Burning Coal Theatre Company Presents THE LIFE OF GALILEO

Burning Coal Theatre Company will present its production of The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht, adapted by David Edgar, April 7 - 24, 2022.

This production, directed by Burning Coal's Artistic Director Jerome Davis, will be performed at Dorothea Dix Park, 1030 Richardson Dr. Raleigh, NC 27603. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. All tickets are $25, or $20 for seniors (65+) or $15 (students, teachers, active military). Tickets and additional information can be found at www.burningcoal.org or by calling the box office at (919) 834-4001.

The Life of Galileo tells the story of groundbreaking Italian physicist, astronomer, and scientific innovator Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642), as he seeks to solidify in science and society that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around. Galileo easily explains the concept to his colleagues at the university; however, the Catholic Church is not as easily moved. When Galileo brings his findings to the senior officials of the church, he is firmly told to abandon the notion and that such a belief was heresy. He does as he is ordered but continues his research in secret and tries to maintain his principle of scientific impartiality. But can he, in a world so unwilling to except any challenge to standard beliefs? This insightful play provides commentary on reason, integrity, and what it takes to stand up to power.

Bertolt Brecht was born in Bavaria in the year 1898 and died in Germany in the year 1956. He was a playwright, director, and poet. He was one of the most notable theatre theoreticians of the 20th century and was a pioneer of epic theatre, a style of theatre that seeks to enact social change through direct addresses and analysis appealing to the audience's reason. He believed in pulling the audience out of the suspension of disbelief and reminding them that they are watching a show. His other plays include Mother Courage and Her Children, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Edward II, The Good Person of Szechwan, and The Three Penny Opera (with Kurt Weill). He received many awards including a Drama Desk Award and the Lenin Peace Prize.

David Edgar, born in Birmingham, England in 1948, is a fourth-generation thespian. Over sixty of his plays have been published. He has worked closely with the Royal Shakespeare Company since 1976 and has been both a resident playwright and board member for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. His plays have been performed in top-tier English theaters, like the London National Theatre, and all over the world. He is a recipient of multiple Oliver awards and a Tony award. He has also carried his success on to the next generation by founding England's first graduate course in playwriting at the University of Birmingham. Some of his most notable works include Pentecost, The Shape of the Table, The Prisoner's Dilemma, and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby.

Director Jerome Davis is the founding artistic director of Burning Coal Theatre Company. Jerome was born in Nashville, Tennessee and studied in New York with Nikos Psacharapolous, Julie Bovasso and for seven years at the HB Studio, with Uta Hagen. He has worked all over the country including at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Columbia University, New Dramatists, Mint Theatre in New York City, and more. Locally, Jerome has directed Rat in the Skull, Pentecost, The Steward of Christendom, Winding the Ball, Night and Day, The Weir, Sunday in the Park with George, Enron, Evita and Company at Burning Coal as well as Of Mice and Men at the Temple Theatre and various plays at local schools. Jerome's exceptional work has led him to become a 2019 recipient of the Raleigh Medal of the Arts.

More information at 919.834.4001 or at www.burningcoal.org.

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