DEARBORN — The Henry Ford College Virtual Theatricality Lab presents “Dinosaurus!” Nov. 1 to 23.
The 3-D family-friendly play features a 20-foot tall Tyrannosaurus rex and will be on stage in the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center on the main campus, 5101 Evergreen.
Performance dates and times are at 2 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 1, 8, 15 and 22, 2 p.m. Nov. 2, 9, 16 and 23, and 7 p.m. Nov. 7, 14 and 21.
Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for children ages 12 and under. Tickets are now on sale online at http://theatre.hfcc.edu. The seating capacity for each show is 80.
In addition to the public performances, there will also be private performances offered specifically for elementary schools. All school performances are $4 per student. Educators interested in bringing their students to “Dinosaurus!” should go to http://vtl.hfcc.edu/node/873. “Dinosauraus!” is recommended for grades 1 to 5.
“Dinosaurus!” is the story of two oil explorers who discover a lost colony of dinosaurs deep beneath the earth’s surface. One of the explorers attempts to exploit the dinosaurs, while the other wants to leave their underground hideout untouched by civilization.
Written by Edward Mast and Lenore Beninger, the production is directed by George Popovich, who teaches film and drama at HFC.
“Dinosaurus!” will be presented in an immersive environment. The audience will be seated onstage and will be surrounded by a physical set built and painted to match the virtual set projected in 3-D stereo on a 20-foot-by-36-foot 3-D projection screen.
They will wear 3-D glasses. The dinosaurs will appear to be 20 feet tall.
To further the immersive environment, several 4-D effects will be created, which is a physical effect complementing an animated or virtual effect. In other words, when the T. rex sneezes, duck.
HFC’s VTL uses advanced cinema technology such as virtual reality, performance capture and animation to enhance live stage plays.
The VTL’s production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” was a regional winner in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in 2003. The VTL’s production of Caryl Churchill’s “The Skryker” was a finalist for the National Bellwether Award, an award that annually recognizes outstanding and innovative programs and practices at colleges.
For further information, go to http://theatre.hfcc.edu/productions/2014/dinosaurus or call 313-845-6478.