Cirque Mechanics performers
The University of Central Arkansas Reynolds Performance Hall welcomes Cirque Mechanics “Birdhouse Factory” at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 16.
“Birdhouse Factory” was inspired in part by the masterful industry murals of Mexican-born artist Diego Rivera, the outrageous illustrations of cartoonist Rube Goldberg and the slap-stick style humor of Charlie Chaplin’s film “Modern Times”. While its inspirations make Birdhouse Factory artful, nostalgic and funny, the true essence of the show comes from the circus. The New York Times has called the show, “Exceptional, evocative and engrossingly entertaining.”
This is a simple story of daily life in a “widgets” factory circa 1935, where workers are brought together by the most unlikely of events, a bird accidentally injured by the main steam boiler. The accident and caring for the bird, brings the workers closer and inspires them to break away from the efficiency and monotony of the assembly-line mentality and display their true inner talents and abilities. In the process, they use their bodies and machines to build birdhouses in a less efficient albeit joyful and soulful way.
The performance features an unlikely setting for a circus—a factory. Here, workers are acrobats and the machines are circus props. Spectators will watch a contortionist perform on a turntable powered by unicyclists and be captivated by the trapeze artist flying high thanks to the spins of an acrobat inside a giant gear-like wheel. Trampoline wall artists will seemingly defy the laws of physics by virtually flying and walking on air. Audiences should find humor in the antics of the comedic characters, be impressed by the acro-dancing and be enchanted by the story of laughter, love, flight and birdhouses.
Tickets are $30-$40 for adults and $10 for children and students, and discounts are available for seniors and the UCA community and alumni. Tickets may be purchased online at uca.edu/Reynolds, at the Reynolds Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by calling UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll-free at (866) 810-0012.