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MACH 33 Play Reading: Theory of Nothing

Saturday, May 10, 2014
4:00pm to 5:30pm
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By Lolly Ward

If Marie Curie stopped by your tree house, would you let her in? Tough-as-nails physicist Brit and sculptor Chuck Swanson are the parents to Max, a condensed matter physicist, Sugar, a designer, who return to their childhood home to pack up the house on the eve of their parents' divorce. But when the characters reveal shocking truths about themselves, the entire family is forced to confront questions of honesty, allegiance, and madness.

Theory of Nothing is a visceral and exciting theater experience written by Lolly Ward, whose play Mate: The Untouchable Bobby Fischer premiered at Caltech in 2012, directed by Brian Brophy, Director of Theater Arts at Caltech. Her play 72 Objects is a 2014 semifinalist for the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Theory of Nothing will be directed by Arden Thomas, Executive Producer of MACH 33: The Festival of New Science-Driven Plays at Caltech.

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33 fosters compelling dialogues on scientific, mathematical, and technological questions by staging readings of new, unpublished plays by Los Angeles-area playwrights.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.

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

For more information, please contact Theater Arts at Caltech by phone at (626) 395-3696 or by email at tacit@caltech.edu.