Manual Cinema

Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize. An activist and community organizer, Brooks’ provocative works captured the spirit and struggle of the Civil Rights Movement. In this theatrical spectacle that gives new meaning to the phrase “poetry in motion,” Emmy-winning ensemble Manual Cinema tells her story through shadow puppetry, silhouetted actors, and live music. No Blue Memories features an original screenplay penned by Eve L. Ewing and Nate Marshall of Crescendo Literary and a jazz score composed by Jamila and Ayanna Woods. The music, performed live by a quintet, incorporates and transforms some of Brooks’ most iconic verses.