Kristine Nielsen, Rosdely Ciprian And Thursday Williams Join Staged Reading Of J.T. Rogers' ONE GIANT LEAP, 50 YEARS ON

"One Giant Leap: The Apollo 11 Moon Landing, 50 Years On" brings together renowned astronauts, journalists and acclaimed actors from stage and screen to commemorate a pivotal accomplishment for America and humankind, July 21 at The Town Hall.

The event, the brainchild of New York Times science writer and editor Alan Burdick, will begin with remarks by executive editor Dean Baquet, and will feature a star-studded reading of a new short play, commissioned for the occasion from Tony Award winner J. T. Rogers; and a discussion, hosted by Michael Barbaro ("The Daily"), with NASA veterans of the Apollo missions. The evening is augmented by an interactive VR experience that brings the audience one step closer to the most iconic step in history.

J. T. Rogers' "One Giant Leap: The Apollo 11 Moon Landing, 50 Years On" weaves together transcripts of the Apollo 11 mission, Times coverage from the period and excerpts from interviews with the men and women involved in the landing. Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher directs a cast including Lauren Ambrose, Jeff Daniels, Danai Gurira, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Dakin Matthews, Arian Moayed, and Kristine Nielsen, with special guests Rosdely Ciprian and Thursday Williams.

Following the performance, Michael Collins, command module pilot on Apollo 11; Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the International Space Station; and Poppy Northcutt, a mathematician with the Apollo program and the first female engineer to work in NASA's Mission Control Center during Apollo 8, will join Michael Barbaro of "The Daily" for an onstage conversation.

Before the reading and discussion, attendees can experience an interactive VR module, created with photographs taken by Apollo 11 astronauts, that transports them into a simulated recreation of the moon's surface. Admission to the VR activation is free and open to the general public from noon to 6 p.m. but requires sign-up in advance.

"One Giant Leap: The Apollo 11 Moon Landing, 50 Years On" takes place Sunday, July 21, at 7 p.m. at The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street, New York, N.Y.). Tickets, $50-$200, are on sale now. The event will be live streamed at timesevents.nytimes.com/onegiantleap.