The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince
Written by: Chase Wheaton-Werle
Directed by: Becca Holloway
Assistant Director: Christine Watt
Production Manager: Miranda Hernandez
Scenic Designer: Hayley Wallenfeldt
Costume Designer: Victoria Jablonski
Props Designer: Rachel Livingston
Lighting Designer: Jack Goodman
Master Electrician: Henry Bender
Sound Designer: Sebby Woldt
Projections Designer: David Sajweich
The Factory Theatre, June - July, 2025
A deceptively simple question: WHO INVENTED THE MOTION PICTURE CAMERA?
Nearly every history textbook will attribute this invention to Thomas Edison. But as with most of his inventions, the story is much more complicated. In fact, French inventor Louis Le Prince perfected such an apparatus years before Edison even thought of applying for a patent. But here's the twist! Le Prince intended to travel to New York to unveil his invention and solidify his place in history, until he vanished mid-transit from a moving train without a trace; leaving the way open for Edison to reveal his own oddly similar creation. Now Le Prince's widow Lizzie and his son Adolphe must pick up the trail of their missing husband and father and fight to defend his legacy against America's celebrity inventor Thomas Edison himself.
Half Victorian-era mystery, half courtroom drama, The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince explores how we struggle with unresolved tragedies and how we remember (or don't remember) the people in our history.