The Farnsworth Invention

Chicago Premiere

Apr 14, 2010 - Jun 13, 2010

From Aaron Sorkin, the creator of The West Wing and A Few Good Men comes this fascinating new play direct from Broadway. Two ambitious visionaries — Philo T. Farnsworth, an Idaho farmboy, and David Sarnoff, head of RCA — battle through corporate espionage, family tragedy, financial disaster and the thrill of discovery for the rights to one of the greatest inventions of all time: the television.

Cast

Production Team

* Member of Actors Equity Association

# Member of United Scenic Artists

~ Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

+ TimeLine Company Member

^ TimeLine Associate Artist

§ TimeLine Playwrights Collective

Reviews

  • The Wall Street Journal

    May 28, 2010

    TimeLine’s spare, bare-bones staging, directed by Nick Bowling … scrapes all the slickness off Mr. Sorkin’s script and infuses it with a surging physical vitality that knocked me off my feet.

    —Terry Teachout

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  • EDGE

    April 21, 2010

    A cornucopia of success at each elemental level required for a great stage experience: technical, performance, direction, writing … a near perfect piece of storytelling … TimeLine’s final offering of the season is a must-see.

    —Becky Sarwate

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  • Daily Herald

    April 23, 2010

    TimeLine Theatre once again demonstrates it has more than enough talent to realize its ambitions … The thrill Farnsworth and his crew experience upon observing their first transmission is palpable … these scenes and others demonstrate once again that TimeLine’s time has come.

    —Barbara Vitello

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  • Chicago Critic

    April 18, 2010

    [PJ] Powers and [Rob] Fagin are outstanding as the fanatical visionaries both consumed by the possibilities of television … The journey has a mysterious quality that keeps us on the edge of our seats wondering what will happen next … There is a lot to love, and if you haven’t learned something new by the time the show is over I would be very surprised.

    —Tom Williams

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