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The Farnsworth Invention

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 15m

In Aaron Sorkin's thrilling, expansive play, set in 1929, two ambitious visionaries race against each other to invent a device called “television.”

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 15m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Biography
  • Suggested Use
    • Monologues
    • Scene work
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

It’s 1929. Two ambitious visionaries race against each other to invent a device called “television.” Separated by two thousand miles, each knows that if he stops working, even for a moment, the other will gain the edge. Who will unlock the key to the greatest innovation of the 20th century: the ruthless media mogul, or the self-taught Idaho farm boy?

The answer comes to compelling life in The Farnsworth Invention, the new play from Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing, The Newsroom and The Social Network.

History
The Farnsworth Invention opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theater on Dec 3, 2007. Directed by Des McAnuff, the production featured Hank Azaria and Jimmi Simpson.

DAVID SARNOFF
LIZETTE SARNOFF
MARY PICKFORD
PEM’S FATHER
CLIFF GARDNER
ATKINS
WALTER GIFFORD
DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS
YOUNG PHILO T. FARNSWORTH
WILKINS, ANALYST
GEORGE EVERSON
VLADIMIR ZWORYKIN
YOUNG DAVID SARNOFF
STAN WILLIS
LESLIE GORRELL
JUSTIN TOLMAN
JIM HARBORD
DOCTOR
SARNOFF’S FATHER
SIMMS
LIPPINCOTT
HOUSTON CONTROL
BETTY AND OTHERS
HARLAN HONN
RADIO ANNOUNCER
LENNOX
PHILO T. FARNSWORTH
RUSSIAN OFFICER
WILLIAM CROCKER
SARNOFF’S MOTHER
PEM’S MOTHER
AGNES FARNSWORTH
MINA EDISON
PEM FARNSWORTH
WACHTEL

  • Time Period 1930s, 1920s
  • Setting Various locations 1921-present.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Crackling prime-time theater... breezy and shrewd, smart-alecky and idealistic.” – Newsday

“A firecracker of a play in a fittingly snap, crackle and pop production under the direction of Des McAnuff, the drama has among its many virtues the ability to make you think at the same time that it breaks your heart.” – Chicago Sun-Times

“The most exciting new play on Broadway... a rousing theatrical experience.” – MTV News

“Vintage Sorkin and crackling prime-time theater... breezy and shrewd, smart-alecky and idealistic.” – Newsday

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Add-Ons

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Authors

Aaron Sorkin

Academy-Award®-winning writer and renowned playwright Aaron Sorkin graduated from Syracuse University with a B.F.A. in Theatre. He made his Broadway playwriting debut at the age of 28 with the military courtroom drama A Few Good Men, for which he received the John Gassner Awa ...

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