MAX to debut on campus with free performances

The College of Arts + Architecture’s new Mobile Arts & Community Experience (MAX) will make its first appearance on campus the week of April 20-24, with live performances in the quad between the colleges of Education and Health and Human Services.

The Department of Theatre will present three performances of “The Life of that Little Scoundrel Named Lazari.” Shows will be at 1:30 p.m., April 21; 2 p.m. April 23; and 12:30 p.m., April 24. Based on the Spanish Renaissance novella “The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes and His Fortunes and Misfortunes,” this rowdy comedy chronicles the life of Lazari, a rogue who survives by means of his smart tricks, deceiving his many masters along the way. The production features commedia dell’arte stock characters, mask work, slapstick comedy, combat and acrobatics.

Built by Boxman Studios and funded with a grant from the Knight Foundation, MAX is a mobile performance venue/community gathering space that can accommodate everything from circus arts to a neighborhood association meeting. The venue premiered on April 10-11 with a festival in uptown Charlotte at Levine Avenue for the Arts, presented by Charlotte Center City Partners.

The College of Arts + Architecture and two UNC Charlotte action-based research centers, the City. Building. Lab. (CBL) and the Charlotte Action Research Project (CHARP), will collaborate to nurture a vital cultural life and deeper connections across the Charlotte region through MAX’s programming, said college officials. In addition to touring productions, MAX will spend extended periods of time in neighborhood settings.