Event

Art of Memory - Film Screening

Figures of Speech Theatre and the Island Institute have partnered to produce The Art of Memory: Stories from Maines Outer Islands, a shadow puppet film based on oral histories gathered on some of Maines most remote islands.

Figures of Speech Theatre Director of Education Ian Bannon led a team of four artists in a year-and-a-half-long collaboration with the students of the Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative. In the spring of 2015, Bannon travelled to each island to introduce students to documentary techniques, which they then used to cull stories from other island residents, historical archives, and publications. The entire artistic team returned in the fall of 2015 to collaborate in the creation and filming of shadow puppet adaptations of their favorite stories.

The resulting 35-minute film combines a variety of shorts ranging from pirate stories to tall-tales to ill-conceived stand-offs with Abenaki Native Americans. The pieces are held together with a layered dreamscape of shadow imagery, narration from some of Portlands most sought-after voiceover artists, and a captivating original musical score by Dave Noyes of Rustic Overtones.

The FOSSE (Figures of Speech Student Ensemble), now in its sixth season, brings professional artists into direct collaboration with students to devise original performances using Figures of Speech Theatres signature blend of puppets, masks, shadows, music, actors, dance, and more.

The main feature will be followed by a brief behind the scenes film and a live Q&A session with Ian Bannon.