L.A. Theatre Works Airs The Real Dr. Strangelove 11/10

In a truly unique evening of theatre, Texas Performing Arts welcomes the world-renowned L.A. Theatre Works Company performing Peter Goodchild's classic piece, The Real Dr. Strangelove: Edward Teller and the Battle for the H-Bomb, Wednesday, November 10 at Hogg Memorial Auditorium.

For two decades, L.A. Theatre Works has been the foremost radio company in the United States. Broadcast in America on NPR and internationally on the BBC, CBC, and the Voice of America, LATW has single-handedly brought live theater into the homes of millions. Their hugely successful series of live radio theater presentations includes works by the world's greatest playwrights. Their touring performances are immediate, spontaneous, and feature a first-rate cast, live sound effects, and a connection to the audience rarely felt in a traditional theater setting.

Peter Goodchild's gripping docu-drama lays out true arguments on both sides of the question: If you have the knowledge, are you obligated to use it? The Real Dr. Strangelove explores the fractionated relationship between Edward Teller, one of America's most respected scientists who advocated for developing the H-Bomb, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atom bomb who became the chief obstacle for Eisenhower and the Pentagon in the creation of a more destructive weapon. In this fully-staged production of a radio play, we witness the plan to widen America's nuclear armory, which ultimately set our country on the path to becoming the strongest military nation on the planet - and living with the consequences.

Leading this outstanding cast is television and film actor John Getz as Oppenheimer. Getz is featured in the new film The Social Network and is a veteran of dozens of television shows including NCIS, Prison Break, Mad Men, and Trust Me, among others. Esteemed stage actor and LATW regular John Vickery will play Teller. Vickery was the original Scar in The Lion King on Broadway and is well known to TV audiences from his work on Star Trek and Babylon 5. He is also the voice of Lucifer in the wildly popular video game Dante's Inferno.

Also in the cast are film and TV actor Michael Canavan (Murder By Numbers, Flags of Our Fathers, Mad Men, Bones, Big Love, 7th Heaven, and others) and Geoffrey Wade (Law & Order, Bold and the Beautiful, and others). The rest of the fine cast includes film and television actors Kyle Colerider-Krugh, Diane Adair and Peter McDonald. Obie Award winner Shannon Cochran (Steppenwolf) is directing.

Campus & Community Engagement Event:

ATOMIC CINEMA

The Austin Public Library, Texas Performing Arts, and the Humanities Institute at the University of Texas at Austin present Atomic Cinema, an atomic age film series that ranges from serious to comedic. Professors from the University of Texas will be on hand to introduce the films and stimulate discussion following the screenings. Atomic Cinema is presented in conjunction with a performance of The Real Dr. Strangelove: Edward Teller and the Battle for the H-Bomb by LA Theatre Works at Hogg Memorial Auditorium. The film screenings are free and open to the public. For more information please call 512-974-7400 or visit cityofaustin.org/library.

* Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Tuesday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Twin Oaks Branch, 1800 S. Fifth St, (512) 974-9980
Discussion led by Kirsten Cather, Assistant Professor of Asian Studies

* Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Monday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m.
University Hills Branch, 4721 Loyola Ln., (512) 974-9940
Discussion led by Mark Lawrence, Associate Professor of History

* The Atomic Cafe (1982)
Wednesday, November 3 at 6:30 p.m.
North Village Branch, 2505 Steck Ave., (512) 974-9960
Discussion led by Bruce Hunt, Associate Professor of History

 

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