News Release

Note: For artist bios and photos, see end of story.

Artist and director to present
multimedia tour de force at Memorial

CHAPEL HILL – Carolina Performing Arts presents Mikel Rouse’s “The End Of Cinematics,” a multimedia experience that pays tribute to the movies while lamenting the fall of classic Hollywood cinema, Sept. 28 and 29 at Memorial Hall on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.

The performances, at 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively, will use multiple screens and real-time video projections to form a hyper-real, live action movie in three dimensions. Inspired by essays written by late writer and activist Susan Sontag and intended as a commentary on the emptiness of corporate entertainment, “The End Of Cinematics” features on-stage movement and a unique musical score influenced by sources ranging from the Beatles to hip-hop music.

“Hypnotic, dreamlike scenes are repeated, on film and on stage, and songs drift in and out like a tape loop,” said Steve Allred, executive associate provost, who saw the piece performed at the Mondavi Center at the University of California at Davis. “Try as you might, the storyline keeps evading you, but you can’t help paying attention to the all-encompassing music.”

Rouse uses a high-tech framework for the performance, which turns Hollywood-style special effects inside out. Rather than placing actors in computer-generated landscapes, he removes the images of actors from a film he shot on the streets of Paris so that live performers can take their place on stage and, in a sense, on film. With nods to the live music of early film and the complex techniques of modern cinema, Rouse asks viewers if viewing experiences today are as challenging as they once were.

“The End Of Cinematics” is the final installment of a three-part multimedia set that Rouse has worked on for the last 15 years.  In the second part of his trilogy, “Dennis Cleveland,” he translated the language of trash-talk TV into opera, and in the first, “Failing Kansas,” he explored the perception-changing power of the media. Each performance featured original music and video in addition to live action.

Rouse has accrued critical acclaim for his work over the years, and The New York Times described him as “a composer many believe to be the best of his generation.”

Emil Kang, Carolina’s executive director for the arts, co-commissioned the artist’s piece after seeing it last year with Allred and Rosemary Holland, Carolina Performing Arts’ director of artistic affairs. Kang described “The End Of Cinematics” as a tour-de-force that bridges art with technology in a cohesive and engaging manner. 

“The work itself is visually stunning,” Kang said. “We hope that all those who enjoy going to the movies will come and enjoy this unique interpretation of a deeply rooted American art form.”

In coordination with Rouse’s visit to the university, Carolina Performing Arts is hosting a student film competition. The office is accepting DVD shorts at the CPA office – on the third floor of the Carr Building, along Cameron Avenue – through Monday (Sept. 18).  Films must be no longer than five minutes and must include a title along with the student’s name, phone number and e-mail address. Rouse and his production team will critique the entries (no more than 20), and the winning project will be screened in the Memorial Hall lobby prior to Rouse’s presentations Sept. 28 and 29.

On Sept. 29, the university’s William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education and Carolina Performing Arts will host a symposium featuring Mikel Rouse, new music critic Kyle Gann and a multidisciplinary panel of Carolina faculty for a per-performance discussion of contemporary music, art, new digital media and audio technologies.  This pre-performance dinner and dialogue will be held at The Carolina Inn and includes a post-performance reception.

Tickets for “The End Of Cinematics,” $15-$35, are available online at www.carolinaperformingarts.org, by calling (919) 843-3333 or from the Memorial Hall Box Office on Cameron Avenue, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Tickets for Carolina students are $10.  Symposium tickets are $100 and include dinner at The Carolina Inn, performance tickets as well as post-performance reception.  For more information, visit www.carolinaperformingarts.org.

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Note: For artist media kits and downloadable photos, visit www.carolinaperformingarts.org