Inspired by Edward Snowden’s revelations, Theatre Ad Infinitum conjures an Orwellian future where a totalitarian regime monitors the thoughts of its citizens through implants. Charged with hunting down ‘terrorists’ who seek illegal disconnection, a young government agent encounters an enigmatic figure from his shadowy past.

This nightmarish tale of love, betrayal and technological power blends anime-style storytelling and a pulsating soundscape by composer Chris Bartholomew to draw audiences into a sci-fi realm, entirely illuminated by LED strip and torchlight.

Light was created with deaf actor Matty Gurney, a regular on the BBC’s See Hear and who has appeared in British Sign Language soap opera Switched, who also performs in the show. The company began collaborating with Matty after a research and development session where they discovered complimentary approaches to physical storytelling, Theatre Ad Infinitum Director George Mann through gesture and mime gleaned from Lecoq training, and Matty through British Sign Language and Visual Vernacular; a form of physical theatre using movement and facial expressions developed by Deaf artists for Deaf and Hearing audiences.

Theatre Ad Infinitum return to The Lowry’s Studio with Light, where they premiered their now internationally acclaimed production Translunar Paradise in 2011, which led to them becoming Associate Artists at the venue.

Theatre Ad Infinitum’s Director George Mann said; I’m excited to be revisiting light after a successful Edinburgh. As a company, we’re consistently fine tuning and developing our repertoire – it’s part of the way we work; it means we can be responsive to feedback from audiences and it keeps the theatre we make alive. Light is definitely one of the most technically ambitious and challenging productions we’ve made to date…”.

George was recently announced as the recipient of a 2015 Quercus Award, conceived by the National Theatre Studio to enable promising directors to make the transition from directing in fringe and smaller venues to working on main stages around the UK.

Composer Chris Bartholomew has drawn on epic works, both contemporary and classical, to create a film-like score for Light, cued live in collaboration with George Mann who performs the live vocals in real time during the performance. Lighting effects have been created by the company in consultation with Matthew Leventhall.

Listings Information
Light
Wed 4 & Thu 5 February
Times: 8pm
Tickets: £14
The Studio

Book online at www.thelowry.com or telephone the Box Office on 0843 208 6000
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 5AZ

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