Galileo at the CBT on Sale NOW!
Who: Clarence Brown Theatre
What: The Life of Galileo
When: January 31-February 17
Tickets: www.clarencebrowntheatre.com or 974-5161
Contact: rconkli1@utk.edu
The Life of Galileo, Bertolt Brecht¹s masterpiece about social responsibility and the clash between science and faith will run January 31 through February 17 on the Clarence Brown Theatre mainstage. Much more than a biography of the famous scientist, mathematician, philosopher and father of the machine age, the production looks deeply into the ethics of science and poses a number of questions, drawing close correlations to the events that occurred at the end of World War II (atomic warfare) and in the 1950¹s and 60¹s.
Four centuries after Galileo, and 50 years after Brecht, the relationships between science, religion and politics continue to be difficult, making the play as relevant as ever. Debates in the US courts over intelligent design and stem-cell research, as well as the realignment of religion and politics in the Islamic world, underline this.
UT Theatre Department Head and Clarence Brown Theatre Artistic Director, Calvin MacLean, will direct the production. Prior to UT, MacLean was professor of Theatre and Head of Directing at Illinois State University. He also was Artistic Director for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, a professional, summer Shakespeare theatre associated with Illinois State. In addition to directing throughout the country, MacLean regularly directed in Chicago. His productions at Chicago¹s Famous Door Theatre earned several prestigious Joseph Jefferson (Jeff) Awards for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Direction. Most notable is Joshua Sobol¹s Ghetto, a production that ran for seven months. Critically acclaimed as one of the best productions in Chicago for 1999, Ghetto was honored with four Jeff Awards, including Outstanding Production of a Play, and received the first-ever Michael Maggio Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play.
"I chose this play because it is so immediately interesting and compelling. It deals with the collision between science and society, with the responsibility that the scientists have to the rest of us, and how science¹s discoveries can benefit us or harm us. The issues that Galileo dealt with are not far removed from the issues before us today. It is a play that I think this community deserves and needs to see," MacLean said.
Roderick Peeples (Galileo) has been based in Chicago since 1990. Over the years he has appeared in many Chicago productions, including the Chicago Shakespeare, Court, Steppenwolf, Next and Victory Gardens theatres. On television, he has appeared in Prison Break, ER, What About Joan, Early Edition, and The Untouchables series. Film work includes Robert Altman¹s The Company, Road to Perdition, Novocaine, Payback: Director¹s Cut, The Hudsucker Proxy.
David Kortemeier (Sagredo) appeared as Don Carlos Homenides de Histangua in A Flea in Her Ear last season. His work has also been seen at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, the Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Cleveland, and several others.
Steve Fitchpatrick (Federzoni, etc.) recently appeared in A Christmas Carol at the CBT. In addition to the stage, he has starred in such television shows as: Murphy Brown, Chicago Hope, Northern Exposure, and Grace Under
Fire.
Carol Mayo Jenkins (Mrs. Sarti) has performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatre across the country. Her career took her to Los Angeles, where she worked for twenty years in film and television.
David Brian Alley (Bursar of Padua, etc.) is a CBT Resident Artist now in his eighth season, who also teaches acting for the Department of Theatre.
Donald Thorne (Old Doge,etc.) has acted in UT productions beginning at Hunter Hills Theater in 1974 to A Christmas Carol in 2007.
Jed Diamond (Senator, etc.) is Head of Graduate Acting at UT and recently performed as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Previously based in New York, Mr. Diamond has acted at The Roundabout Theatre in NYC, at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., with The Acting Company, at Syracuse Stage, The New York Shakespeare Festival, and in other theatres.
Terry Weber(Senator, etc.) is an Associate Professor of Theatre at UT and currently volunteers as the Artistic Director of The WordPlayers, a company of Christian theatre artists. Terry¹s acting career has taken him to theatres in New York, Seattle, Milwaukee, Louisville, Chicago, Kansas City, Montgomery, Knoxville, Toronto, Orlando, Charleston (SC), and Avignon, France.
Jessica Culaciati (Virginia), a third year MFA student, graduated with a B.A in Theatre from Cal State Long Beach, and also trained at the Actors Center in NY.
Christopher Tramantano (Ludovico, etc.) is a third year acting MFA student who received his BA in Theatre from Fordham University at Lincoln Center.
Originally from NY, Christopher has worked on stage, in film, and for television.
Adam Heffernan (Senator, etc.) was born and raised in New Hampshire and has almost earned his MFA in Acting at UT. He was previously artistic director of Highlands Playhouse and The Instant Theatre Company.
Jon Liddiard (Senator, etc.) a third year MFA in Acting candidate, originally hails from Provo, UT and received his BFA in Acting from BYU.
Clay McCammon (Young Andrea, etc.) is a 6th grader at Christian Academy of Knoxville where he was in his first middle school play this fall, Tom Sawyer.
Ben Croisdale (Cosimo de Medici, etc.) recently appeared in A Christmas Carol.He lives in Blaine where he enjoys playing with his kitten, his brother and sister, and his blocks.
Jenny Ballard (Lady in Waiting, etc.) has been acting and directing professionally in East Tennessee since 2000, and has been involved in over fifty productions. Jenny is the Artistic Director of Children¹s Theatre of Knoxville.
Completing the cast are UT Theatre students Alysha Cantrell; Quinn Q. Cason; Ash Edwards; Brandon Gibson; Rebecca Haden; Seth Crowe and, Lauren Pennline.
Costume Designer Bill Black has been designing, teaching and directing the production of costumes for the Clarence Brown Theatre and the University of Tennessee for more than 30 years.
Visiting Set Designer, Narelle Sissons, is a graduate of both Central St Martins and The Royal College of Art in London. She has designed sets on Broadway, Off Broadway, in regional theatres and internationally. Her awards and nominations include: Drama Desk nomination, American Theatre Wing nomination, Helen Hayes nomination, Garland Award and Leon Rabin Award recipient and Prague Quadrennial exhibitor 2007.
Lighting Designer Kenton Yeager has designed, produced or directed more than 500 productions for Theatre, Dance, Music, Industrials, Churches, Festivals, Architecture, Youth Audiences and Touring Productions both nationally and internationally. He is head of the UT Masters Program in Entertainment Lighting Design.
Musical Director, Terry Silver-Alford, is a member of the UT Theatre faculty and teaches Musical Theatre Performance, Acting, and Introduction to the Theatre. He created original music for The Life of Galileo.
Mike Ponder, Sound Designer, has been the Resident Sound Designer for the UT theatre program and it¹s associated Clarence Brown Professional Company for 10 years.
Choreographer Lindsay Torrey is currently a third year student in the graduate acting program at UT.
Preview for The Life of Galileo is Thursday, January 31, followed by Opening Night Friday, February 1. The show runs through Sunday, February 17. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Matinees begin at 2 p.m. UT faculty/staff, senior citizens, children and students and groups receive discounts. For tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at 865-974-5161, Tickets Unlimited at 865-656-4444 or online at www.clarencebrowntheatre.com