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The Life of Galileo, A Play by Bertolt Brecht
The Cal Poly Department of Dance, Music, & Theatre present
The Life of Galileo a play by Bertolt Brecht
translated by Davis Edgar, presented with the cooperation of the Heirs of Bertolt Brecht, and co-directed by Craig Benson and Julie Eccles-Benson. Join us at the Gist Hall Theatre at Cal Poly Humboldt November 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 11th at 7:30pm and November 5th and 12th at 2:00 pm for a classic play about how individuals and society engage with science, the universe, and their place within it. Tickets are $10 General, $8 for Seniors and non-Cal Poly Students, and free for Cal Poly Students with ID. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at centerarts.humboldt.edu
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Set in 17th century Italy, the play hews closely to the historic life of Galileo Galilei and reveals the social dichotomies of the time. Galileo is the avatar of the emerging scientific method, skeptical and observant, pitted against the entrenched ideologies of the church and the power which it asserts over society through the control of information and the dogmatic restrictions of the faith.
Brechtian plays are “epic theatre” self-consciously retelling a story rather than realistically embodying the events of a narrative. A combination of social observation and Spass (fun), it is a method that animates the theatre so that a lay audience might attend with the enthusiasm and critical interest of spectators at a football game. Evan Pierce, student stage manager for Galileo, says of the production “The design of this show is just incredible and the actors (18 actors! Playing 40+ characters!) have really given the script a life of its own. The script is dense, but the blocking and acting really does make it an entertaining piece to watch. The costumes are elaborate. The many props are unique and have necessary historical accuracy and yet they all look so amazing! Also–we have projections! Simply put, it’s just fun.”
Julie Eccles-Benson, co-director of the play, has been instrumental in helping students navigate the dense and difficult text of the play. The language, while “modern,” is not casual dialogue. Stephen Chittenden, who plays Fulganzio the “Little Monk”, spoke of the prose in the work “I don’t see a lot of Brechtian theater in Humboldt. I have a feeling that people will likely be surprised by the asides as they are very much different in tone and direction than say Shakespearian asides; even if they share similarities.”
While now considered a piece of classical theatre, Galileo still has a place in the modern repertoire. Co-director Craig Benson says the play is important because it reflects on “How we talk about science” in our society. Not unlike the church’s reluctance to embrace the new scientific discoveries of the time, lest it disrupt the social order and their power over it, today’s power brokers in some political circles are too apt to deny the mountain of evidence warning of the destructive consequences of climate change, over-consumption, and loss of biodiversity. The play also interrogates the values of constancy of an individual, even if they are remarkable, in the face of oppression.
Why come and see this play? In the words of Chittenden/Fulgalzio “If not for the potent message of ‘heed the words of science’, at least come to the show to see what the students have been working to achieve.”
DATES/TIMES
WHERE
PRICE
- $10
- $8 Seniors/Students
- Free Cal Poly Students with ID
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