BWW Previews: Wayward Brings Sci Fi to Stage with Bixby's MAN FROM EARTH

Fans of science fiction rarely find material on the stage to sate their interest in the genre - mainly because there is so little material within the genre that can be pulled off live. But in the best sci fi, profound messages lay beneath the spectacle, and Wayward Actors Company will mine a choice piece of work when it presents Jerome Bixby's "The Man From Earth" Oct. 3-12 at The Bards Town.

"The Man From Earth" was the final work from Bixby, a prolific screenwriter who contributed to the classic "Star Trek" and "Twilight Zone" series. Bixby finished the screenplay for "The Man From Earth," put to film in 2007 by director Richard Schenkman, literally on his deathbed. (Schenkman adapted the screenplay for the stage in 2012.)

In "The Man From Earth," a history professor unexpectedly retires from his teaching position. As his friends and colleagues push for an explanation at his home, he shocks them by claiming to be a 14,000-year-old man who never ages. His friends try to discredit his story, but as it becomes clear that he can be neither disproved nor validated, emotions boil over to a shattering climax.

"It is an intelligent science fiction story that kept me riveted, without any big action scenes or special effects," said director Craig Nolan Highley. "It played out over a simple conversation among friends, sort of a sci-fi 'My Dinner With Andre.' And I just loved the story's message, which asks us to rethink our perceptions of our place in the universe."

For tickets and more information, call 502.749.5275 or go to www.thebardstown.com.