MACH 33 Play Reading: Capture the Sun

By George D. Morgan

What if someone created a non-polluting form of energy that was cheap and inexhaustible? In 1989, Dr. Stanley Pons of the University of Utah and Dr. Martin Fleischmann of Cambridge claimed to have done exactly that. Through interviews and records provided by academic researchers—many from Caltech—George Morgan's latest play shines a light on the dramatic story of two scientists whose rise to fame, and subsequent humiliation, was played out in front of the entire world.

Capture the Sun will be directed by Brian Brophy, head of Theater Arts at Caltech. Morgan's first two plays in his "Pasadena trilogy"—Rocket Girl and Pasadena Babalon—were also produced at Caltech under the direction of Brian Brophy.

About MACH 33

MACH 33: The Festival of New Science-Driven Plays at Caltech is a project of Theater Arts at Caltech. Under the direction of Brian Brophy, head of Theater Arts, MACH 33 has grown out of a passion to bring together science and art at Caltech. MACH 33 fosters compelling dialogues on scientific, mathematical, and technological questions by staging readings of new, unpublished plays by Los Angeles-area playwrights. Since 2013, the festival has offered artistic and very human experiences that capture our moral imagination and deepen public conversations and curiosity about science. The readings, by casts including Caltech students, faculty, staff, and other members of the Caltech/JPL/Huntington community, are open to the public and include post-show discussions with the playwrights. Each season, one play is selected for its world premiere in the following year as a fully staged production at Caltech.

Why "MACH 33?" The "escape velocity" is the speed needed to break free from the gravitational attraction of a massive body. On the surface of Earth, the escape velocity is about 11.2 kilometers per second, or approximately 33 times the speed of sound: Mach 33. Our name thus celebrates the innovative, dynamic breakthroughs that scientists and artists achieve.

Through our performances and post-show discussions, MACH 33 strives to:

• Challenge and broaden the view of science, mathematics, and technology in the popular imagination
• Make science feel more alive, exciting, and tangible
• Deepen our emotional responses to science and scientific inquiries
• Activate new ways of imagining the science all around us
• Strengthen personal connections to the scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who shape our world

Staged readings of three exciting new plays are performed in Hameetman Auditorium in Caltech's Cahill Center for Astrophysics, 1216 E. California Blvd. Suggested donations are $10, and $2 for students.

• They Promised Her the Moon by Laurel Ollstein, Saturday, May 3, 4:00 p.m.
• Theory of Nothing by Lolly Ward, Saturday, May 10, 4:00 p.m.
• Capture the Sun by George Morgan, Saturday, May 17, 3:30 p.m.

For more information, go to http://www.tacit.caltech.edu/shows.html