They Promised Her the Moon by Laurel Ollstein, Saturday, May 3, 4pm

NASA 1960: Thirteen accomplished women pilots pass the grueling NASA tests for astronauts, and when LIFE magazine gets ahold of the story a few of the women shine as minor celebrities heading for space. Yet the MACHo culture of the NASA program resists. Vice President Lyndon Johnson even scribbles a memo, "Let's stop this now!" It would be twenty more years before Sally Ride blasts off in Challenger 3. They Promised Her the Moon tells the true story of one of these women – Jerrie Cobb – who for a short, thrilling time thought that she would be the first female astronaut in space. Award-winning actor and playwright Laurel Ollstein received the Faith Broome Playwright-in-Residence award at the University of Oklahoma, which commissioned and produced an earlier version of They Promised Her the Moon. They Promised Her the Moon will be directed by Brenda Varda, founding member and Artistic Director of Wordspace, a studio for writing classes, workshops, and events in Los Angeles.

Theory of Nothing by Lolly Ward, Saturday, May 10, 4pm

If Marie Curie stopped by your tree house, would you let her in? Tough-as-nails physicist Brit Swanson has been married to the well-known sculptor Chuck Swanson for over thirty years. The play begins as their son Max (a condensed matter physicist) and their daughter Sugar (a designer) return to their childhood home to pack up the house on the eve of their parents' divorce. But when the characters reveal shocking truths about themselves, the entire family is forced to confront questions of honesty, allegiance, and madness. In one wild night of discovery, complications of love and memory in multiple dimensions change their paths. Theory of Nothing is a visceral and exciting theater experience written by Lolly Ward, whose play Mate: The Untouchable Bobby Fischer premiered at Caltech in 2012, directed by Brian Brophy, Director of Theater Arts at Caltech. Her play 72 Objects is a 2014 semifinalist for the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Theory of Nothing will be directed by Arden Thomas, Executive Producer of MACH 33: The Festival of New Science-Driven Plays at Caltech.

Capture the Sun by George Morgan, Saturday, May 17, 3:30pm

An event for the Caltech Alumni Weekend

What if someone created a non-polluting form of energy that was cheap and inexhaustible? In 1989, Dr. Stanley Pons of the University of Utah and Dr. Martin Fleischmann of Cambridge claimed to have done exactly that. They invited journalists from around the world to a press conference in which they announced their discovery – a discovery the media soon began referring to as "cold fusion." After several highly respected universities began announcing successful replication of the Pons/Fleischmann experiment, all hell broke loose, and everyone everywhere began to believe that the Earth’s energy problems had been resolved forever. Through interviews and records provided by academic researchers – many from Caltech – George D. Morgan’s latest play shines a light on the dramatic story of two scientists whose rise to fame, and subsequent humiliation, was played out in front of the entire world. Capture the Sun will be directed by Brian Brophy, Director of Theater Arts at Caltech. Morgan's first two plays in his "Pasadena trilogy" – Rocket Girl and Pasadena Babalon – were also produced at Caltech under the direction of Brian Brophy.

Tesla: A Radio Play for the Stage by Dan Duling

Directed by Michael Arabian

Tesla tells the story of Nikola Tesla's life as a brilliant but controversial inventor and futurist during the late-19th and early-20th century. The play is excitingly staged as a radio drama featuring live sound effects. Tesla's volatile relationship with Thomas Edison, his allegiance with George Westinghouse, and his confrontation with the power brokers of American business are recounted from the perspective of the possible implications of his work to national security.

Tesla was produced at the Pasadena Playhouse Mainstage where it sold out all 650 seats in the audience. Special guest stars included French Stewart ("Mom," "3rd from the Sun," Stoneface) as Tesla; Phil Proctor ("Big Brother," Toy Story) as Thomas Edison; and Sandra Tsing Loh (Caltech alum, host of "The Loh Down on Science," Contributing Editor at The Atlantic Monthly) as Katherine.The show also starred several members of the Caltech community: Dr. Ashley Stroupe (JPL Mars Rover Opportunity Driver); Steven Collins (JPL Mars Rover Curiosity Engineer); Peter Jones (Caltech alum); Diana St. James (Chair of Caltech Playreaders); and K. Zachary Abbott (The PhD Movie, Systems Administrator in the IMSS Department at Caltech). The radio drama was directed by acclaimed Los Angeles director Michael Arabian with live sound effects by the SFX artist Tony Palermo.

www.danduling.com

Out of Orbit by Jennifer Maisel

Directed by Ann K Lindsey

Out of Orbit tells the story of a Mars Rover Mission Specialist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), played by Dr. Ashley Stroupe, a "real-life" JPL Mars Rover Driver. Can a brilliant scientist relate to a learning deficiency in her daughter? Can she keep up with her life on two different planets? LA-based playwright Jennifer Maisel has received numerous awards in American theater, was called one of Backstage's "favorite female playwrights," and was named by The Dramatis Magazine as one of their "Ones to Watch." Maisel is also a well-known writer for film and TV.

www.jennifermaisel.com

Sila by Chantal Bilodeau

Directed by Arden Thomas

Sila is a powerful, gripping, and poetic play about climate change and its consequences for the people and animals living in the Arctic Circle. Playwright Chantal Bilodeau is a New York-based playwright and translator who has embarked upon a writing project dealing with climate change called The Arctic Cycle—a six-play cycle that explores six regions of the Arctic: United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia.

cbilodeau.com

The Washing of the Water by Marcus Renner

Directed by Brian Brophy

The Washing of the Water is about issues of ecology and community in the Hahamonga Watershed Park and the Arroyo Seca waterways. "Dramatic writing depends on conflict," says playwright Marcus Renner, "but this play aims to bring Altadena, La Cañada- Flintridge, and Northwest Pasadena closer together." A Pasadena native, the playwright set out to write a play about the Arroyo Seco and Hahamongna Watershed Park. He studied the ecology of the park, read local history, and interviewed over 60 people to understand the issues current residents grapple with. Two years later, he had a play that weaves together the stories of an artist-activist, a homeless teenager, and a divorcing mother as they fight a polluted past and search for a fresh start amidst the wilds of the park.