Author Archives: wkhugel
The Birth of Tragedy
“Might the scientific approach be nothing but fear, flight from pessimism? A subtle form of self-defense against- the truth? And, morally speaking, something like cowardice and falsehood? Amorally speaking, a piece of cunning? Oh Socrates, Socrates, was that, perhaps, your secret? Oh, secretive ironist, was that, perhaps, your- irony?”
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy
Poetry and Quantum Mechanics
Reading the great German Romantic poet Hölderlin’s Hyperion, and theoretical physicist David Bohm’s Wholeness and The Implicate Order simultaneously. The similarities are astonishing.
“Among you I became so perfectly rational, learned so thoroughly to distinguish myself from what surrounds me that I am now isolated in the beautiful world…” Hölderlin
“…science… is demanding a new, non-fragmentary world view… notions implying the undivided wholeness of the universe.” David Bohm
Will quantum mechanics rescue the suffering poet? Perhaps if more physicists, and the rest of us, develop an interest in the implications of their theories….
GÖDEL
Had a fantastic first reading of my new play GÖDEL at Pulse Ensemble Theatre’s Playwright’s Lab! A big thanks to Alexa Kelly, Brian Richardson, Jeremy Lawrence, Karin de la Penha, Gregory Wilson, Benjamin Russell,Tony Chiroldes and Joseph Franchini!
Synopsis of GÖDEL.
As Julian arrives to visit his brilliant physicist friend in a psychiatric hospital in Princeton, NJ, he finds that Richard has stopped speaking. He wheedles it out of him that it is all because of Kurt Gödel, and what this man, considered the greatest logician since Aristotle and the only person that Albert Einstein considers an equal, has proved. But to understand exactly what Kurt Gödel did prove we must delve back over forty years, retracing the story of this motley crew of mathematicians and physics as they discover the secret of the first atom bomb, struggle with terrible prejudices within the scientific community, and risk madness to discover the mind of god.
GÖDEL
I’m very excited to announce that my new play, GÖDEL, about the mathematician Kurt Gödel, has been selected by Pulse Ensemble Theatre for development in their Playwrights Lab, a three month workshop, followed by a staged reading!
Play summary: As Julian arrives to visit his brilliant physicist friend in a psychiatric hospital in Princeton, NJ, he finds that Richard has stopped speaking. He wheedles it out of him that it is all because of Kurt Gödel, and what this man, considered the greatest logician since Aristotle and the only person that Albert Einstein considers an equal, has proved. But to understand exactly what Kurt Gödel did prove we must delve back over forty years, retracing the story of this motley crew of mathematicians and physics as they discover the secret of the first atom bomb, struggle with terrible prejudices within the scientific community, and risk madness to discover the mind of god.
MEDUSA and THE ODDITY at Dream Up 2015
My two short plays, “Medusa” and “The Oddity” will be featured at Theater for the New City’s Dream Up Festival! I am thrilled that Chad Chenail will be directing these two pieces! A big thanks to Playwrights at the Grand and The Stella Adler Studio of Acting for their great staged readings of these two plays last year, which gave me the confidence to bring these plays to production!
Dates to be announced soon!
For more info on the event go to:
GÖDEL
Here’s a first attempt at a synopsis for my new play about the mathematician Kurt Gödel:
As Julian arrives to visit his brilliant physicist friend in a psychiatric hospital in Princeton, NJ, he finds that Richard has stopped speaking. He wheedles it out of him that it is all because of Kurt Gödel, and what this man, considered the greatest logician since Aristotle and the only person that Albert Einstein considers an equal, has proved. But to understand exactly what Kurt Gödel did prove we must delve back over forty years, retracing the story of this motley crew of mathematicians and physics as they discover the secret of the first atom bomb, struggle with terrible prejudices within the scientific community, and risk madness to discover the mind of god.
If anyone would like to give it a read let me know. It’s always great to get feedback in the early stages!
Little Ania
Thanks to Ireland’s Short Kid Stories for making “Little Ania” their featured story of the week!
Little Ania
My children’s story “Little Ania,” illustrated by Alex Tuggle, is now featured on Ireland’s Short Kid Stories!
You can read it here:
Short Kid Stories
Thanks to Ireland’s Short Kid Stories, for making “Beautiful Wild Rose Girl” the featured story of the week! http://www.shortkidstories.com/