DARWIN THE DINOSAUR Plays the Jorgensen, 4/22

"Darwin the Dinosaur: A Glow in the Dark Adventure" is equal parts puppetry, dance and light show. Its creators, Ian Carney and Corbin Popp, met as dancers in Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's "Movin' Out" on Broadway, and soon the "Darwin" vision evolved, making use of electroluminescent wire, blackout settings and their own skill as hand and body puppeteers.

"Darwin the Dinosaur" will be performed in two matinees, Sunday, April 22, at 1 and 3 p.m. at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. 

"You can't get this at the movies or in a DVD. 'Darwin the Dinosaur' teaches us why live theater will never go extinct," exclaims Leigh Witchel of the New York Post.

Popp and Carney engineered their characters, a combination of puppets six actors wear or manipulate by hand on stage, out of struts and joints covered in black cloth and lined with the battery-powered, flexible wire that is lit from within. Working first in New York and then in Carney's home in New Orleans, this duo overcame the confines of science and art: the puppet joints could not stress the lightweight wire; the battery packs couldn't be too heavy for the actors; and the dance movement had to tell the story without obscuring the colorful, two-dimensional design or undermining the magical effect.  

"Darwin" begins, as all great tales of transformation do, in the scientist's laboratory. Professor Henslow puts the finishing touches on his green dinosaur, Darwin. But soon the beast gives in to his animal instinct, and Henslow decides to lighten him up by giving him a heart. Released to the world, Darwin picks up experience, encountering Verla the gangly ostrich, Peche the beautiful fish and finally the threatening red dinosaur, Brutus. On his journey, he learns how to use his gift heart to find the meaning of love and save the natural being he loves most.

"Darwin the Dinosaur" combines several art forms to tell this heart-rending story – the visual and theatrical art of puppetry, music as a dialogue, and dance for movement and narrative. The illusion is well-enhanced in the arms of the anonymous and talented performers, members of CORBiAN Visual Arts and Dance.

It's time to let go of your routine hand-held device and experience technology in this most artistic and moving format.

"Darwin the Dinosaur: A Glow in the Dark Adventure" is a Bank of America Children's Series event. Families will be entertained by games, activities and face-painting an hour before the show.

Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Tickets are $13 for adults and $11 for children. For tickets and information, call the Box Office 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon–Fri at 860.486.4226, or order online at: jorgensen.uconn.edu. Free, convenient parking is available across the street in the North Garage. 

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