"The Life of Galileo" performances begin Thursday at Luther

Following the life of the "father of modern science" Galileo Galilei, Luther College's Visual and Performing Arts department will present four performances of "The Life of Galileo" this weekend in the Jewel Theatre in Luther's Center for the Arts.

Featuring music written by Luther students, the show follows legendary astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei in the later part of his life, and his struggle to prove the theory of a heliocentric universe. In a time of religious rule, Galileo's avant-garde ideas made him very unpopular with the law—his belief and teachings of a sun-centered solar system had him sent to the Vatican of Rome to be interrogated for heresy.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m Thursday, 8:30 p.m. Friday, and 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door, online at www.tickets.luther.edu or via the Luther Ticket Office