Actor & Activist Mike Farrell to star in Dr. Keeling’s Curve

“What had not been clear to me until I got more involved with this play and with the research involved is how profoundly the climate is being affected, how quickly, and how disastrous it will be if serious steps aren’t taken.”–Mike Farrell 

Most well-known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the hit series M*A*S*H, noted actor and activist Mike Farrell will be starring in the one-man play, Dr. Keeling’s Curve on Friday, Mar. 1 in Dunham Hall Theater. Farrell will play atmospheric scientist, Dr. Charles David Keeling whose pioneering work on carbon dioxide paved the way for the first early warnings about the dangers of human induced climate change.

Farrell’s portrayal of Keeling is much more than simply playing a role. A longtime environmental activist himself, Farrell noted how portraying Keeling enabled him to understand even more about the serious impacts of climate change and his concerns surrounding carbon dioxide concentrations are not all that different from what Keeling’s were during the 50’s. In 1955, Keeling was the first scientist to measure and record atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and he continued taking measurements over the next fifty years. Though he was met with great opposition from the U.S. government at the time, his work now sits beside Darwin’s finches at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.

Dr. Keeling’s Curve will include Keeling’s personal story alongside other scientists who have contributed to our understanding of CO2 and climate change. Following the show, there will be a short panel discussion with climate scientists. The event is sponsored by the SIUE Graduate School and the Madison County Regional Office of Education. Tickets can be purchased directly from Arts & Issues. Preferred seating is available for those who attend the preshow dinner which can be purchased separately from the Arts & Issues performance. For those attending the preshow dinner, Arts & Issues will donate your ticket purchase for the play to the Friends of Theater and Dance scholarship fund. See Dr. Keeling’s Curve for more information and ticket prices for the performance.

Tune in this Sunday to Segue to hear host Dean Gregory Budzban’s conversation with Mike Farrell. They will discuss several interesting topics from how Farrell fell into acting to his stance on the death penalty. The Segue episode will air at 9 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 24 on WSIE 88.7 FM/The Sound and siue.edu/wsie.

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