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What does Sci-Fi Theatre Look Like Exactly?
If you haven’t heard, The Intergalactic Nemesis will be at Dallas City Performance Hall May 12-14, and if you’re a sci-fi fanatic we highly suggest you catch this very special show. The Intergalactic Nemesis describes itself as a “live-action graphic novel” and combines elements of radio drama to tell a fantastical story. So, what is it actually going to be like?
Three actors take the stage and stand behind microphones, and behind them, scenes (around 1200 of them) from a graphic novel loom on a giant screen. The novel stemmed from a traditional play that originally played Austin coffee shops before being translated on page. The comic covers three unlikely heroes who are on a mission to save the world from sludge monsters from outer space. The story is set in the 1930s, and the juxtaposition between the modern feel of the comics with the period-appropriate dialogue somehow works in this sci-fi spectacular.
The actors are joined onstage by a foley artist, also known as a sound effects specialist, who creates rich and whacky sounds from children’s toys and other unlikely objects. This spectacle alone will keep your attention throughout the show. The actors are also joined onstage by a keyboardist that provides most of the soundtrack for the evening.
If you’re on the fence about whether or not this will be an adventure worth taking, here’s what some of the reviews have said about this unique live event.
The Austin Chronicle says, “The show mixes the best of old-school radio drama, classic pulp action comics and modern AV wizardry, with a cast providing a live performance to projected images of rip-roaring sci-fi adventure.”
The New Orleans Times-Picayune says, “Everything is refreshingly non-virtual, non-digital, non-CGI. Everything is an approximation that augments the imagination instead of replacing it. Since the audience is invited to applaud, boo and otherwise react during the action, everything is interactive. Everything has real-world texture. Everything is intimate. Everything is real.”
And if you’re not a geek, but still think you might be interested in The Intergalactic Nemesis, here’s what the Des Moines Register reports, “…At this show, with its clever sensory effects, you’re an automatic insider if you have a pair of eyes and/or ears. You can’t help but marvel at how the ripping of a Styrofoam takeout carton sounds like the hatching of those eggs. Or how a wooden whistle (wooo-wooo) and the shaking of a box of mac-n-cheese (chkka-chkka-chkka-chkka) sounds a train.”
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