The Clarence Brown Theatre will present Bertolt Brecht's "The Life of Galileo," opening Friday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

The play is something of a biography of the mathematician, scientist and philosopher, Galileo. However, the themes of the play include "social responsibility and the clash between science and faith," according to the CBT press release.

"I chose this play because it is so immediately interesting and compelling. It deals with the collision between science and society, with the responsibility that the scientists have to the rest of us, and how science's discoveries can benefit us or harm us," said Calvin MacLean, CBT's department head and director of the play. "The issues that Galileo dealt with are not far removed from the issues before us today. It is a play that I think this community deserves and needs to see."

Galileo lived from 1564–1642 and in his lifetime accomplished first systematic studies of uniformly accelerated motion, made improvements to the telescope and discovered Jupiter's four largest moons.

Roderick Peeples will be playing the role of Galileo. He has appeared in many productions made in Chicago, such as Chicago Shakespeare and Steppenwolf theatres.

The show will run until Sunday, Feb. 17. Ticket prices, showtimes and other information can be found at the Clarence Brown Theatre Web site.