Interactive performance 'BLEU!' takes audience members on a magical journey to the Mediterranean
Audience members are taken on a journey to the Mediterranean, where nature and beauty combine with art to create a mythical adventure under the sea in “BLEU! The Mediterranean Sea” by Italian children’s theatre company Compagnia TPO. The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech brings the 360-degree immersive experience for a series of performances in the Moss Arts Center.
The Cube in the Moss Arts Center, which is located at 190 Alumni Mall, will be transformed into a magical underwater world for five performances — on Thursday, May 29 at 7 p.m. (sold out); Friday, May 30 at 7 p.m.; and Saturday May 31, at 10 am. (sold out), 3 p.m. (sold out), and 7 p.m.
Italy’s Compagnia TPO is a pioneer in interactive performance media for all ages, melding digital imagery with music, dance, art, sculpture, digital media, computer technology, lighting, and sound. Their newest creation starts with the classical mythology of the Mediterranean, telling the story of a sailor and sea nymph. The nymph drops a pearl into the sea, which the sailor has to find, sending him on an adventure-packed voyage, transforming this story into an odyssey of discovery and knowledge. In “BLEU!” the marine environment becomes the setting for a virtual trip for the actors and the audience.
Compagnia TPO creates dance and theatre works for children that are visual and conceptualized moving paintings, using movement, artistic objects, mechanical and digital devices, and the interplay of lighting, all geared to a child’s eye.
The company combines digital technology, graphics, and video with the more traditional art forms of dance, theatre, and music to create new methods of interaction between performers, the audience, and stage spaces. By applying computer sensors and triggers to images and sound, they have found new ways to collaborate with a variety of artists, including dancers, actors, directors, musicians, engineers, designers, writers, and illustrators, to create new works.
Tickets
Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and youth 18 years old and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts’ box office, noon to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Event parking for visitors is $5. Event passes may be purchased when entering the garage on event evenings. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
