Photo by Steven Haywood PhotographyExperience the U.S. premiere of EarFilms’ “To Sleep To Dream,” a cutting-edge, award-winning, exclusively audio feature-length film which creates a playground for the human imagination, presented nightly Aug. 19-22 by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.
“To Sleep To Dream” will take place on an ambient sound stage within the intimate setting of the ASC’s Odess black-box Theatre, 1200 10th Ave. South. Seated within a 3-D “ambisonic” sound system, each audience member is blindfolded to eliminate all visual stimuli and focus the senses. EarFilms creates a playground for the human imagination, a medium in which the mind’s eye fills in the blanks, paints the pictures and allows each participant to become the director. An EarFilm is not just the telling of a story, but a way for the listener to be part of it. EarFilms combine music, sound design and live dramatic storytelling to create a hyper-realistic experience shaped by each audience member’s own creativity.
Only 90 tickets are available for each of the 7:30 p.m. screenings. Tickets are $21. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.
EarFilms are the brainchild of award-winning composer and storyteller Daniel Marcus Clark, musician and director Chris Timpson, and producer Dannii Evans, all of the United Kingdom. The story, which borrows its title from lines of Shakespeare’s famous soliloquy, is set in a not-too-distant dystopian future when the Earth has been devastated by flooding. Only one city remains, and a single corporation wields absolute power over the population, controlling almost every aspect of the people’s lives. Most basic freedoms are outlawed, even dreaming. The story follows an ordinary citizen who stumbles upon a message left between the waking and sleeping worlds, then discovers unknown realities and tries to bring dreaming back to the world. Read more about the film at www.earfilms.com/to-sleep-to-dream.
| “To Sleep To Dream” will take place on an ambient sound stage within the intimate setting of the ASC’s Odess black-box Theatre, 1200 10th Ave. South. Seated within a 3-D “ambisonic” sound system, each audience member is blindfolded to eliminate all visual stimuli and focus the senses. |
Beginning at 6 p.m. prior to “To Sleep To Dream,” and continuously each evening, enjoy free sonic experiences in the ASC’s Jemison Concert Hall and the Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall. In the first, “I/O – An Immersive Aural Experience,” hear a 7.1 surround sound installation, commissioned by the ASC and created by UAB Department of Music professors William Price and Scott Phillips. Upon entering the concert hall, participants will see a series of parabolic speakers hanging from the ceiling, all playing the same piece of music. Choose the path and hear a different part of the music at each stop. At one stop just the strings and at another the brass, until finally — at the conductor’s position — hear all the music combined. In the recital hall, the Sidewalk Film Festival will show a series of films dealing with issues of sound and senses.
During the EarFilms residency, the ASC will host a special private screening of “To Sleep To Dream” for filmmakers participating in the Sidewalk Film Festival on Aug. 22-24. ArtPlay Meet the Artist school shows will take place daily at 10 a.m. in the ASC, along with “Creating the Story” discussions at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, and Thursday, Aug. 21.