QED at MIT--Jan 30
Lynn Heinemann
"QED"
by Peter Parnell
A staged reading of the play inspired by Richard Feynman
Award-winning actor Jeremiah Kissel will portray Nobel Laureate Richard
Feynman (MIT Class of 1939) in a staged reading of ³QED,² a play by Peter
Parnell inspired by Feynman¹s writings.
Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7pm
Rm 10-250 (enter 77 Massachusetts Ave.)
Admission free; no tickets needed
Seating limited; doors open at 6:30pm
Information: 617/253-2341
The reading will be followed by a panel discussion featuring friends and
collaborators of Feynman, including author Ralph Leighton, musician and
bongo drummer Tom Rutishauser, MIT professor and ³father of Artificial
Intelligence² Marvin Minsky and MIT science historian David Kaiser.
Feynman (1918-1988) who shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in physics for his
work in quantum electrodynamics (QED), is known for his work on the atomic
bomb and his simple solution to the puzzle of the Challenger explosion. He
also was a practical joker and eccentric who played the bongo drums and
was fascinated by Tuva, a mountain country adjacent to Mongolia.
The role of Feynman in the play written by Peter Parnell was created by
Alan Alda at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum in the spring of 2001. That
production was also staged at New York's Lincoln Center the following
fall. The show was well received by critics in both cities.
Jeremiah Kissel has appeared on stages throughout the Boston area for 20
years, performing Shakespeare, Chekhov, Sondheim, Dylan Thomas, Tom
Stoppard and Neil Simon, among others. He won the 1999 Independent
Reviewers of New England (IRNE) best supporting actor award and the first
Outstanding Boston Actor Award at the Eliot Norton Ceremonies in 1990. The
MIT performance, which is directed by Jon Lipsky, will also feature Boston
actress Jordi Dann.
Panel Participants:
DAVID KAISER, a science historian who has lectured and written extensively
on Feynman, is author of the upcoming "Drawing Theories Apart: The
Dispersion of Feynman Diagrams in Postwar Physics." He is Leo Marx
Assistant Professor of the History of Science in MIT's Program in Science,
Technology, and Society and also a Lecturer in MIT's Department of
Physics.
RALPH LEIGHTON, a longtime friend of Feynman¹s, is the co-author of
Feynman works including, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" and "What Do
You Care What Other People Think?" Event will be followed by a
book-signing by Leighton.
MARVIN MINSKY, one of the most influential leaders in the field of
artificial intelligence, is author of the book, "The Society of Mind" and
was a friend of Feynman's. He is Toshiba Professor of Media Arts and
Sciences and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at
MIT.
TOM RUTISHAUSER, a professional musician who used to drum with Feynman and
coached Alan Alda for his role as Feynman in the play, ³QED²
FREE ICE CREAM
As an added treat, Toscannini's Ice Cream will be on hand to give out free
scoops of a special "Feynman flavor" created especially for the occasion.
The flavor, as yet unnamed, is described as "a parfait of Earl Gray tea
ice cream with lemon sorbet and sweet cream."
The tasty treat was inspired by the following anecdote from the book,
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman":
I go through the door, and there are some ladies, and some girls,
too. It's all very formal and I'm thinking about where to sit down
and should I sit next to this girl, or not, and how should I behave,
when I hear a voice behind me.
'Would you like cream or lemon in your tea, Mr Feynman?' It's Mrs.
Eisenhart, pouring tea. 'I'll have both, thank you,' I say, still
looking for where I'm going to sit, when suddenly I hear
'Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh. Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman!'
==============
It's theater; it's physics; it's bongos; it's ice cream -- and it's free.
Who could ask for anything more?
--Lynn Heinemann, MIT Office of the Arts