CWC :: Frankenstein, National Theatre Live

>>> "a wonder to behold" ... "a rare treat that should not be missed" – WVXU Film Critic Larry Thomas Read the full review

>>> "simply riveting" ... "snag a ticket to Frankenstein" – CityBeat Theater Critic Rick Pender Theater Stages & Scenes

Essential Event Info
W H A T :

CWC & The Carnegie Arts Center present
Danny Boyles's FRANKENSTEIN, captured live in Digital High-Definition

Directed by Danny Boyle, UK, 2011, 130 minutes, including a 10-minute Behind-the-Scenes featurette with director and cast.

W H E N :

Tuesday, April 19, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, April 20, 7:00 pm

Social hour, cash bar 6:00 pm

Theatre seating opens 6:30 pm

Program begins 7:00 pm

W H E R E :

The Carnegie Arts Center
1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 859-491-2030

Easy Access, Free Parking:
Printable PDF parking map
Printable PDF Bridges & Downtown Grid Detail
Interactive directional map

T I C K E T S :

Tickets are $16* in advance and $20* at the door.

Tickets for students and Enjoy the Arts members with valid ID are $16*, available only at the door.

Student group tickets are $12 for groups of 8 or more, including teacher.

* NOTE: Any ticket physically sold by the CARNEGIE incurs a $1.00 facility charge in addition to the face value of the ticket -- this applies to tix purchased in advance by phone or in person, and at the door.

How to get Tickets

CWC WebTix:

By phone:

The Carnegie,
859-491-2030, Tue-Fri 12-5p

CWC WebTix, tollfree,
877-548-3237, Mon-Fri 9a-7p

In person at these area locations
(click each location for a map):

Clifton-Ludlow Avenue,
Sitwell's Coffee House
513 281 7487

Mt. Lookout Square,
Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters
513 871 8626

Northside-Hamilton Ave,
Shake It Music & Video
513 591 0123

Downtown Cincinnati,
Coffee Emporium
513 651 5483

Tickets will also be sold at the door, subject to availability.

Welcome to the Carnegie

The Otto M. Budig Theatre in the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center transports the audience to the ornate elegance of the early 1900s. Restored in 2006, improvements include comfortable seating with additional leg room, large movie screen and updated sound system. While the theatre holds 465 patrons, we have limited the capacity for cinema to 350 seats on the main floor and center balcony -- to insure the best sight lines and audience experience.

COME EARLY to socialize and enjoy your favorite spirits or non-alcoholic beverage. The Carnegie opens one hour before evening screenings and the cash bar is in the adjacent Gallery/reception space. The Carnegie is located at 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 (corner of Scott and Robbins, between 10th and 11th Streets). FREE PARKING on-site and in nearby lots -- click here for the Parking Map.

Danny Boyle's FRANKENSTEIN

Film and theatre fans will not want to miss this daring, all-new production of Frankenstein. A critical triumph and box-office smash, the show has been sold out through its entire London run at the Royal National Theatre.

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), returns to his theater roots with playwright Nick Dear's highly original version of Mary Shelley's much-adapted horror classic.

The Tuesday April 19 version features Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting, Endgame) as Victor Frankenstein and Benedict Cumberbatch (After The Dance and PBS's Sherlock) as the Creature.

The Wednesday April 20 screening sees the Victor Frankenstein/Creature roles reversed.

Nick Dear's adaptation is faithful to Mary Shelley's classic novel and her characterization of the Creature as a sensitive and articulate but destructive being. Boyle's approach runs counter to most traditional stage and screen renditions, whose depictions obliterate Shelley's concept of the Creature, substituting the image of an inarticulate, lurching monster.

Boyle's production tells the story from the Creature's point of view, giving him back his unsettling intelligence and sense of humanity. It explores the meaning of life and examines how something conjured from body parts taken from graveyards could observe the behavior and lives of others, and in so doing emulate the traits of man, both good and bad.

Parents: Although not rated (NR) in the U.S., the London producers advertise this production as suitable for viewers 15 years old and older in the U.K. Accordingly, we suggest attendance be limited to High School and older.

About the Principals

Danny Boyle, 54, was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, into a working-class Irish Catholic family.

Read more...

Beneduct Cumberbatch, 34, was outstanding in the BBC series Sherlock. His future film trajectory includes Stephen Spielberg's War Horse and Tomas Alfredson's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Read more...

Jonny Lee Miller, 38,

Read more...

Accessible Affordable Unique

This is our third presentation via Britain's National Theatre Live, which painstakingly captures and broadcasts its live performances to select venues around the world in high-def.

Frankenstein at the Carnegie is one of only seven such screenings within a 400 mile radius – none closer than 250 miles from Cincinnati. You'll share a unique experience with the audience here and in London – the excitement and intimacy of live theatre, at an affordable price.

Read more...

High Definition Capture – How It Works

A fascinating process – through intense preparation, rehearsal and refinement, the directors, producers and camera crew capture the authenticity of the stage play in High Definition.

Read more...

There have been other attempts to create a theater/broadcast hybrid, often producing results that do not succeed as a film, or as a play. Director Nicholas Hytner and his team of NT Live creatives have conquered this problem through application of imagination, skill, a sizeable tech budget and a lot of hard work.

NT Live is not about turning a stage play into a movie. Rather, the intent is to faithfully capture the live performance wherein the actors play to the audience, not the cameras.

The use of high definition cameras and the scale of the big screen allow the aesthetic to remain theatrical and offer audiences a dynamic full stage picture. However, this is matched with the intimacy a camera can offer, taking you to the heart of the emotion and nuances of the actors' performances.

David Sabel, producer of NT Live, describes the process:

The approach to filming National Theatre Live broadcasts prioritizes the cinema audience for that night.

The audience in London pay a reduced ticket price and are aware that cameras will be present, so the theatre is transformed into something of a live studio.

The camera director is given complete flexibility in choosing camera positions, so that the performance can be captured from the best seats in the house.

The sophisticated setup varies according to production, involving tracking shots, closeups and, on occasion, a crane.

The number of cameras employed typically ranges from five to eight, which are cut live into a single feed.

There are some 360 degree camera shots - resulting in audience members being filmed.

Two full camera rehearsals take place before the broadcast, with time in between for the stage director and camera director to work together to adjust the script and discuss how best to capture the production.

Adjustments are made for lighting, sound and makeup, all with the goal of preserving the integrity of the original design and transposing the stage picture to work on camera as effectively as possible.

Hide detail

About The National Theatre

The Royal National Theatre in London, usually called the National Theatre or "The National" for short, is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain and from its founding in 1963 until 1976, was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo.

The current building contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977 and was formally inaugurated by the Queen. The theatre is permitted to call itself the Royal National Theatre, but this title is infrequently used, except by Yanks :)

It is located next to the Thames on the south side of the Waterloo Bridge in the South Bank area of central London and its exterior decks with panoramic view of the riverfront are popular gathering spots for social functions. The National Theatre complex has several cafes/bars, a restaurant, and a bookshop.

The largest stage is the Olivier Theatre, named after the theatre's first artistic director Sir Laurence Olivier, modeled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus. It has an open stage and a fan-shaped audience capacity of 1,160 people.

An ingenious 'drum revolve' (a five-story revolving stage section - like a turntable on steroids) extends 25 feet beneath the stage and has two rim revolves and two platforms, each of which can carry ten tons, facilitating dramatic and fluid scenery changes. Its design ensures that the audience's view is not blocked from any seat, and that the audience is fully visible to actors from the stage's centre.

The other stages are the Lyttelton Theatre which has a proscenium-arch design and can accommodate an audience of 890; and the Cottesloe Theatre, a smaller, adaptable studio space, holding up to 400.

The theatre presents a varied program, including Shakespeare and other international classic drama; and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire, thus further widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season.

Links of interest:
Royal National Theatre - Wiki
National Theatre - A very cool 3-D model
Olivier Theatre - A brief video introduction
National Theatre - main website

Hide detail

About NT Live

A principal element in the National Theatre's outreach effort, NT Live is a groundbreaking initiative to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. The first season of events, which began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phédre starring Helen Mirren, was seen by over 200,000 people on 320 screens in 22 countries.


[ Home Page ] Event Info: \| Tickets \| The Film \| The Production \| \| Carnegie Arts Center \| The National Theatre & NT Live \| Acclaim & Aviva
>>> "a wonder to behold" ... "a rare treat that should not be missed" – WVXU Film Critic Larry Thomas Read the full review >>> "simply riveting" ... "snag a ticket to Frankenstein" – CityBeat Theater Critic Rick Pender Theater Stages & Scenes
Essential Event Info W H A T : CWC & The Carnegie Arts Center present Danny Boyles's FRANKENSTEIN, captured live in Digital High-Definition Directed by Danny Boyle, UK, 2011, 130 minutes, including a 10-minute Behind-the-Scenes featurette with director and cast. W H E N : Tuesday, April 19, 7:00 pm Wednesday, April 20, 7:00 pm Social hour, cash bar 6:00 pm Theatre seating opens 6:30 pm Program begins 7:00 pm W H E R E : The Carnegie Arts Center 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 859-491-2030 Easy Access, Free Parking: Printable PDF parking map Printable PDF Bridges & Downtown Grid Detail Interactive directional map T I C K E T S : Tickets are $16* in advance and $20* at the door. Tickets for students and Enjoy the Arts members with valid ID are $16, available only at the door. Student group tickets are $12 for groups of 8 or more, including teacher. NOTE: Any ticket physically sold by the CARNEGIE incurs a $1.00 facility charge in addition to the face value of the ticket -- this applies to tix purchased in advance by phone or in person, and at the door. How to get Tickets CWC WebTix: By phone: The Carnegie, 859-491-2030, Tue-Fri 12-5p CWC WebTix, tollfree, 877-548-3237, Mon-Fri 9a-7p In person at these area locations (click each location for a map): Clifton-Ludlow Avenue, Sitwell's Coffee House 513 281 7487 Mt. Lookout Square, Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters 513 871 8626 Northside-Hamilton Ave, Shake It Music & Video 513 591 0123 Downtown Cincinnati, Coffee Emporium 513 651 5483 Tickets will also be sold at the door, subject to availability. Welcome to the Carnegie The Otto M. Budig Theatre in the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center transports the audience to the ornate elegance of the early 1900s. Restored in 2006, improvements include comfortable seating with additional leg room, large movie screen and updated sound system. While the theatre holds 465 patrons, we have limited the capacity for cinema to 350 seats on the main floor and center balcony -- to insure the best sight lines and audience experience. COME EARLY to socialize and enjoy your favorite spirits or non-alcoholic beverage. The Carnegie opens one hour before evening screenings and the cash bar is in the adjacent Gallery/reception space. The Carnegie is located at 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 (corner of Scott and Robbins, between 10th and 11th Streets). FREE PARKING on-site and in nearby lots -- click here for the Parking Map.		Danny Boyle's FRANKENSTEIN Film and theatre fans will not want to miss this daring, all-new production of Frankenstein. A critical triumph and box-office smash, the show has been sold out through its entire London run at the Royal National Theatre. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), returns to his theater roots with playwright Nick Dear's highly original version of Mary Shelley's much-adapted horror classic. The Tuesday April 19 version features Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting, Endgame) as Victor Frankenstein and Benedict Cumberbatch (After The Dance and PBS's Sherlock) as the Creature. The Wednesday April 20 screening sees the Victor Frankenstein/Creature roles reversed. Nick Dear's adaptation is faithful to Mary Shelley's classic novel and her characterization of the Creature as a sensitive and articulate but destructive being. Boyle's approach runs counter to most traditional stage and screen renditions, whose depictions obliterate Shelley's concept of the Creature, substituting the image of an inarticulate, lurching monster. Boyle's production tells the story from the Creature's point of view, giving him back his unsettling intelligence and sense of humanity. It explores the meaning of life and examines how something conjured from body parts taken from graveyards could observe the behavior and lives of others, and in so doing emulate the traits of man, both good and bad. Parents: Although not rated (NR) in the U.S., the London producers advertise this production as suitable for viewers 15 years old and older in the U.K. Accordingly, we suggest attendance be limited to High School and older. About the Principals Danny Boyle, 54, was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, into a working-class Irish Catholic family. Read more... His mother was from County Galway, and his father was born in England to an Irish family. Boyle studied English at the University of Wales at Bangor, and upon graduation began his career in theatre at the Joint Stock Theatre Company, before moving onto the Royal Court Theatre in 1982 where he directed Genius by Howard Brenton and Saved by Edward Bond. He also directed five productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. During the late 1980s, Boyle produced and directed television series and movies for BBC Northern Ireland. His first film for the cinema was *Shallow Grave* in 1995, followed by *Trainspotting* 1996, *A Life Less Ordinary* 1997, *The Beach* 2000, *28 Days Later...* 2002, *Millions* 2004, *Sunshine* 2007, *Slumdog Millionaire* 2008 and *127 Hours* 2010. With cinema work universally respected by audiences, academy and festival award juries, and critics, in addition to an Oscar and 3 BAFTAs, Boyle has won another 53 awards and 42 additional nominations. Danny Boyle is one of only seven directors to win the Golden Globe, Director's Guild, BAFTA, and Oscar for the same movie, *Slumdog Millionaire (2008).* The other directors to achieve this are Mike Nichols for *The Graduate (1967),* Milos Forman for *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975),* Richard Attenborough for *Gandhi (1982),* Oliver Stone for *Platoon (1986),* Steven Spielberg for *Schindler's List (1993),* and Ang Lee for *Brokeback Mountain (2005).* Hide detail Beneduct Cumberbatch, 34, was outstanding in the BBC series Sherlock. His future film trajectory includes Stephen Spielberg's War Horse and Tomas Alfredson's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Read more... Benedict was born in London to parents who are veteran character actors in British theatre and television. While recently "discovered" by worldwide television audiences thanks to Sherlock, his professional acting career actually began in 2000. After graduating from Harrow, Cumberbatch spent a year teaching English in Tibet, returned to study drama at the University of Manchester. Upon graduation he continued training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. A man with incredible energy, Cumbatch has been active in theatre, film, television and radio throughout his career. Partial theatre credits include Shakespeare at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park; Hedda Gabler at the Almeida and Duke of York Theatres; Rinoceros at the Royal Court and After the Dance and Frankenstein at the National. His film credits are equally impressive, including Amazing Grace (2006), Atonement (2007), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Creation (2009), and The Whistleblower (2010). Since 2002, Cumberbatch has been known to television viewers via lead roles in Hawking, The Last Enemy, Sherlock and Van Gogh: Painted with Word. He has also found time for dramatic roles on BBC radio and as a narrator for audio books and Discovery Channel documentaries. Learn more: wikipedia and benedictcumberbatch.co.uk. Hide detail Jonny Lee Miller, 38, Read more... Jonny, where are you lad? Hide detail Accessible Affordable Unique This is our third presentation via Britain's National Theatre Live, which painstakingly captures and broadcasts its live performances to select venues around the world in high-def. Frankenstein at the Carnegie is one of only seven such screenings within a 400 mile radius – none closer than 250 miles from Cincinnati. You'll share a unique experience with the audience here and in London – the excitement and intimacy of live theatre, at an affordable price. Read more... Historically, the great strength, but also the great weakness, of live theatre is that it is live. If you want to see a performance, you have to be there when it happens. But the rules are changing: The capture of High Definition digital broadcasts makes theatre more accessible for 21st Century audiences – not just by crossing borders, but also in terms of affordability. NT Live audiences in the U.S. pay roughly $25 on average for outstanding performances; CWC tickets are $16 and $20. Factor in our student and group rates, or CWC's 20% advance purchase discount, and a top-tier performance is now available for well under $20. These price points compare favorably with the cost of attending our area's premier professional theatres, such as the Cincinnati Play House and Ensemble Theatre, where tickets can range from $34 to as high as $65 for the best seats. Hide detail High Definition Capture – How It Works A fascinating process – through intense preparation, rehearsal and refinement, the directors, producers and camera crew capture the authenticity of the stage play in High Definition. Read more... There have been other attempts to create a theater/broadcast hybrid, often producing results that do not succeed as a film, or as a play. Director Nicholas Hytner and his team of NT Live creatives have conquered this problem through application of imagination, skill, a sizeable tech budget and a lot of hard work. NT Live is not about turning a stage play into a movie. Rather, the intent is to faithfully capture the live performance wherein the actors play to the audience, not the cameras. The use of high definition cameras and the scale of the big screen allow the aesthetic to remain theatrical and offer audiences a dynamic full stage picture. However, this is matched with the intimacy a camera can offer, taking you to the heart of the emotion and nuances of the actors' performances. *David Sabel, producer of NT Live,* describes the process: The approach to filming National Theatre Live broadcasts prioritizes the cinema audience for that night. The audience in London pay a reduced ticket price and are aware that cameras will be present, so the theatre is transformed into something of a live studio. The camera director is given complete flexibility in choosing camera positions, so that the performance can be captured from the best seats in the house. The sophisticated setup varies according to production, involving tracking shots, closeups and, on occasion, a crane. The number of cameras employed typically ranges from five to eight, which are cut live into a single feed. There are some 360 degree camera shots - resulting in audience members being filmed. Two full camera rehearsals take place before the broadcast, with time in between for the stage director and camera director to work together to adjust the script and discuss how best to capture the production. Adjustments are made for lighting, sound and makeup, all with the goal of preserving the integrity of the original design and transposing the stage picture to work on camera as effectively as possible. Hide detail About The National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, usually called the National Theatre or "The National" for short, is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company. Read more... Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain and from its founding in 1963 until 1976, was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. The current building contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977 and was formally inaugurated by the Queen. The theatre is permitted to call itself the Royal National Theatre, but this title is infrequently used, except by Yanks :) It is located next to the Thames on the south side of the Waterloo Bridge in the South Bank area of central London and its exterior decks with panoramic view of the riverfront are popular gathering spots for social functions. The National Theatre complex has several cafes/bars, a restaurant, and a bookshop. The largest stage is the Olivier Theatre, named after the theatre's first artistic director Sir Laurence Olivier, modeled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus. It has an open stage and a fan-shaped audience capacity of 1,160 people. An ingenious 'drum revolve' (a five-story revolving stage section - like a turntable on steroids) extends 25 feet beneath the stage and has two rim revolves and two platforms, each of which can carry ten tons, facilitating dramatic and fluid scenery changes. Its design ensures that the audience's view is not blocked from any seat, and that the audience is fully visible to actors from the stage's centre. The other stages are the Lyttelton Theatre which has a proscenium-arch design and can accommodate an audience of 890; and the Cottesloe Theatre, a smaller, adaptable studio space, holding up to 400. The theatre presents a varied program, including Shakespeare and other international classic drama; and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire, thus further widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season. Links of interest: Royal National Theatre - Wiki National Theatre - A very cool 3-D model Olivier Theatre - A brief video introduction National Theatre** - main website Hide detail About NT Live A principal element in the National Theatre's outreach effort, *NT Live* is a groundbreaking initiative to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. The first season of events, which began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phédre starring Helen Mirren, was seen by over 200,000 people on 320 screens in 22 countries. Read more... "We couldn't have foreseen that the experimental National Theatre Live season would be such a hit with audiences around the world, who are hungry to see our work in their local cinema", says Nicholas Hytner, Director of the National Theatre. "We're delighted that we can confidently build on its success with a second season of broadcasts." This season's line up includes two thrilling collaborations with other British theatre companies, Complicite and the Donmar Warehouse. "A smashing success." LA Times "If you haven't experienced NT Live yet, I can't recommend it too highly." Daily Telegraph National Theatre Live is distributed internationally (outside of the UK) by New York-based BY Experience: www.byexperience.net, and you can view this season's lineup and learn more at the NT Live website. Hide detail

Local support for Frankenstein comes from... The Acclaim Awards The Acclaim Awards recognize outstanding work in Cincinnati theater and support a variety of initiatives for area theater artists and educators including local Guest Equity Artist contracts, Theatre Educator Awards, Rising Stars and the Theatre Forward showcase at the Aronoff Center. The Acclaim Awards have celebrated excellence in professional, independent and university theatre in Greater Cincinnati theater since 2006. More than 30 Cincinnati-area theater experts – critics, producers, practitioners and educators – nominate and select award recipients. The sixth Acclaim Awards will be held Monday, May 23, 2011 at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater. This season the Acclaims include the Cincinnati Theater Awards (CTAs) which invite the public to vote for favorite performers and productions by community theaters and university theater programs. Learn more: cinstages.com.		Global support for NT Live comes from... Aviva Aviva is the official sponsor of National Theatre Live. The world's sixth-largest insurance group with 53 million customers in 28 countries, London-based Aviva puts the people it serves ahead of selling policies and its 46,000 employees are dedicated to providing their customers with excellent service and peace of mind. Supporting the Oxfam Alliance and global conservation efforts, Aviva is active in community-based initiatives and charitable causes around the globe, stressing human rights and diversity, particularly through its "Street-to-School" programs in the U.K., Canada, China and India. In the U.S., Aviva partners with the Mayo Clinic in the Wellness for Life program. Learn more about the ways Aviva connects with its customers and the community at the Big Picture, and for insight into insurance, retirement, investments and health programs visit the U.S. site AvivaUSA.com, and the London HQ site Aviva.com.