Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays

You may not know her name, but Eunice Newton Foote made groundbreaking discoveries about the greenhouse effect in the 1850s. Her experiments showed that different gases, including carbon dioxide, absorb and trap heat, an early milestone in the history of climate science. And even though her findings were published in a leading scientific journal – a rarity in the days of a male-dominated field – her work remained virtually unknown until recently. Now, thanks to playwright Amanda Quaid, we have a dramatized portrait of the scientist’s life at the time she published her pioneering study, which lends its name to the title of the play.

This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in November 2024.

Directed by Anna Lyse Erikson
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring:

Geoffrey Arend as Elisha Foote
Tara Lynne Barr as Augusta Foote
Scott Brick as the Narrator and Joseph Henry
Jake Green as the Glazier
Monica McSwain as Mary Foote
Emily Swallow as Eunice Newton Foote

Senior Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson
Prepared for audio by Mark Holden
Recording Engineer and Editor: Neil Wogenson
Mixing Engineer: Charles Carroll
Designed by Mark Holden and Charles Carroll for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin
Foley Artist: Stacey Martinez