HC Theatre presents The Life of Galileo
FOR RELEASE: Monday, September 29, 2003
Huntington, Ind. " The Huntington College Theatre Department will present The Life of Galileo, Thursday through Saturday, October 9, 10 and 11. The production, directed by Professor Mike Burnett, is considered part of the department's LAB season and will be held in Science Hall's Hiner Hall on the campus of Huntington College. General admission and seating is $2, and tickets can be purchased at the door. Open discussions will follow each performance. Each performance will begin at 8 p.m. The play, written by Bertolt Brecht, is among his most complex plays. The Life of Galileo consistently refuses easy resolutions to the thorny problems it tackles. Galileo (played by Noah Varness, a junior theatre-performance major from Morris, Ill.) behaves atrociously, stealing credit for other's discoveries, putting his family and friends into grave peril, destroying his inquisitive daughter's spirit, and ultimately recanting in the face of the Inquisition. These actions are never explained away, never justified in the name of the greater good. They are simply presented as the terrible things a great man did to survive in difficult times. Better yet, Brecht allows the opposition " the Church and the scientists who refuse to abandon Aristotelian astronomy " real eloquence in their refutations of Galileo.
Members of the ensemble will be responsible for portraying various characters throughout the production. Those members include:
Dan Olson, a junior theatre-performance major from Shullsburg, Wis.
Noah Mazaika, a junior theatre-performance major from Mt. Airy, Md.
Rebekah Bachman, a freshman cross cultural ministries major from Columbus, Mich.
Nadia Andrus, a freshman theatre-performance major from Grand Rapids, Mich.
Becca Rodgers, a sophomore theatre-design and technology major from Lacon, Ill.
Lynda Barnum, a senior English education major from Drexel Hill, Pa.
Nikki Barger, a sophomore theatre-performance major from Celina, Ohio
Scott Grinstead, a senior theatre-performance major from Dunbar, W. Va.
Josh Christenson, a freshman social studies education major from Carol Stream, Ill.
Members of the production staff include:
STAGE MANAGER: Sharon Voss, a sophomore theatre-performance major from Villa Park, Ill.
ASST. STAGE MANAGER: Laura Brautigam, a sophomore theatre-performance major from Westfield, N.Y.
SCENIC DESIGNER: Matt Pillar, a junior theatre-design and technology major from Columbus, Ind.
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Matt Chilcoat, a junior theatre-design and technology major from Columbus, Ohio
COSTUME DESIGNER: Ashleigh Lewis, a sophomore theatre-design and technology major from Bloomington, Ill.
PROPS MASTER: Kylie Edmonds, a freshman theatre-performance major from Bourbon, Ind.
MULTIMEDIA DESIGNERS: Jeff Blossom, a sophomore broadcast communication major from Fort Wayne, Ind., and Ashley Fox, a senior history major from Roanoke, Ind.
SOUND DESIGNER: Zarin Barnes, a sophomore broadcast communication major from Peru, Ind.
MUSIC DESIGNERS: Leah Coon, a senior English education major from Sand Creek, Mich., and Drew Wutke, a junior choral education major from Girard, Kan.
GRAPHIC ART: Dennis Jones " Artwerks, www.dj-art.com
For more information on the Huntington College Theatre Department, contact Mike Burnett, assistant professor of theatre, at (260) 359-4279.
