James Earl Jones, Robert Joy, Roger Robinson, et al. Set for EST’s First Light Series

Ensemble Studio Theatre and the the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation are currently presenting First Light 2011, a series of new plays about science and technology at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, through April 23.

The festival culminates in a five-performance run of Pidgeon by Tommy Smith, April 20-23. Robert Joy will star as Leon Theremin, a Soviet scientist and inventor of electronic music who worked in the shadow of Stalin’s rule. William Carden will direct the production, which also features Curran Connor, Angela Lewis, and Peter Maloney.

Another festival highlight is Bridgette Wimberly’s Separation of Blood, to be presented Tuesday, April 12, at 7pm. The play recalls a perilous drive through the south by Dr. Charles Drew, the African-American who spearheaded the first blood bank in an era when he wasn’t allowed to receive a transfusion himself. James Earl Jones and Roger Robinson will star.

Additional festival works include Please Continue, by Frank Basloe, directed by Matthew Penn; Fast Company, by Carla Ching, directed by Linsay Firman; Smash by Robert Askins; The Secret Life of Arthropods & Rodents, by Cori Thomas; Ada, an opera composed by Kim Sherman, libretto by Margaret Vandenburg, direction by Lisa Rothe with musical direction by Kimberly Grigsby; Big Hungry World by Susan Bernfield, directed by Emma Griffin, and featuring Kristin Griffith; Flatland, by Sinking Ship Ensemble; and A Lady Alone, by Lynn Eckert, Christine Farrell, and Kevin Confoy, performed by Farrell.

For tickets and more information on the festival, click here.