Robert Galinsky to Perform COULD YOU PATENT THE SUN? at Jefferson Market Public Library

Playwright and poet Robert Galinsky will bring his acclaimed new solo work Could You Patent the Sun? to the West Village’s Jefferson Market Public Library for a one hour Sunday afternoon reading, Sunday at 2:00 PM (Feb 15) doors open 20 mins prior to curtain. Admission is free and open to the public, in the spirit of Dr. Jonas Salk’s belief that life-saving knowledge, like his polio vaccine, should be accessible to everyone. 

Written and performed by Robert Galinsky, Directed by Cory Michael Herman, and executive produced by Dr. Nigel Brown and Mark Schoenfeld, Could You Patent the Sun? explores the life and legacy of Dr. Jonas Salk, the visionary scientist who developed the polio vaccine and who famously refused to patent it, believing that life-saving knowledge should belong to everyone.

With minimal staging and maximum impact, Galinsky fuses humor, grit, and heart to embody Salk as both a man and a mirror for our times. The 55-minute performance is an intimate theatrical experience that raises timely questions about science, compassion, innovation, and the human spirit: Who owns knowledge? Who profits from discovery? And what happens when compassion, not profit, drives innovation?

A proud son of New York City, Salk grew up in the Bronx, studied at City College, and embodied a distinctly New York blend of grit, intellect, and compassion. His legacy finds a natural home at the Sirovich Center for Balanced Living, part of the Educational Alliance, a historic Lower East Side institution founded over a century ago to serve New York’s Jewish immigrant community. Today, the Sirovich Center continues that mission, fostering connection, creativity, and care for all older adults, making it the perfect place to honor Salk’s spirit of service and accessibility.

At its core, Could You Patent the Sun? is not a biography but a moral meditation - a living, breathing reflection of the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and of New York’s enduring spirit of generosity and ingenuity. Through Salk’s story, Galinsky and the Sirovich Center invite audiences to celebrate a shared belief: that knowledge, kindness, and community are our greatest collective inheritance.