Work Of Renowned Naturalist Rachel Carson
Brought To Life On Stage By Penn State Faculty
November 16, 2000
University Park, Pa. — One Life: The Rachel Carson Project, a new multi-media work by music professor Bruce Trinkley and English instructor Jason Charnesky, will premiere with two showings on Friday, November 17 at 7 and 9 p.m. in Heritage Hall of the HUB-Robeson Center.

Co-produced by the HUB-Robeson Galleries, the Penn State School of Music, and the Center for the Performing Arts, One Life combines music, text, and images to narrate the life of famous American nature writer and conservationist Rachel Carson.

The 40 minute piece explores issues ranging from the role of women in the sciences to the importance of environmental awareness in our daily lives, using video-streamed images, music, poetry, comedy, and documentary.

"Though Rachel Carson's legacy is clear, memory of her has faded," said Charnesky. "Very few students nowadays remember who she was at all. This is a loss, not just to the history of science, but to that of women's studies. So we wrote this show to illustrate Rachel's life and bring her back to the mind of a contemporary audience, using the latest technologies and engaging music."

Rachel Carson, a Pennsylvania native, was a marine biologist and writer who worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service from 1936-1949. A series of nature books, starting with Under the Sea Wind in 1941, earned her a national readership and an international reputation. Her last book, Silent Spring, exposed the dangers of indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and was instrumental in promoting a federal law in environmental protection. The book created a firestorm of controversy upon publication and remains a classic of conservation writing.

One Life was written expressly to showcase the talents of Penn State’s women students, faculty and alumnae. The show is free, and tickets are available at the HUB information desk.

Contact: Tysen Kendig, Department of Public Information, (814) 237-8157 or .