THE LIFE OF GALILEO Runs 4/10-5/17 At Central Square Theater

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the year Galileo first turned his telescope upward and changed the way human beings thought of their place in the cosmos, Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT and Underground Railway Theater present Bertolt Brecht's The Life of Galileo! Playing Friday, April 10 through Sunday, May 17 at Central Square Theater, this production of The Life of Galileo, Brecht's widely acclaimed masterpiece of science theater, is translated by David Hare, directed by David Wheeler, and stars Boston area favorite Richard McElvain in the title role. Press night is set for Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 PM.

One of Brecht's most well known and complex plays, The Life of Galileo explores The Life of the founder of modern science and the conflict between reason and faith. Written on the brink of World War II while the playwright was exiled from Germany and living in the U.S., Brecht examines the ordeal Galileo was forced to undergo as he set his personal passions and beliefs against the authorities of Church and State. It reveals the famous scientist's self-hatred for giving up his convictions in the face of the Inquisition, and poses powerful questions that resonate today about the social responsibility of the scientist. The Life of Galileo also takes a bold look at the costs and implications of scientific discovery. What are the repercussions of a fundamental paradigm shift? What must we change about the ways we live our lives when a single breakthrough rocks the very foundations of our belief systems? In the late Renaissance, it was the cosmos; in the 19th century, evolution; today, the possibilities that might be unearthed by unlocking the human genome. In The Life of Galileo, Galileo's scientific and personal integrity are put to the test as he argues for his very life in a passionate debate over science, politics, religion and ethics; the debates rage on today.

Richard McElvain (Galileo) has been acting and directing in the Boston area for twenty-five years and has won the Elliot Norton Award for Best Actor. Most recently he was seen in Boston Theatre Works award-winning production of Angels in America. Other credits include To Kill a Mockingbird, Bang the Drum Slowly, and The Lady from Maxim's with the Huntington Theatre Company; Barking Sharks and Unexpected Tenderness at Gloucester Stage Company; and The Scarlet Letter, Sylvia, and Twelfth Night at New Repertory Theatre. He has also appeared at Merrimack Repertory Theatre and with the Boston Shakespeare Theatre Company. Directing credits include the classics and the works of Israel Horowitz at Gloucester Stage Company and off-Broadway. Mr. McElvain played Mr. Crain in the film Mermaids and appeared in several episodes of "Spenser for Hire."

Other cast members include Steven Barkhimer, Jason Bowen, Andrew Cekala, Amanda Collins, Kevin Kaine, Robert Najarian, Jamie Nelson, Stephen Russell, Vincent Ernest Siders, Lewis D. Wheeler, and Underground Railway Theater Artistic Director Debra Wise.

Director David Wheeler has staged numerous productions at The American Repertory Theatre, as Associate Artist and Resident Director since 1984. He has also directed over a dozen productions at Trinity Repertory Company, and Richard III and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel on Broadway, both with Al Pacino. As Artistic Director of the Theatre Company of Boston from 1963-75, Mr. Wheeler directed over eighty productions, including works by new writers such as Ed Bullins, Jeffrey Bush, John Hawkes, Adrienne Kennedy, and Sam Shepard, helping to launch the careers of then unknown actors such as Stockard Channing, Blythe Danner, Robert DeNiro, Robert Duvall, Spalding Gray, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Jon Voight, and James Woods. Mr. Wheeler's honors include the Elliot Norton Award for his work on Misalliance and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Award. He has taught and directed at Harvard University, BU, MIT, and Brandeis.

Translator David Hare has been writing for the theater since the 1960's. Mr. Hare served as Resident Dramatist to the Royal Court Theater in London, has been the Associate Director for The National Theatre, is an accomplished director of both theater and film, and was knighted in 1998. Recently he has become known for writing successful adaptations of novels for film, including The Hours, The Corrections, and The Reader.

The design team for The Life of Galileo includes David Fichter (sets & puppets), Heidi Hermiller (costumes), Kenneth Helvig (lighting), Ramon Castillo (sound & composition), and Elizabeth Locke (props).

The Life of Galileo plays Friday, April 10 through Sunday, May 17 at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets are priced at $32; $22 for seniors; and $18 for students with a valid ID; student rush tickets can be purchased the day of the show for $12 in person at the box office or by calling (617) 576-9278 x213. Tickets can be purchased by calling (866) 811-4111, online at www.centralsquaretheater.org, or at the Central Square Theater box office. For box office hours, group discounts, and more info call (617) 576-9278 x213.

During the run of The Life of Galileo, there will be talk-backs after selected performances led by world-class scientists such as Eric Lander (Co-Director, Broad Institute and President Obama's newly appointed science advisor); see www.centralsquaretheater.org for a complete schedule.

In addition, a Galileo Symposia Series will take place before every Saturday night performance. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in stimulating debates with renowned scientists and professors, providing insight into Galileo's life and times, and also into how the questions raised by the play impact us today. The Galileo Symposia Series is free with the price of admission to The Life of Galileo, and the schedule is below. Symposium leaders include Nobel Laureate Jerome Friedman, Owen Gingerich, Alan Guth, Ian Hutchinson and Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek.

Sat., 4/11, 6 PM: Who rocked our world more - Galileo or Darwin?
Sat., 4/18, 6:45 PM: Scientific discovery for whom?
Sat., 4/25, 6:45 PM: What did Galileo unleash?
Sat., 5/2, 6 PM: The battle for the truth: science vs. religion.
Sat., 5/9, 6:45 PM: Brecht in action: the creation of a master-work.
Sat., 5/16, 6:45 PM: Is the scientist responsible to anyone?