{"id":28363,"date":"2019-02-22T14:36:17","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T19:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=28363"},"modified":"2024-07-02T17:10:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T17:10:37","slug":"prc-galileo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=28363","title":{"rendered":"PlayMakers presents Bertolt Brecht\u2019s \u201cLife of Galileo\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ron<\/a>
Ron Menzel stars as Galileo Galilei in “The Life of Galileo.” (photo by HuthPhoto)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PlayMakers Repertory Company<\/a><\/u><\/strong> presents the theatrical event of the 2018\/19 season, Bertolt Brecht\u2019s \u201cLife of Galileo,\u201d adapted by Joseph Discher. PlayMakers\u2019 Producing Artistic Director, Vivienne Benesch, directs the production, which runs from February 27 to March 17, 2019.<\/p>\n

The tale of Galileo Galilei is as much a study of one man\u2019s dogged determination, as it is the battle between science, reason, and faith. When his chance discovery leads to evidence of a seismic shift in scientific thinking, Galileo sparks a dangerous dispute with authority. To challenge the idea that the earth is the center of the universe is to challenge the all-powerful Roman Catholic Church. In this powerful adaptation of a classic tale, we are asked to confront our responsibility to the \u201ctruth\u201d in the digital age, where truth feels malleable and no longer a fixed point.<\/p>\n

\"Ron<\/a>\u201cOver the last two years, I have found myself drawn again and again to the story of Galileo, and the notion that \u2018truth\u2019 is a negotiating point between factions, not something rooted in science, or history,\u201d said Benesch. \u201cBrecht wrote the original \u2018Life of Galileo\u2019 in 1938, and another version just after the atom bomb drop in 1945. In 2019, the themes he grappled with resound with eerie clarity for yet another set of critical circumstances. Jim Findlay has designed a visually arresting, immersive set that, combined with haunting original music by Justin Ellington, puts the audience unexpectedly inside the tortured, impassioned world of the father of modern science. Our cast and creative team have really pulled out all the stops for this production, and I hope audiences will leave the theatre having been both entertained and inspired by the story of one of history\u2019s original ground shifters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life of Galileo<\/em> features Ron Menzel<\/strong> as Galileo, in his PlayMakers debut (Broadway credits include Les Liaisons Dangereueses<\/em> and Parisian Woman<\/em>). Also featuring David Adamson<\/strong> as Federzoni (\u201cShe Loves Me\u201d, \u201cBewilderness\u201d), Geoffrey Culbertson<\/strong> as Ludovico (\u201cBewilderness,\u201d \u201cSense and Sensibility\u201d), Rishan Dhamija <\/strong>as Little Monk (\u201cTartuffe,\u201d \u201cDot\u201d), Ray Dooley <\/strong>as Cardinal Inquisitor (\u201cSherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood,\u201d \u201cMy Fair Lady\u201d), Samuel Ray Gates<\/strong> as Bellarmin (\u201cSkeleton Crew,\u201d \u201cLeaving Eden\u201d), Alex Givens<\/strong> as Andrea (\u201cThe Christians,\u201d \u201cSkeleton Crew\u201d), Brandon Haynes <\/strong>as Cosimo de Medici (\u201cTartuffe,\u201d PlayMakers Mobile \u201cMacbeth\u201d), Ashlei Hefferman<\/strong> as Clavius (PlayMakers debut), Kathryn Hunter-Williams<\/strong> as Sagredo (\u201cTrouble in Mind,\u201d \u201cInto the Woods\u201d), Sarah Elizabeth Keyes<\/strong> as Virginia (\u201cShe Loves Me,\u201d \u201cSense and Sensibility\u201d), Anna Longenecker<\/strong> as Guiseppe (PlayMakers debut), Christine Mirzayan<\/strong> as Ballad Singer\u2019s Wife (\u201cThe Cake,\u201d \u201cThe Christians\u201d), Sarita Oc\u00f3n<\/strong> as Sarti (\u201cThe Crucible,\u201d \u201cLeaving Eden\u201d), Tristan Parks <\/strong>as Ballad Singer (\u201cLeaving Eden,\u201d \u201cMy Fair Lady\u201d), and Dan Wilson<\/strong> as Mucius (\u201cIllegal Helpers,\u201d and \u201cCat on a Hot Tin Roof\u201d at Stockholm\u2019s Stadsteater).<\/p>\n

The Creative Team of \u201cLife of Galileo\u201d includes: Vivienne Benesch<\/strong> (Director), Jim Findlay (Scenic & Projections Designer), Tracy Bersley<\/strong> (Choreographer), Grier Coleman <\/strong>(Costume Designer), Kate McGee <\/strong>(Lighting Designer), Justin Ellington <\/strong>(Composer & Sound Designer), Adam Verseny\u00ed<\/strong> (Dramaturg), Christopher Combermale <\/strong>(Assistant Director), Tara Elliott<\/strong> (Assistant Director), and Charles K. Bayang <\/strong>(Stage Manager).<\/p>\n

For information and to purchase tickets, call 919.962.7529 or visit www.playmakersrep.org<\/a><\/u>. Individual ticket prices start at $15.<\/p>\n

Performance and Special Event Schedule<\/u><\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n