Mills Folly Microcinema
courtesy James D. Gavins
James D. Gavins in his short film, "Cicada."
Mills Folly Microcinema presents a cross-section of the multidisciplinary work of James D. Gavins, a UW-Madison graduate and staff member for the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives since 2019. The program includes a screening of Cicada, a film adaptation of a play written by Gavins and Karl Michael Iglesias which premiered at the 2021 Wisconsin Science Festival; dance theater performances by Gavins, Papa-Kobina Brewoo and Roel Hernandez; and music by Gavins accompanied by drummer Tim Russell. Find tickets at midwestjames.bpt.me.
press release: Mills Folly Microcinema presents The Essential Midwest James, an evening of film, dance, and music by James D. Gavins, a.k.a. "Midwest James," on Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Mills Folly Microcinema screenings are held at the Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 South Livingston Street in Madison, Wisconsin.
Advance tickets are $10 ($8 for students or ALL members). Day of show tickets are $15. Seating is limited. Advance tickets can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets starting Friday, March 18.
The Essential Midwest James is an interdisciplinary arts experience showcasing works created by James D. Gavins. The program will consist of three dance theater pieces; a short film, Cicada; a talkback discussion; and a musical performance by Midwest James.
Cicada is an Afrofuturistic sci-fi short film adapted from the stage play created by James D. Gavins & Karl Michael Iglesias. Through storytelling, music, movement, and comedy, we follow James in a parallel universe as he goes through the process to receive his reparations. He has been chosen to beta test a psychotherapy simulator, named Cicada, that claims to ease the trauma from black history in America.
Cicada was written, performed, and directed by James D. Gavins. It also features the voices of Jill Huguet and Dom Ricks. Production by Mind-You-Mental Productions, in partnership with the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery Virtual Environments Lab.
The evening will also feature live dance theater pieces performed by Gavins, Papa-Kobina Brewoo, and Roel Hernandez. A musical performance will be accompanied on drums by Tim Russell.
About the artist:
James D. Gavins, a.k.a. "Midwest James," is an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Chicago. In 2008, Gavins was granted the First Wave Hip Hop & Urban Arts Scholarship to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He received his B.A. in Theater & Drama in 2015, and became a practicing professional teaching artist with the Wallace Foundation/Youth Arts Initiatives. He has served as a Performing Arts Director with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Milwaukee & Greater Green Bay, where he facilitated film, theater, and music programs with youth. He has also served on the National Teaching Artist Advisory Board with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and as the Creative Director of the First Wave Hip Hop & Urban Arts Scholarship Program at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Gavins tours with the ShapeShift Theatrical Dance Company as a performer and creative collaborator. In 2019 he premiered his interdisciplinary theater show Cicada. The film adaptation premiered as part of the Wisconsin Science Festival in October, 2021 when Gavins was a Creator in Residence with the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery.
Trailer for Cicada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The official website of James D. Gavins: https://www.midwestjames.com/
About Mills Folly Microcinema:
Mills Folly Microcinema is an experimental film and video art series curated by James Kreul at Arts and Literature Laboratory (artlitlab.org), located at 111 South Livingston Street in Madison Wisconsin. Mills Folly showcases nationally recognized and regional filmmakers, and incubates local experimental filmmaking at “Project Projection” screenings.
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