(9.10) Catch the final performance of the Arctic Theatre Royal hosted by AS220 as part of their NightVisions series. (Facebook event page.)
The Wonder Show presents The Arctic Theatre Royal, a magic lantern show featuring images and text sourced from the Athenaeum’s Special Collections. During the 19th century, Arctic exploration captivated the public imagination. Images of unfamiliar icescapes pictured in panoramas and magic lantern shows dominated visual culture. One of the most successful voyages of this kind was head by Captain William Parry in 1819. This would be the first British naval expedition of the 19th century to winter in arctic conditions, and its activities and precautions became a model for future expeditions. Parry instituted musical and theatrical entertainments, school classes, meteorological and magnetic observations, and even a weekly newspaper, The North Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle. Plays were performed every fortnight with written reviews following each act. The Wonder Show’s performance, The Arctic Theatre Royal, takes its name from Parry’s shipboard theater.
*Also free, Thursday night at the Providence Athenaeum, 5pm to 7pm, “An Arctic Exhibition and Closing Celebration with The Wonder Show.”
Free and open to the public, 8:15pm, Wednesday, September 10, Grant’s Block, 260 Westminster Street at Union (directions)