Repertoire Overview

Previous Touring Venues

Request Touring Information

- touring repertoire -

Measuring Man
Written and performed by Daniel Stein and Robert Smythe
Directed by Fred Curchack

Measuring Man uses events from the life of Leonardo da Vinci, the movement virtuosity of Daniel Stein and the world-class puppetry of Robert Smythe to explore the struggle to create, regardless of the consequences.

Beginning with Leonardo's apprenticeship, Measuring Man riffs on the spectacular risks and even more incredible failures of the original Renaissance Man, turns of fortune that plague every artist. From the Adoration of the Magi to his Last Supper, Stein and Smythe reveal the humor, humanity and astonishing secret of one of the world's most creative and enigmatic thinkers.

Juxtaposing ideas and working on multiple levels, Measuring Man evokes the diversity of da Vinci's research in which he often used maps, designs, drawings and sketches simultaneously. Measuring Man uses da Vinci's own words, object manipulation, stand-up comedy and an astonishing and unforgettable ending of hope ensure that Measuring Man is no biography of a plaster saint, but a portrait of an artist of flesh and blood.

Daniel Stein is widely regarded as the man who changed mime into movement performance with his first solo play, Timepiece. The protégé of Etienne Decroux who carved his own way in the world of mime, he has taught throughout the world at institutions such as the Juilliard School of Drama and The Institute of Dramatic Arts, Tokyo. He has received numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 1990. He is the School Director of the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake, CA.

Robert Smythe is one of the most highly regarded puppeteers in the United States. The founder and Artistic Director of Mum Puppettheatre, he has created and per formed over 20 productions for the company, including From the Ashes which won the Pick of the Fringe at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2001. He has won 4 Barrymore Awards, 3 UNIMA Citations and was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 1998.

Technical Specifications
• 2 performers; 1 stage manager/technical director
• Running time: 75 minutes
• Performance space: 12' high, 20' wide, 20' deep
• Lighting: General wash with specials
• Crew: 3 load-in, 2 performance, 5 load-out
• Call: 8 hour load-in, 1.2 hour strike and load-out