Discussion: Science, Ethics and Power in Galileo’s Trial and Brecht’s Play
To complement the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Brecht’s The Life of Galileo, Jed Diamond from the Department of Theatre will host a public discussion entitled: Science, Ethics and Power in Galileo’s Trial and Brecht’s Play on Sunday, February 10 at 4:30 p.m. in the theatre immediately following the 2 p.m. matinee.
Dr. Robert Bast will be speaking on the topic of Galileo, the Church and the Roman Inquisition. He holds a B.A. in English literature from Hope College and a Masters of Divinity from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He spent two years as a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Tubingen in Germany, and in 1993 received his PhD in History from the University of Arizona. As founding director of the Marco Institute, he has helped to bring national prominence to UT’s interdisciplinary programs in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Among his publications is a monograph on the intersections of religious reform and political power entitled “Honor Your Fathers: Catechisms and the Emergence of a Patriarchal Ideology in Germany, c. 1400-1600.”
Dr. Jeffrey Kovac will speak on the topic of Power, Money, and Ethics in Science. Dr. Kovac was educated at Reed College (B.A, 1970, Chemistry) and Yale University (M.Phil, 1972 and Ph.D., 1974, Theoretical Chemistry). Since 1994 he has also been the Director of the Tennessee Governor’s Schools for the Sciences and Engineering. His scholarly interests include statistical mechanics, equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics, computer simulation, history and philosophy of science, scientific ethics, chemical education, and most recently the history and philosophy of pacifism.
Roderick Peeples has been based in Chicago since 1990. Over the years he has appeared in many Chicago productions, including the Chicago Shakespeare, Court, Steppenwolf, Next and Victory Gardens theatres. On television, he has appeared in Prison Break, ER, What About Joan, Early Edition, and The Untouchables series. Film work includes Robert Altman’s The Company, Road to Perdition, Novocaine, Payback: Director’s Cut, and The Hudsucker Proxy.

Like most regional theatres, we operate on a fiscal or “school” year, so we’re only half way through our season. But today was an example of how a theatre proceeds through the year — out with the old, in with the new.
There’s another thing that never stops — the needs of the less fortunate in our community. The Clarence Brown Theatre made a modest effort in asking our single ticket buyers of A Christmas Carol to bring non-perishable food items during the run for the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Food for Families program. Our patrons responded with several barrels full of food items, some of which were picked up and distributed before Christmas, and others to restock their supply. 



