A new puppet play based on the life of Nikola Tesla, a pioneer of electrical engineering, will run at La MaMa's First Floor Theatre, Mar. 4-21 in New York. The Lone Runner: The Mythical Life Journey of Nikola Tesla written, designed and directed by Jane Catherine Shaw, takes inspiration from Tesla's own autobiography (published in 1893) , scholarly journals of the time, and quotations from Thomas Edison.
Tesla was a Croatian Serb born in the mid 1800s. His research and experimentation during the Age of Electricity was world famous. In 1884, Tesla immigrated to the U.S., where he worked for Thomas Edison and pioneered the use of alternating current. His innovations allowed the invention of such everyday, indispensable items as the light bulb and the radio.
The production uses various styles of puppetry, including shadow, rod, and doll. Shaw is a frequent collaborator of Theodora Skipitares (Harlot's Progress) and has been a resident artist at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts.
For tickets ($12) or more information, call (212) 475-7710.
-- By Sean McGrath
