Galileo in America 2004

About the project
A theatrical work in progress, Galileo in America is an expansive medition on the recurrent efforts of governments to repress artistic and intellectual freedoms. Drawing initial inspiration from Bertolt Brecht's play The Life of Galileo, it focuses on Brecht's years of exile in Los Angeles. It incorporates material drawn from Brecht's journals, from the files the FBI kept on Brecht during those years, from accounts of Brecht's collaboration with the English actor Charles Laughton to produce a new English translation of Galileo, and from the testimony of Brecht and others before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

Galileo in America has been presented in two staged readings, at the Goethe Institute in Los Angeles, and at the Villa Aurora in Pacific Palisades, both in 2004. It is currently under revision. I am the scriptwriter for this project, working with an ensemble of actors and directors who are interested in helping to develop the work.

Documentation
Galileo in America script (PDF)

Galileo in America website (link)