Lantern Theater Company to Host 'Quirk of Quarks' Following QED this Month

Lantern Theater Company presents The Quirks of Quarks: Richard Feynman's Legacy following the performances of QED on Sunday November 23 and Sunday, November 30. The discussion, delving into Richard Feynman's greatest discoveries and his lasting impact on the world of science, will be led by prominent local physicists Paul Halpern (November 23) and Kenneth William Ford (November 30) joined by the QED cast members. Admittance to both events is free to QED ticketholders.

Lantern Theater Company is remounting QED by Peter Parnell in a limited engagement running November 20 - December 14, 2014. One of the most curious and colorful personalities of the 20th century, Richard Feynman was a beloved professor, Nobel Prize-winning physicist, flirt, and unforgettable inspiration. Barrymore Award-winner Peter DeLaurier reprises his role from the Lantern's original 2006 production, capturing Feynman's remarkable spirit in a memorable journey through the greatest mysteries of science and human experience. Originally produced as part of the Lantern's 2006/07 season, QED went on to become one of the company's most acclaimed and best-selling productions and helped secure the Lantern's reputation for producing intelligent and thought-provoking plays that draw on varied scientific themes.

Tickets are $22 - $39 and are available online at lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Discounts are available for seniors 65 and up, groups of 10 or more and U.S. military personnel. $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID; cash only.

Paul Halpern is a professor of Physics at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Fulbright Scholarship, and an Athenaeum Literary Award, Halpern has studied space, time, and the relationship between science and culture. Halpern is the author of over a dozen science books, including Brave New Universe, What's Science Ever Done for Us?, What's the Matter with Pluto?, and the soon-to-be-released Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat: How Two Great Minds Battled Quantum Randomness to Create a Unified Theory of Physics.

Kenneth William Ford is a theoretical physicist currently residing in Philadelphia. Ford is the former first chair of the physics department at the University of California, Irvine; president of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; and Executive Director and CEO of the American Institute of Physics. Dr. Ford was mentored, as was Richard Feynman, by John Archibald Wheeler, who was influential in mentoring a generation of physicists who made notable contributions to quantum mechanics and gravitation. He is the author of nine books, including The World of Elementary Particles, 101 Quantum Questions, and assisted in writing Wheeler's autobiography, Geons, Black Holes, and Quantum Foam.

Lantern Theater Company's 2014/15 season continues next with John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play Doubt: A Parable, starring Ben Dibble and Mary Martello and directed by Kathryn MacMillan (January 15 - February 15, 2015); William Shakespeare's classic comedy The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Charles McMahon (March 19 - April 26, 2015); and Steven Canny and John Nicholson's ingenious adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, directed by Matt Pfeiffer and starring Dave Johnson, Daniel Fredrick and Damon Bonetti (May 28 - June 28, 2015).

Founded in 1994, Lantern Theater Company is committed to an authentic and intimate exploration of the human spirit in its choice of classics, modern, and original works. The Lantern seeks to be a vibrant, contributing member of its community, exposing audiences to great theater, inviting participation in dialogue and discussion, educating audience members about artistic and social issues, and employing theatrical language and techniques to enrich learning in the classroom. The Lantern has received 82 Barrymore Award nominations, winning 15 times including the 2009 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service for its innovative education program, Illumination. Lantern Theater Company has been in residence at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue. For more information, please visit www.lanterntheater.org.

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