Live Virtual Program

No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

Live Virtual Program from 6 – 7:30 p.m. on the Norton’s YouTube channel and Facebook.

Gather the family around for a screening of No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks followed by a discussion and Q&A by Sarah Fornace, Co-Artistic Director, Manual Cinema, and the Director of  No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks brings to life the story of one of Chicago’s most beloved figures. She was an icon, a poet laureate, and a Pulitzer Prize winner—but she was also a treasured educator and mentor to the countless writers and children who knew her as their very own “Miss Brooks.” Weaving together poetry, storytelling, sound design, original music, and striking visuals, No Blue Memories is an exploration of Brooks’s beloved city and a story of how she navigated identity, craft, and politics over the course of one of the most remarkable careers in American literary history. The performance combines intricate paper puppetry, live actors working in shadow, and an original score for an unforgettable multi-media experience. Commissioned by the Poetry Foundation for the Brooks Centenary in 2017.

ABOUT MANUAL CINEMA

MANUAL CINEMA is an Emmy award winning performance collective, design studio, and film/ video production company founded in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen. Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality. The company was awarded an Emmy Award in 2017 for “The Forger,” a video created for The New York Times and named Chicago Artists of the Year in 2018 by the Chicago Tribune. Their shadow puppet animations will be featured in the film remake of Candyman debuting September 2020, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.

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ATTENDING THIS EVENT?

Register: This program is free and will stream live via YouTube and Facebook. After registering, you will receive an email confirmation. A reminder email will be sent 24 hours before the virtual program, along with a link to watch live.
Watch Later: If you are unable to join the live screening, this program will be available to view until Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 8 p.m. EST. on our YouTube channel.
Give back: This program is free. The Norton relies on your support to present its programs and exhibitions. Please consider contributing.