Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey

Lightwire Theater. $30-$20.

press release: Marvin the mouse wants to be popular. Constantly bullied and picked on by the “cool” rats, he is labeled as a loser and a geek. To get away from the continuous badgering, he retreats into his science books and a world of fantasy. He longs to have adventures, to be the hero. Join Marvin on the space adventure of a lifetime: a trip to the surface of the moon on his homemade rocket, where he meets a strange cast of misfit creatures, learns of infinite peril and awesome beauty. That’s the story line for Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey, the Lightwire Theater cosmic adventure about celebrating differences with their signature brand of electroluminescent artistry, poignant storytelling, and music scores.  Overture Center welcomes the performance to Capitol Theater on Sunday, April 17 at 3p.m.

Lightwire Theater founders Ian and Eleanor Carney were both born and raised in New Orleans and met at the age of 13, through ballet class. Their successful dancing careers took them to New York, and it was on Broadway when Ian met co-creator, Corbin Popp, while dancing in Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out. An immediate connection was made between the kindred spirits as they discovered their mutual love of art, theater, and technology. After coming across a product called, “el wire,” the lights turned on and the possibilities seemed endless. Together, with their wives Eleanor and Whitney, they began to experiment with shapes and designs to develop puppetry-based neon creatures that quickly came to life.

After years of engineering and development, they initially founded CORBiAN Visual Arts and Dance. Although New York offered many opportunities, Ian and Eleanor wanted to return to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit their hometown. With the hopes of helping to rebuild their city, they were joined by Corbin and Whitney Popp and eventually founded Lightwire Theater.

Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at overturecenter.org, in person at the ticket office or by phone at 608.258.4141. Discounted tickets for groups of ten+ are available by calling 608.258.4159.