'Einstein the Man" in free performance at Argonne

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 23, 2005) — “Einstein the Man,” a play presenting the ideas of the great physicist Albert Einstein in his own words, will be performed at Argonne by Emmy Award-winning actor Bill Landry on Thursday, April 7.

Two performances will be given, both in the Building 362 Auditorium at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. The first performance, for Argonne and DOE employees, is at 3 p.m. The second, which is open to Argonne and DOE employees and their families as well as the general public, will be at 7 p.m.

An additional performance is scheduled on Friday, April 8, at 10 a.m. at the Oriental Institute Lecture Hall, 1155 E. 58th St. on the University of Chicago campus.

Admission is free at both locations.

Sponsored by Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago, the event is part of the celebration of the World Year of Physics 2005. This is the 100th anniversary of Einstein's “miracle year,” during which he published three of the most important physics papers ever written. In those papers, Einstein presented the Theory of Relativity.

The one-hour play features Einstein's scientific work, philosophical ideas and personal idiosyncrasies. Following the performance, Landry takes questions as Einstein, then removes his extensive makeup to answer questions about the play.

Landry has presented the play, which he also wrote, more than 850 times to audiences that now total more than 500,000 in 38 states. The play has also been adapted for National Public Radio and for PBS television. Landry is a graduate of the Dallas Theater Center with a Master of Fine Arts degree from Trinity University. He is also the voice, host and co-producer of the Heartland Series, features of Appalachian life that air on WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tenn.

The play is appropriate for children in middle school and older. Admission is free. Those wishing to attend the evening performance at the Argonne site, should pre-register by calling (630) 252-5580. A photo ID is required for all attendees 16 years of age and older.

Argonne is located just off I-55 at the South Cass Avenue exit near Darien.

Argonne National Laboratory brings the world's brightest scientists and engineers together to find exciting and creative new solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

For more information, please contact Steve McGregor (630/252-5580 or media@anl.gov) at Argonne.