Flat Earth Theatre to Present Aaron Sorkin's THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, 6/12-27

Brilliant minds go head to head in THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION by Emmy Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing and The Social Network.

Upstart inventor Philo Farnsworth faces off against media mogul David Sarnoff in a nail-biting race to be the first to develop one of the twentieth century's most influential inventions: television. Directed by 2015 IRNE Award winner and fringe powerhouse Sarah Gazdowicz, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION continues Flat Earth's 2015 season "Progress and Peril," stories of scientific progress and the lives it has ruined.

Philo Farnsworth, a child prodigy raised on a farm in rural Idaho, has overcome adversity to create the world's first electronic television. Meanwhile, employing the top minds of a generation, self-made media mogul David Sarnoff seeks to uncover the secret to Farnsworth's groundbreaking device through any means necessary. Driven by Sorkin's signature brand of quick-witted storytelling, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION moves fluidly from spell-binding to heart-breaking in a kinetic spectacle that confronts how history is remembered.

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION will run for three weeks at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street in Watertown, MA. Tickets can be purchased at flatearth.ticketleap.com/farnsworth for $20 in advance, $25 at the door, or $10 student rush. THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION's design team includes Rebecca Lehrhoff (Set Design), Erica Desautels (Costume Design), Ian King (Lighting Design), Kyle Serino (Sound Design), and Lindsay Alaimo (Property Manager). The Producer is Lindsay Eagle, the Stage Manager is Amy Lehrmitt, and the Technical Director is Leigh Downes.

The cast features Chris Larson as Philo Farnsworth, Michael Fisher as David Sarnoff, and an ensemble consisting of Matt Arnold, Katharine Daly, Robin Gabrielli, Andy Hicks, Justus Perry, Korinne T. Ritchey, Noah Simes, Sophie Sinclair, and Dale J. Young.

Performance schedule at The Arsenal Center for the Arts (321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472):

Friday, June 12th @ 8pm
Saturday, June 13th @ 8pm
Sunday, June 14th @ 2pm
Friday, June 19th @ 8pm
Saturday, June 20th @ 8pm
Sunday, June 21st @ 2pm
Monday, June 22nd @ 7:30pm
Thursday, June 25th @ 8pm
Friday, June 26th @ 8pm
Saturday, June 27th @ 8pm

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT - From TV Guide: After penning a number of off-Broadway plays, Sorkin made it to the Great White Way with the 1989 legal military drama A Few Good Men. Three years later the play was turned into an Oscar-nominated film, thus launching his Hollywood career. Sorkin then transitioned into television, creating a succession of witty, poignant and critically acclaimed series set behind the scenes at a sports show (the beloved but short-lived Sports Night), the White House (the Emmy-winning The West Wing), a late-night sketch-comedy show (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), and a cable-news network (The Newsroom). Each were characteristically filled with crackling dialogue and fascinating characters, and Sorkin wrote almost all the scripts single-handedly. Sorkin returned to the movies by writing the scripts for the 2007 political comedy-drama Charlie Wilson's War and the 2010 docudrama The Social Network, about the rise of Facebook.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR - A stalwart of the Boston fringe theatre scene, Sarah Gazdowicz is a beloved Flat Earth Theatre collaborator. Previous directing credits with Flat Earth include Enigma Variations and The Pillowman (My Theatre World Award: Best Regional Production). Other recent directing credits include Chalk (Fresh Ink Theatre), Argonautika (The Young Company Summer Festival - Stoneham Theatre) and Bully Dance (Argos Productions - IRNE Nomination for Best New Play). Also a performer, Sarah's recent acting credits include Betty Bam, Knock! (IRNE Award: Best Ensemble) and Rumpelstiltskin: Winter Panto 2013 all with imaginary beasts as well as 123 with Fresh Ink Theatre. This summer, Sarah will be directing The Winter's Tale with Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company and will be returning to Stoneham to once again direct and teach with the Young Company.

ABOUT FLAT EARTH THEATRE - Flat Earth Theatre (flatearththeatre.com) has been collaboratively crafting thought-provoking theatre in greater Boston since 2006. Featured productions include the award-winning staging of The Pillowman with the IRNE-nominated shadow puppetry of Woellert&Clark, the dimension-traveling production of Rocket Man, and the New England premier of the sci-fi dystopia What Once We Felt. Terra Nova kicks off Flat Earth's 2015 season "Progress and Peril," which will also feature Aaron Sorkin's The Farnsworth Invention in the summer and D.W. Gregory's Radium Girls in the fall.

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