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600 People
Newcastle Northern Stage
Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th November 2015
Stand-up comedy meets astrophysics
lecture in this fascinating and funny show about how one man’s understanding of
the universe was changed by a conversation about aliens.
“We step out of our solar
system, into the universe, seeking only peace and friendship…” So says the message from the human race on the Voyager spacecraft. But
is there, y'know, anyone out there? Alex went to speak to an
astrophysicist to find out. This is what he learned: Stellar Wobble. The Mirror
Test. The Drake Equation. Fermi’s Paradox. Capitalist chimps and murderous
dolphins.
 |
| Credit: Daniel Fletcher |
Somewhere
between stand-up comedy and an astrophysics lecture, Third
Angel’s latest production is a simple show about huge ideas: the story of how a
three-hour conversation with an astrophysicist changed the way Alex understands
the way the Universe works. 600 People
explores how we think about evolution and intelligence, belief and invention,
communication and space travel. The show explores the stories we tell in order
to understand our place in the cosmos, asks if there are extra terrestrials in
our galaxy, and what it means to be human.
“In 2013 we made a 30 minute spoken
word piece 600 People, inspired by a
conversation I had with astrophysicist
Dr Simon Goodwin” said Alexander Kelly, Co-artistic Director of Third
Angel. “Simon (99.5%) convinced me that
there is no other intelligent alien life in our galaxy. I’ve long been drawn to
the idea of the Voyager space craft as messengers from humanity to other life forms,
and I was surprised to discover just how disappointed I was by this news.”
In their conversation, Simon had had to explain to Alex a lot about the
evolution of intelligence, the development from
simple, single celled life to complex, self-aware life forms. He explained to
Alex that DNA mapping now tells us that everyone alive today is descended from one of
about 600 individuals alive in the Rift Valley in Africa, 150,000 years ago. The
performance explores evolution, the development of simple and complex life, how
we identify signs of intelligence, the Fermi Paradox, the Drake Equation,
faith, inventiveness and Rare-Earth Theory.
This new full-length version of the
show includes enhanced projected visuals by Daniel Fletcher, a recent graphics
graduate of Sheffield University who the company met via a typography project in his final year, for
which students had to respond to a performance of the original version of 600 People.
“a genuinely brilliant theatre
company” Yorkshire Post
“...engaging
with the big issues about how we live with a fierce intelligence” The Guardian
Running time: 1 hour
Age Category 11+
Company
Information
Written
by Alexander Kelly
Directed
by Rachael Walton
Produced
by Third Angel
Performed
by Alexander Kelly
On
The Web:
Twitter: @thirdangeluk @AlexanderKelly #600people
Tickets:
Written & performed
by Alexander Kelly |
Directed by Rachael Walton | Inspired by and developed through conversations
with Dr Simon Goodwin
Tuesday 17th &
Wednesday 18th November 2015 at 7:45pm
Northern Stage
Barras Bridge
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 7RH
Tel: 0191 230 5151
£9/£7 concs
