The Life of Galileo explored a dramatized retelling of the famous scientist’s real life, exploring themes of faith versus fact, courage and betrayal.
Directed by Hal Kohlman, this show opened in the Black Box Theatre on Feb 22 as the first Studio Series of the spring semester.
The Studio Series is a production series through the School of Theatre that focuses on developing young professionals and often features student directors, young designers and performers.
Galileo was a Studio Series Unplugged meaning that it lacked any support from the Design and Production program, usually responsible for the technical elements of productions.
Even without technical support, the show was a success selling out online for most of them. The show ran for a solid two hours with a fifteen-minute intermission.
The plot of the show spanned several years of Galileo’s life from his initial discoveries about the Earth revolving around the sun to his recanting of his work as required by the Church. It touched upon Galileo’s relationships with his peers, his daughter, the Church and its authorities.
Led by senior Luke Williams as the titular Galileo, the cast put on a brilliant performance. Many of the actors played a variety of characters, differentiated by wearing different colored masks. Masks were also a heavily utilized artistic choice to convey perception and ideology of the characters in the story.
Other unique elements of the show included ending and beginning each scene with a clap to notate the transition and the cast being visible the entire show. When not actively performing, the cast sat against the back wall of the theatre uncovered by the usual curtain.
Despite the heavy content at times, the show maintained a good pace and told a fascinating story about important discoveries in our world.
The play was written by Bertolt Brecht who is regarded as one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century.
The show provided audiences with both an educational and entertaining experience as it balanced humor and succinct storytelling in a historical yet enthralling production.
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