce contemporary technology and bring the stage to life.

• August 8, 2013

  Puppet Festival (r)Evolution, Swarthmore, PA

• September 2011

  2011 PIERROT International Festival, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, and Small City Theatre, Sofia, Bulgaria

• May 2011

  14th Istanbul International Puppet Festival, Istanbul, Turkey and Merinos Cultural Center, Bursa, Turkey

• December 2010

  Orlando Puppet Festival, Orlando, FL

• September 2010

  Secret Theatre, Queens, NY

• June/July 2009

  Theater Three, New York, NY

• June 2007

  Access Theatre, New York, New York

• June 2004

  Arts at St. Ann’s, Labapalooza!, Brooklyn, NY

• May 2004

  Workshop/Reading, Ensemble Studio Theatre: First Light Festival, New York, NY

The development of Bird Machine has been made possible through the support of: The Jerome Foundation, The Jim Henson Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, St. Ann’s Puppet Lab, Workspace for Choreographers, Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project Commission, chashama, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

 

• RECOMMENDED! Bird Machine, by Concrete Temple Theatre, charts a tale of visual splendor combining traditional elements of theatre with puppetry…there’s more than meets the eye. Bird Machine defies storytelling convention by foregoing long scenes of expository dialogue and giving us a series of detailed and inventive moments that made me absolutely giddy…It is industriously artful, and a helluva lot of fun to watch…I am looking forward to seeing what comes next from ConcreteTemple Theatre Company. –Montserrat Mendez, nytheatre.com

• An engaging piece of experimental theater…The troupe manipulates giant wings for Leo, collapses a model town into a desk for Vince, dangles flocks of birds over the stage, and dazzles with a parade of toys and illusions….it’s so ambitious, and so immersive…its allegory about technology, power, and art succeeds.- Ben Beitler, Village Voice

• CRITIC’S PICK! The stagecraft is the star of Bird Machine, co-created by Renee Philippi and Carlo Adinolfi. The show has technology as a major theme, but most of the devices and techniques are pleasingly low-tech yet highly imaginative and lift the storytelling into a magical realm. Beguiling puppets are artfully manipulated by a busy crew of puppeteers. Props and set pieces are bathed in evocative lights and projections, emitting a fairy-tale essence.” “Michael Tomlinson brings impressive emotional depth to Vince, who serves as the play’s narrator. Adinolfi, who also designed the sets, puppets, and projections, makes Leo an engaging fellow, and Jo Jo Hristova gives an appropriate imperiousness to the emperor, whose regal robes are topped by an enormous crown suspended in midair.” “The show is further enhanced by David Pinkard’s recorded original symphonic score, which accompanies almost all the action, often synchronized with director Philippi’s staging. Other noteworthy credits include Renée Molina’s lighting and Danielle Breitenbach’s costumes. –Ron Cohen, Back Stage Magazine

• Tomlinson, in particular, reaches for a genuine emotional center for his villainous, yet deeply sympathetic character. His opening monologue starts the evening off well, and his presence and beautiful voice are continually striking as the performance progresses….Hristova is also a standout with her delightfully self-obsessed Emperor. She brings big, over-the-top energy and a sense of fun that is exactly right. Adinolfi has several scenes working with puppet partners in which his physicality is very engrossing. –Johnna Adams, offoffonline.com