An Experiment with an Air Pump January 26, 2008

By Shelagh Stephenson. Directed by Adam Konowe.

Inspired by a 1767 painting by Joseph Wright, An Experiment with an Air Pump is a daring and darkly humorous play about the past and future of science and society, as it addresses such provocative concerns as medical ethics, passion versus love, the evolving role of women, and the aims of science at the dawning of two eras nearly 200 years apart. Using the turns of two centuries—one heralding the birth of the Industrial Age (1799), the other the age of biotechnology (1999)—to juxtapose ethical quandaries and bring a fascinating insight into the moral dilemmas that accompany scientific progress, Experiment suggests that while the machinery may have advanced, human impulses have changed not one whit.

Advisory: An Experiment with an Air Pump contains strong language and mature content.

Official Website: http://www.restonplayers.org/season.html#experiment