by Michele Markarian

“The End of TV” by Manual Cinema.  Screenplay by Kyle Vegter and Ben Kauffman.  Direction and Storyboards by Julia Vanarsdale Miller. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston, through January 27.

“They tiptoe into your heart until you care for them so much,” is the first line of Manual Cinema’s new work, “The End of TV”. The line is from a commercial referring to cats, but works well as a through-line for the rest of the piece, which deals with love and loss and the failed promise of the American Dream against the relentless backdrop of consumerism. A self-described performance collective, design studio and film/video production company, Manual Cinema uses shadow puppets, on-the-spot video feeds, multi-channel sound design and a live, five-piece band to create a theatrical cinematic experience. 

Read more “Manual Cinema’s “The End of TV” a Compelling Theatrical/Cinematic Experience”