LA Theatre Works

Jessica Dickey, playwright and performer known for Searching for Galileo's Daughter, shares her research-driven creative process. She discusses traveling to Italy for archival work. She explores Maria Celeste’s supportive role, the family bond revealed in letters, and why convent life suited her. Conversation touches on weaving personal life into plays and what audiences might take away.

The first child of the great astronomer Galileo entered a Tuscan convent in her teens. He’d taught her much about the heavens as a child, and during her years as a nun she remained scientifically curious while maintaining close contact with her father, even as the Catholic Church condemned him for promoting a sun-centered universe. Many of the letters she wrote to Galileo survive, and served as inspiration for Jessica Dickey’s play, which takes us on a freewheeling, time-shifting journey through Florence, Italy. The recording includes a conversation with author Jessica Dickey.This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in July 2025.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:Jessica Dickey as WriterGinnifer Goodwin as DaughterGregory Harrison as GalileoMoira Quirk as Audio Tour Voice, Front Desk Lady, Librarian, and othersNick Toren as Friar Martine, Charles Ellis, Scientist, and othersAdapted for audio by Mark HoldenRecording Engineer and Editor: Neil Wogensen for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodMixing Engineer: Charles CarrollSound Design: Melissa Rimza, with assistance from Mark HoldenFoley Artist: Jeff GardnerSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinOriginally commissioned and developed by The Ensemble Studio Theatre / Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology ProjectGALILEO’S DAUGHTER premiered at Remy Bumppo Theatre CompanyDeveloped and directed by Marti Lyons, Artistic Director, Margaret McCloskey, Executive Director  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first child of the great astronomer Galileo entered a Tuscan convent in her teens. He’d taught her much about the heavens as a child, and during her years as a nun she remained scientifically curious while maintaining close contact with her father, even as the Catholic Church condemned him for promoting a sun-centered universe. Many of the letters she wrote to Galileo survive, and served as inspiration for Jessica Dickey’s play, which takes us on a freewheeling, time-shifting journey through Florence, Italy. The recording includes a conversation with author Jessica Dickey.This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in July 2025.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:Jessica Dickey as WriterGinnifer Goodwin as DaughterGregory Harrison as GalileoMoira Quirk as Audio Tour Voice, Front Desk Lady, Librarian, and othersNick Toren as Friar Martine, Charles Ellis, Scientist, and othersAdapted for audio by Mark HoldenRecording Engineer and Editor: Neil Wogensen for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodMixing Engineer: Charles CarrollSound Design: Melissa Rimza, with assistance from Mark HoldenFoley Artist: Jeff GardnerSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinOriginally commissioned and developed by The Ensemble Studio Theatre / Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology ProjectGALILEO’S DAUGHTER premiered at Remy Bumppo Theatre CompanyDeveloped and directed by Marti Lyons, Artistic Director, Margaret McCloskey, Executive Director  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first child of the great astronomer Galileo entered a Tuscan convent in her teens. He’d taught her much about the heavens as a child, and during her years as a nun she remained scientifically curious while maintaining close contact with her father, even as the Catholic Church condemned him for promoting a sun-centered universe. Many of the letters she wrote to Galileo survive, and served as inspiration for Jessica Dickey’s play, which takes us on a freewheeling, time-shifting journey through Florence, Italy. The recording includes a conversation with author Jessica Dickey.This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in July 2025.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:Jessica Dickey as WriterGinnifer Goodwin as DaughterGregory Harrison as GalileoMoira Quirk as Audio Tour Voice, Front Desk Lady, Librarian, and othersNick Toren as Friar Martine, Charles Ellis, Scientist, and othersAdapted for audio by Mark HoldenRecording Engineer and Editor: Neil Wogensen for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodMixing Engineer: Charles CarrollSound Design: Melissa Rimza, with assistance from Mark HoldenFoley Artist: Jeff GardnerSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinOriginally commissioned and developed by The Ensemble Studio Theatre / Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology ProjectGALILEO’S DAUGHTER premiered at Remy Bumppo Theatre CompanyDeveloped and directed by Marti Lyons, Artistic Director, Margaret McCloskey, Executive Director  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first child of the great astronomer Galileo entered a Tuscan convent in her teens. He’d taught her much about the heavens as a child, and during her years as a nun she remained scientifically curious while maintaining close contact with her father, even as the Catholic Church condemned him for promoting a sun-centered universe. Many of the letters she wrote to Galileo survive, and served as inspiration for Jessica Dickey’s play, which takes us on a freewheeling, time-shifting journey through Florence, Italy. The recording includes a conversation with author Jessica Dickey.This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in July 2025.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:Jessica Dickey as WriterGinnifer Goodwin as DaughterGregory Harrison as GalileoMoira Quirk as Audio Tour Voice, Front Desk Lady, Librarian, and othersNick Toren as Friar Martine, Charles Ellis, Scientist, and othersAdapted for audio by Mark HoldenRecording Engineer and Editor: Neil Wogensen for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodMixing Engineer: Charles CarrollSound Design: Melissa Rimza, with assistance from Mark HoldenFoley Artist: Jeff GardnerSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinOriginally commissioned and developed by The Ensemble Studio Theatre / Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology ProjectGALILEO’S DAUGHTER premiered at Remy Bumppo Theatre CompanyDeveloped and directed by Marti Lyons, Artistic Director, Margaret McCloskey, Executive Director  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hear our conversation with Amanda Quaid, author of "Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun's Rays."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You may not know her name, but Eunice Newton Foote made groundbreaking discoveries about the greenhouse effect in the 1850s. Her experiments showed that different gases, including carbon dioxide, absorb and trap heat, an early milestone in the history of climate science. And even though her findings were published in a leading scientific journal – a rarity in the days of a male-dominated field – her work remained virtually unknown until recently. Now, thanks to playwright Amanda Quaid, we have a dramatized portrait of the scientist’s life at the time she published her pioneering study, which lends its name to the title of the play.This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in November 2024.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:Geoffrey Arend as Elisha FooteTara Lynne Barr as Augusta FooteScott Brick as the Narrator and Joseph HenryJake Green as the GlazierMonica McSwain as Mary FooteEmily Swallow as Eunice Newton FooteSenior Producer: Anna Lyse EriksonPrepared for audio by Mark HoldenRecording Engineer and Editor: Neil WogensonMixing Engineer: Charles CarrollDesigned by Mark Holden and Charles Carroll for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinFoley Artist: Stacey MartinezSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You may not know her name, but Eunice Newton Foote made groundbreaking discoveries about the greenhouse effect in the 1850s. Her experiments showed that different gases, including carbon dioxide, absorb and trap heat, an early milestone in the history of climate science. And even though her findings were published in a leading scientific journal – a rarity in the days of a male-dominated field – her work remained virtually unknown until recently. Now, thanks to playwright Amanda Quaid, we have a dramatized portrait of the scientist’s life at the time she published her pioneering study, which lends its name to the title of the play.This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in November 2024.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:Geoffrey Arend as Elisha FooteTara Lynne Barr as Augusta FooteScott Brick as the Narrator and Joseph HenryJake Green as the GlazierMonica McSwain as Mary FooteEmily Swallow as Eunice Newton FooteSenior Producer: Anna Lyse EriksonPrepared for audio by Mark HoldenRecording Engineer and Editor: Neil WogensonMixing Engineer: Charles CarrollDesigned by Mark Holden and Charles Carroll for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinFoley Artist: Stacey MartinezSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You may not know her name, but Eunice Newton Foote made groundbreaking discoveries about the greenhouse effect in the 1850s. Her experiments showed that different gases, including carbon dioxide, absorb and trap heat, an early milestone in the history of climate science. And even though her findings were published in a leading scientific journal – a rarity in the days of a male-dominated field – her work remained virtually unknown until recently. Now, thanks to playwright Amanda Quaid, we have a dramatized portrait of the scientist’s life at the time she published her pioneering study, which lends its name to the title of the play.This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in November 2024.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:Geoffrey Arend as Elisha FooteTara Lynne Barr as Augusta FooteScott Brick as the Narrator and Joseph HenryJake Green as the GlazierMonica McSwain as Mary FooteEmily Swallow as Eunice Newton FooteSenior Producer: Anna Lyse EriksonPrepared for audio by Mark HoldenRecording Engineer and Editor: Neil WogensonMixing Engineer: Charles CarrollDesigned by Mark Holden and Charles Carroll for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinFoley Artist: Stacey MartinezSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

American lawyer Julie Chen files a class-action lawsuit involving a multinational technology corporation and the Chinese government’s internet firewall, known as Golden Shield. When she hires her strong-minded sister Eva as her translator, what compromises will they make in order to win? And can they put aside their past differences to speak the same language?This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in July 2024.Directed by Anna Lyse EriksonProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works Full-Cast Performance Featuring:Seamus Dever as Larry MurdochFang Du as The TranslatorGreg Germann as Richard WarrenBelinda Gosbee as Amanda CarlsonAngela Lin as Julie ChenMardy Ma as Deputy Minister Gao ShengweiEon Song as Huang MeiJosh Stamberg as Marshall McLarenZhan Wang as Li DaoJoanne Whalley as Jane BollmanJenapher Zheng as Eva ChenSenior Producer: Anna Lyse EriksonProduction Supervision: Mark HoldenRecorded by Neil Wogenson and Charles Carroll at The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodEdited by: Neil WogensenDesigner: Charles CarrollFoley Artist: Mark HoldenStudio Intern and Assistant Designer: Chloe FosterMixed by: Charles CarrollSenior Radio Producer: Ronn LipkinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.