The Life of Galileo
A play by Bertolt Brecht adapted by Patrick Walsh
March 6-8 + 13-15 | 7:30-9:30pm* | Kendall Planetarium
Tickets: $39 Adults (18+), $35 Seniors (63+) , $25 Youth/Student (3-18) | OMSI members receive 15% off
*Doors open approximately 30 minutes prior to the show. The show is two hours with one intermission.
The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht recounts the true story of astronomer Galileo Galilei, a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution. An innovator who faced the ire of the Roman Catholic Church with his heliocentric view of our place in the cosmos. The story takes place in 17th-century Italy, spanning roughly from 1609 to 1637. It explores the role of a scientist in a religious society during a time of immense scientific discovery. With stunning images by Planetarium Director Jim Todd and live music by Adrian Harris Crowne, music and math burst forth onstage. Through this play, we see how Galileo Galilei changed the way we understand both the heavens and the earth.
Playwright Bertolt Brecht has been one of the most-produced playwrights in the world for the past three-quarters of a century. His style, which became known as Epic Theater, is particularly well-suited for theater in the round and in the planetarium.
“Art is not a mirror with which to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it,” said Bertolt Brecht. “The aim of science is not to open the door to infinite wisdom, but to set a limit to infinite error.” Bertolt Brecht, The Life of Galileo.
PRODUCING PARTNERS:
Mt Hood Repertory Theatre (presented by)
MHRT has been in existence for over thirty years. Founded by Tobias Anderson, it produced annual plays at Mt. Hood CC. It now produces three full productions and five or more readings a year. The most recent full productions were True West in Southeast Portland and Silent Sky at OMSI.
Readers Theatre Gresham (supporting producer)
Readers Theatre Gresham presents bi-monthly readings of plays, prose, and poetry. The focus is on the spoken word and Pulitzer Prize-winning plays.
Questions? Email events@omsi.edu
Ticketing questions call 503.797.4000 x0
Frequently Asked Questions
No, food and drink are not allowed in the Planetarium.
OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Ave Portland, OR 97214. Visitors can pay for parking through the Parking Kitty app or at parking kiosks in the North and South parking lots.
OMSI parking costs $5 (+ fees) for 2 hours or $8 (+ fees) for all day parking. Guests arriving after 5pm can expect to pay a flat fee of $2 (+ fees) for the evening.
The Kendall Planetarium has many amenities available, including:
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Scripts for presentations are available on request
Nearby ADA accessible restrooms
Please check in with an OMSI staff member for assistance in accessing these amenities.
We have a limited number of Arts for All tickets available for this production. You can purchase them online or by calling concierge at 503.797.4000 x0 or email concierge@omsi.edu for more information on how to access these tickets.
OMSI’s Harry C. Kendall Planetarium, a 185-seat, 52-foot domed theater, is one of the most technologically advanced planetariums in the Pacific Northwest. The planetarium sports the new generation of Sky-Skan’s DigitalSky simulation and control system, DigitalSky Dark Matter. DigitalSky Dark Matter uses the JVC Reference Series offering an ultra-deep 160,000:1 native contrast ratio and 2,000 lumens per projector. A server of computers with the latest in NVidia graphics, 8GB RAM, 2TB memory, solid state drives, and 3.7GHZ Quad-Core processing per PC powers the Definiti system, including full-dome projection, sound system integration, and master control.
The laser show installation at OMSI uses six Rainbow FX laser projectors from the new Laser Fantasy Rainbow FX laser system. The laser system outputs about 15 watts of laser light compared to less than three watts from the previous system and uses a fraction of the electricity eliminating the need for three-phase power and water cooling.