NEWS

Coach, actress, Nobel laureate give added ‘star power’ to new planetarium show

CHAPEL HILL -- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill men’s basketball coach Roy Williams, actress Sharon Lawrence and Nobel laureate Dr. Christian de Duve are teaming up to give a new Morehead Planetarium and Science Center show – "Life in the Universe" – unprecedented "star power."

The new production opens Thursday (June 26) at the Morehead Center, part of UNC. Using the latest scientific knowledge, "Life in the Universe" delves into the chemistry of life and considers where life might exist beyond earth.

"We’ve never had so many well-known people take part in the production of a Morehead star show," said Dr. Holden Thorp, Morehead Center director. "We hope their participation will expand the show’s appeal to people who wouldn’t ordinarily come to the planetarium."

Williams delivers the show’s introduction. The Morehead Center asked Williams to open the production because it uses basketball as an analogy to explain why life might exist elsewhere.

"We thought the hoops comparison might make it easier for the audience to understand the point," said Thorp. "And given that, Coach Williams seemed like a natural to play a role in the production."

Williams’ introduction leads in to a show narrated by actress and UNC alumna Sharon Lawrence. Lawrence recorded the voice-over during a two-hour session at the Morehead Center in April.

"We are extremely pleased to have an actress of Sharon’s caliber provide the narration for the show," Thorp said. "The show was already going to be one of our best ever, but Sharon helped take the production to an entirely new level for us."

De Duve, who won the Nobel Prize in 1974 for his work in subcellular biology, was interviewed for "Life in the Universe" during a trip to Chapel Hill in February. During that interview, he said the processes necessary for life are not unique to Earth.

"The lesson of all this is that the cosmos is a huge laboratory of organic chemistry," de Duve said in the show. "The building blocks of life are being manufactured everywhere in the whole universe."

"Life in the Universe" is an original Morehead Center production designed to complement the center’s new film, "DNA: The Secret of Life." Neil Caudle, UNC’s associate vice chancellor for research, wrote the script, while the center’s production team created most of the show’s visual sequences.

"Life in the Universe" runs through Nov. 16. Admission is $4.50 for adults and $3.50 for children, students and senior citizens. Special package deals are available for visitors seeing "Life in the Universe" and another feature.

The show schedule is: Thursdays, 7 p.m.; Fridays, 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sundays, 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Beginning July 1, there also will be a weekday showing Tuesdays through Fridays at 1:30 p.m.

For more information on this and other shows, click on moreheadplanetarium.org.

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Morehead Center contact: Jeff Hill, (919) 843-7995 or jeff_hill@unc.edu