La MaMa Blogs: What is a Phantasmagoria?

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

What is a Phantasmagoria?



Phantasmagoria was a popular form of horror theatre that used "magic lanterns" to project spooky images, such as ghosts, monsters, skeletons, demons and images of death to scare audiences.   These projections shows derived from séances but became a performamnce genre of their own through Europe in the 19th Century.




Ultimately the phantasmagoria elements were incorporated in theatre such as Theatre du Grand Guignol, early films projects such as those by Georges Méliès and more recently the Haunted Mansion at the Disney amusement parks.



La MaMa presents the world premiere of Phantasmagoria;or, Let Us Seek Death!, conceived and directed by Obie Award winner Randolph Curtis Rand, written by Chana Porter and puppetry by Benjamin Stuber. A rainy night in a Genevan castle. Debauched poetry and too much wine. A teenage girl writes a spooky story. On the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s creation, Frankenstein: or The ModernPrometheusPhantasmagoria assembles a swirl of puppetry, biography and storytelling into a market of ghosts…the dead walk among us.

You can read more here:  Phantasmagoria: The Secret Life of the Magic Lantern by Mervyn Heard

Happy Halloween!


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La MaMa presents
Phantasmagoria; 
or, Let Us Seek Death!
Conceived and Directed By Randolph Curtis Rand
Written by Chana Porter
Puppetry by Benjamin Stuber
An Eric Borlaug Production

October 20 - November 06, 2016
Thursday to Saturday at 7PM; Sunday at 4PM

Tickets: $30 Adults; $25 Students/Seniors; ten tickets priced at $10 each are available for every performance as part of La MaMa 10@$10 ticketing initiative.

For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE

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