May 29, 2002

Alloy Orchestra Returns to MASS MoCA to Accompany Silent Dinosaur Classic Lost World with New Live Music

(North Adams, Mass.) Made in 1925, The Lost World features ground-breaking stop-motion photography and special effects that look charmingly old-fashioned now, but which were incredibly innovative in their time. Though it was the first film ever to use this technology and it inspired everything from King Kong to Jurassic Park, Lost World was nearly lost when all copies were ordered destroyed by its producer. Miraculously a print of the landmark film was discovered in Prague and painstakingly restored by historians of film animation. MASS MoCA brings the dinosaurs back to life on the big screen on Saturday, June 29, at 8:30 P.M. The always-inventive Alloy Orchestra will use an assortment of what some would consider barnyard junk -- horseshoes, truck springs, radiator pipes, sheet metal, air-conditioning ducts and vacuum cleaner canisters -- to breathe life into old monsters. Their live musical accompaniment makes silent movies magical. (In fair weather, the movie will be screened outdoors in the Cinema Courtyard, where viewers can enjoy a wide array of food and beverages before and during the movie.)

In the film, reporter Edward Malone (Lloyd Hughes) is madly in love with Gladys Hungerford (Alma Bennett) but she will only marry a man of "great deeds" so Malone takes a dangerous assignment interviewing Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery). Realizing that the Professor is desperate to prove himself to a scientific community that laughs at his radical theories that prehistoric animals still live, Malone suggests a daring trip to the Amazon. Joined by big game hunter Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone) and Paula White (Bessie Love) who is in search of her father, a missing scientist, the group soon finds the evidence they're looking for. There's no time for celebration, though, as they must escape an erupting volcano, ape-men, and a flesh-eating Tyrannosaurus that attacks a family of Triceratopses right in front of them. With the help of a lovesick monkey, the expedition survives and captures a brontosaurus which they manage to bring back to London only to lose control of the monster who terrorizes the city.

The Alloy Orchestra is a three-man musical group, writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films, with Terry Donahue playing percussion, accordion, and vocals; Ken Winokur on percussion and clarinet; and Roger C. Miller on synthesizer. An unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable.

Lickety Split will be open to serve full dinners and snacks starting at 8 P.M. when the doors open. There will also be a full bar. In case of rain the film will move indoors where the Hunter Center will have been transformed into a full movie palace.

Tickets to Lost World with the Alloy Orchestra are $12 adults and $6 for kids. MASS MoCA members get 10% off. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 10 A.M. until 6 P.M. daily. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time of day.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located on a 13- acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA focuses on the work of visual and performing artists charting new territory.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org