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2007-2008
 Madness at Mokuba |
Live Action Anime 2007: Madness at Mokuba
How can MIT students bring to life the excitement and eccentricities of Japanese anime
(animated films and TV shows)? The MIT Dance Theater Ensemble will demonstrate
the possibilities with its performance Live Action Anime 2007: Madness at Mokuba on Nov. 29, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 (Thu.-Sat.). The shows will be held at the Kresge
Little Theater on the MIT campus at 8pm (free and open to the public, seating
limited to 200 each night).
Part homage to anime history, part commentary on the plight of undocumented workers
in the US, and 100% tribute to anime creators and fans worldwide, this original
theatrical production features giant robots, a Japanese schoolgirl, a lovelorn otaku, a
masterless samurai, a gamer woman, evil media magnates, and a vengeful deathgod
who all battle for truth, justice, and the anime way. (Note: “anime” is pronounced “ahnee-
may.”)
SYNOPSIS: The stage is set for the finals of the giant robot contest at the Mokuba
Institute of Technology. But as the two teams prepare for battle, a strange disease
called VIRTIGO is sweeping the school, causing unpredictable reality slippages.
And it's getting worse. Does it have something to do with Homeland Security's
suspicious arrest of undocumented workers nearby? Can our heroes solve the mystery
of VIRTIGO, help the workers, and . . . find love?
Directed by Prof. Thomas F. DeFrantz (Music and Theater Arts, MIT) with an original
script by Prof. Ian Condry (Foreign Languages and Literatures, MIT), the play features
a cast of MIT students, faculty, and other members of the MIT community as they
attempt to do the impossible: create live action anime. Don't miss this opportunity to
see anime history in the making.
Date: Thursday November 29 - Saturday December 1, 2008
Time: 8:00-10:00 PM
Location:
MIT
Kresge Little Theater
48 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Live Action Anime 2007: Kick-off Lecture
In conjunction with the performances, Prof. Condry will give a lecture entitled
“Explaining Anime’s Global Power,” on Thursday, November 29, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.,
Room 56-114 on the MIT campus (free and open to the public). Prof. Condry will
discuss his current book project, Global Anime, including discussion of how his
fieldwork research in Tokyo anime studios informed the play’s conception (spoilers will
be avoided).
Date: Thursday November 29, 2008
Time: 4:30-6:00 PM
Location:
MIT
56-114
21 Ames Street
Cambridge, MA 02139