Opening Doors

Following selected Opening Doors events, a moderated discussion will engage artists, Caltech scientists, and audience members in conversation around the topics explored in the performances, such as artificial intelligence, ethics in research, and climate change.

The Grammy Award–winning vocal ensemble Tonality presents HomeCare, a choral concert focused on the climate crisis that includes the use of words from young leaders who have spoken about the urgent need for action to conserve what resources are still available on this planet. Tonality's mission is to deliver authentic stories through voice and body to incite change, understanding, and dialogue. Directed by founder Alexander Lloyd Blake, the performance will feature 24 singers, five instrumentalists, and two ASL interpreters. Known for creating choral concerts that focus on issues rarely presented in choral music, Tonality received the 2020 Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

Directed by Alexander Lloyd Blake

Turing Tests, Apples, and Queens: Collective Storytelling Through Fairy Tales and Artificial Intelligence blends fact and mythological fiction to explore the life and work of English mathematician Alan Turing through dance. Performed by LA-based Invertigo Dance Theatre, the program uses movement, music, and words to illuminate facets of Turing's experiences as a WWII codebreaker, the father of computer science, and a gay man who faced discrimination and criminalization. An interactive component of the performance will give audience members the opportunity to explore humankind's timeless, tangled, and nuanced relationship with technology as raised by Turing's work in artificial intelligence.

Choreographer and Invertigo Dance Theatre founder Laura Karlin has conceived this special program just for Caltech.

Written and choreographed by Laura Karlin

HUANG YI & KUKA weaves together the art of modern dance and the science of mechanical engineering in a series of stunning vignettes between live dancers from the Huang Yi Studio and KUKA, a robot conceptualized and programmed by Huang Yi, an acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer, dancer, and inventor. A seamless synthesis of human movement and innovation, HUANG YI & KUKA is a groundbreaking work that celebrates the future of humanity and technology and has captivated global audiences. It aims to spark conversations about the capacity of computers to exhibit true creativity in a world where advances in autonomous robotics—including at Caltech—are moving at a rapid pace.

The HUANG YI & KUKA performances are made possible by the generous support of the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan.

Concept, Choreography and Lighting Design by Huang Yi
Movement by Huang Yi and Hu Chien
Costume by Hu Chien

In 1900, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were the talk of New York, equally famous for their contributions to the science of electricity. But while Edison was monetizing inventions for the 20^th century, Tesla was envisioning breakthroughs to revolutionize the 21^st century.

Tesla: A Radio Play for the Stage tells the story of the brilliant but controversial inventor and futurist. Tesla's volatile relationship with Edison, his allegiance with George Westinghouse, and his confrontations with the power brokers of American business are recounted from the perspective of the possible implications of his work on national security.

"My fascination with Tesla began in the 1990s. The Internet was in its infancy. Google was still years away," recounts playwright Dan Duling. "My challenge: to find a way to convey the scope, scale, and human drama of Tesla's improbable career and life. Eventually, I hit upon the theatrical conceit of a radio play, allowing the narrative to fly, telling a story of triumph, tragedy, and the value of scientific innovation."

The play is staged as a radio drama (fittingly, as Tesla was posthumously credited with inventing the radio) relying heavily on Tesla's own words from his personal writings and interview and featuring live sound effects and a small star-studded ensemble cast who portray close to 50 different characters while chronicling Tesla's life.

Cast:
Gregory Harrison (Logan's Run, General Hospital)
Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years)
Hal Linden (Barney Miller)
Charles Shaughnessy (The Nanny)
French Stewart (3rd Rock From the Sun)
Vanessa Claire Stewart (Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara)

Written by Dan Duling
Directed by Michael Arabian
Produced by Conwell S. Worthington, II
Sound effects by Tony Palermo

Cast and creative team bios