‘Exploring THE LION KING’ exhibition opens today at The City Art Centre
This free exhibition opens to the public today ahead of The Lion King show at the Playhouse which begins its run on 11 October 2013.
From today, Edinburgh’s City Art Centre will host Exploring THE LION KING – a unique exhibition which reveals the inspiration and evolution behind Disney’s ground-breaking, award-winning musical THE LION KING. Incorporating many of the now iconic costumes, masks and puppets, this interactive exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to discover – through sketches, original models, film and photography – how acclaimed director and designer Julie Taymor, along with the rest of the show’s creative team, conceived and created this acclaimed production.The exhibition will be on display in the City Art Centre from today for a fifteen-week season. Entrance to Exploring THE LION KING is free of charge and will be open to the public seven days a week.Timed to coincide with the musical’s Scottish premiere season at the Edinburgh Playhouse, this innovative exhibition, featuring interactive video touch screens, will reveal the craftsmanship behind THE LION KING and will include complete costumes from the production, original set models, sketches and maquettes (miniature models), and behind-the-scenes interviews – allowing the visitor to see the show’s intricate design and detail up-close.
Councillor Richard Lewis, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture and Sport Convener, said:- “We’re delighted to be hosting Exploring THE LION KING at the City Art Centre this autumn. There’s been a huge amount of excitement surrounding the arrival of Disney’s musical since it was announced earlier this year that it would be coming to the Edinburgh Playhouse. The exhibition will be the perfect complement to the much-loved stage show and is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to see the beautiful costumes and puppets up close and in the most ideal venue in the city.”
Julie Taymor, a director and designer of theatre, opera and film, has achieved worldwide acclaim for her production of THE LION KING, which combines performers, masks, puppetry, ritual and large theatrical landscapes. She was entrusted by Disney Theatrical Productions to transform the beloved 1994 animated feature film into a stage musical drawing upon her vast and varied experience of myriad theatrical styles and cultures, most prominently African tribal design and masks and Balinese puppetry and movement.
Disney’s THE LION KING has been seen by over 70 million people in 18 different countries and in eight different languages. In addition to the sold-out UK tour, the production can currently be seen in London, New York, Tokyo, Hamburg, Madrid, Sao Paulo and on tours of North America and Japan. A new production will open in Sydney in December.
Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge.
Tickets for Disney’s THE LION KING via 0844 871 7692 or www.thelionking.co.uk
For further information relating to the UK Tour of Disney’s THE LION KING, please contact: David Bloom: david.bloom@target-live.co.uk / 020 3372 0955
City Art Centre
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
