ANW CalTech's Julia Greer Symposium on Madwoman Oct 26 at 6:30pm

A Noise Within (ANW) announces a special, second symposium during the run of their second production of the 2017-2018 season, The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux and translated by Maurice Valency. On Thursday, October 26th at 6:30 pm, California Institute of Technology (CalTech) Professor Dr. Julia R. Greer brings A Noise Within a special symposium addressing the scientific aspects of The Madwoman of Chaillot.

Professor Julia R. Greer, whose specialty is materials science and mechanics, returns to A Noise Within after a popular, riveting fall 2016 presentation on the scientific principles within Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. This year, she addresses the themes in The Madwoman of Chaillot from the angle of the physics of power and energy production.

Greer says, "There are many ways to get rich which don't involve uprooting the streets of Paris to get the precious oil. In this lecture, we will discuss the physics of producing energy from oil vs. through sustainable sources like the sun, wind, and atoms. We will cover the basics of semiconductors, energy conversion, temperature, and photons as they help extract energy out of what is already there. Imagine Paris - the romantic, aching symbol as we know it - whose buildings are constantly generating energy and whose sidewalks and cafes are as inviting as ever."

$25 seats are still available for the performance and symposium - this special price is a holdover from the company's 25th anniversary of promotion, which sets aside 25 seats at every performance for the special $25 price.

Dr. Julia R. Greer's research focuses on creating 3-dimensionAl Nano-architectures and designing experiments to assess their properties. These architected meta-materials have multiple applications as biomedical devices, battery electrodes, and lightweight structural materials and provide a rich "playground" for fundamental science. Greer has S.B. in Chemical Engineering (minor in Advanced Music Performance) from MIT in 1997, Ph.D. in Materials Science from Stanford, worked at Intel (2000-03) and was a post-doc at PARC (2005-07). Julia joined Caltech in 2007 and has appointments in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Medical Engineering.

Directed by Stephanie Shroyer, the poetic, surreal, and comic fable currently onstage features ANW favorite Resident Artist Deborah Strang as Countess Aurelia, the Madwoman herself, performing now through November 11, 2017. Oil is discovered under Paris, and Countess Aurelia and her kooky coterie are determined to drive away the evil corporate profiteers lying in wait.

ANW Producing Artistic Director Geoff Elliott says the play is "A can't-miss, rallying cry for those who crave a satisfying David vs. Goliath fable in the form of incisive, wildly comic theatre. Think Molière, Feydeau, Beaumarchais, Wilde."

The humanity and striking relevancy to current affairs is what Drew Elliott and Producing Artistic Director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott to bring Madwoman to ANW for the Fall 2017-18 season: "This fall, all of our protagonists embrace love. They pay it forward, and by doing so make a positive difference to the lives around them. The Madwoman of Chaillot is in her twilight years, but she takes a stand for future, unnamed generations."

Tickets for The Madwoman of Chaillot, starting at $25, are available online at www.anoisewithin.org and by phone by calling 626-356-3100. A Noise Within is located on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107, just north of the Madre Street exit off the 210.

The Madwoman of Chaillot cast includes Michael Sturgis as the Waiter, Armin Shimerman* as the Prospector, Wesley Mann* as the President, Apollo Dukakis* as the Baron, George Villas* as the Rag Picker, Jay Lee as the Street Juggler, Deborah Strang* as Countess Aurelia, Rafael Goldstein* as Pierre, Steve Weingartner* as The Sewer-Man, Susan Angelo* as Mme. Constance, Jill Hill* as Mme. Gabrielle, Veralyn Jones* as Mme. Josephine, and Richy Storrs in multiple roles. *denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association

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