Changes: The Cube

Revision as of 05:38, 24 September 2006

The Cube was an avant-garde drama written by Jerry Juhl and Jim Henson for television. It aired over NBC as part of the anthology series Experiments in Television on February 23, 1969. The hour long piece takes place within a single set, a white cubed space composed of a series of rectangular panels, in which the nameless protagonist is trapped. A steady stream of characters enter the cube, with recurring visits by the maintenance man Arnie and The Manager, but they all exit through "their own door." Topics explored include the definitions of reality and sanity, racism, sexuality, spiritual exploration, and the nature of freedom and being trapped, as well as many meta references to the play's status as a television drama.

Trivia

Jerry Nelson appears as a monk, to provide spiritual comfort to the man. The monk tells him that "All is all. Is is." This line would be repeated almost twenty years later by Cantus the Minstrel in an episode of Fraggle Rock.
During the encounter with the professor, discussing television drama, the "ending" credits for The Cube, displayed on a TV set within the main scene, show "Produced by: Don Sahlin" and "Directed by: Joseph Raposo."
Both The Cube and Time Piece feature brief scenes involving gorilla suits.

Credits

Featuring Richard Schaal as The Man in The Cube
Written by: Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl

Arnie: Hugh Webster
Manager: Rex Sevenoaks
Prisoner: Jack Van Evera
Straight Man & Sergeant: Jon Granic
Comic & Fritz: Guy Sanvido
Seductress: Eliza Creighton
Black Militant: Don Crawford
Scientist: William Osler
Monk: Jerry Nelson
Decorator: Sandra Scott
Dr. Conners: Claude Rae
Professor: Don McGill
Guitarist: Ralph Endersby
Liza 1: Trudy Young
Liza 2: Ruth Springford
Father-in-law & Dr. Birmingham: Moe Margolese
Mother-in-law & Mrs. Stratton: Alice Hill
Margaret: Loro Farell
Dr. Bradowski & Old Man: Eric Clavering
Nurse: Jean Christopher

Produced by Jim Henson
Casting: Pat Barney
Set Design: Jack McAdam of Design Service Associates
Electronic Music: Walter Sear
Associate Producer: David Robertson
Production Assistant: Joan Chilcott
Unit Manager: Jack Spiers
Floor Director: Gerry Bean
Make-up: Carol Davidson, Janet Nethercot
Set Dressing: David Jaquest, Gerry Holmes
Hairstyles: Max Axler
Technical Director: Jay Gellner
Lighting Director: Howard Galbraith
Audio: John Grimsditch
Video: Percy Brinkworth
Video Tape Editing: Keith Robinson, Ed Brennan
Production Facilities: Glen-Warren Productions Limited, Toronto

Directed by Jim Henson

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 [[Image:title.cube.jpg|frame|''The Cube'' title card.]]
-''The Cube'' was an avant-garde drama written by [[Jerry Juhl]] and [[Jim Henson]] for television. It aired over [[NBC]] as part of the anthology series ''Experiments in Television'' on February 23, [[1969]]. The hour long piece takes place within a single set, a white cubed space composed of a series of rectangular panels, in which the nameless protagonist is trapped. A steady stream of characters enter the cube, with recurring visits by the maintenance man [[Arnie]] and [[Mr. Thomas|The Manager]], but they all exit through "their own door." Topics explored include the definitions of reality and sanity, racism, sexuality, spiritual exploration, and the nature of freedom and being trapped, as well as many meta references to the play's status as a television drama.
+'''''The Cube''''' was an avant-garde drama written by [[Jerry Juhl]] and [[Jim Henson]] for television. It aired over [[NBC]] as part of the anthology series ''Experiments in Television'' on February 23, [[1969]]. The hour long piece takes place within a single set, a white cubed space composed of a series of rectangular panels, in which the nameless protagonist is trapped. A steady stream of characters enter the cube, with recurring visits by the maintenance man [[Arnie]] and [[Mr. Thomas|The Manager]], but they all exit through "their own door." Topics explored include the definitions of reality and sanity, racism, sexuality, spiritual exploration, and the nature of freedom and being trapped, as well as many meta references to the play's status as a television drama.
 ==Trivia==
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 * Directed by Jim Henson
 [[Category:Henson Films|Cube, The]]