The ETSU Division of Theater and Dance will perform “Inherit the Wind,” one of the truly great examples of American playwriting.
The show runs from Thursday, Oct 16, through Sunday, Oct. 19. It is very appropriate that it be shown here in Tennessee.
The play is loosely based on the Scopes Trial, which was held in Dayton, Tenn., a small town close to Chattanooga.
While not factually accurate, the play serves as a symbol for conflict-ridden times such as the 1920’s southern United States and our contemporary state of affairs.
Written directly after the days of McCarthy’s communist hunt of the middle of the century, it served then as a parable against letting government be run by fanatics who provide no evidence for their claims.
Then as it is now, there are people in the government trying to legislate what should be taught in schools. The problem addressed by “Inherit the Wind” is what happens when courts try to uphold the teaching of fundamentally unscientific ideas in scientific classrooms.
It centers around a high school science teacher who thought it appropriate to challenge a Tennessee law stating that evolution was not to be taught in the public schools. This is a pertinent issue to all students studying science and education.
The Cold War was what fueled the McCarthy politics and accusations, but also sparked the “Space Race” against the Soviet Union, which forced Americans into realizing that their education systems needed a drastic reality check if they intended to stay competitive with other countries.
The result was a revamping of the American education system, and an overthrow of religion’s grip on science education. As a result of the space race, the U.S. enjoyed an increase in education that led to an increase in prosperity. “Inherit the Wind” was one of the many attempts during the ’50s toward a more enlightened culture.
It first opened on Broadway in January 1955, followed by the hugely anticipated film in 1960 starring Spencer Tracy and Fredric March.
The movie was a success at home and abroad, being nominated for four Oscars and winning two awards at the Berlin film festival. The actors performing these classic roles for ETSU have big shoes to fill, but an excellent script to work with.
This play is a must-see for anyone who cares about issues of politics, science or philosophy. It pits two extremely articulate characters against each other who argue over how policy making should be done.
This theme is important in the American political atmosphere in which candidates must simultaneously prove their religiousness and their commitment to a constitution that is intentionally nonreligious.
Some would simply limit this play’s social commentary to the teaching of creationism in biology class. While this is too narrow a scope to consider, it is also wrong because there never has been a credible reason to teach unscientific ideas in science curricula. The issue addressed is “who gets to make governmental decisions for the rest of us?”
For $15 ($7 for students with an ID), viewers will be exposed to a historical backing to the modern cultural debate occurring in the political atmosphere. On Oct. 16-18, shows will begin at 7:30 p.m.; the Sunday showing is at 2 p.m.

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