R. Buckminster Fuller 1895-1983

     Architect, mathematician, engineer, inventor, visionary, humanist, educator, inspirational orator and best selling author, "Bucky" has been rightly called "the 20th century's Leonardo da Vinci".  Here is a man who set out to change the course of history, not through politics but through invention.

    Brad Armstrong’s characterization evokes the essence of a talk with Bucky: congenial, entertaining, wide ranging, humanistic and sharp-witted.  Using colorful props and projections, BUCKY takes the audience on a transformative journey into the playful mind of a genius at work.

    Buckminster Fuller was truly a man ahead of his time.  His lifelong goal was the development of what he called "Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science" -- the attempt to anticipate and solve humanity's major problems through the highest technology by providing "more and more life support for everybody, with less and less resources."

     Fuller was a practical philosopher who demonstrat- ed his ideas as inventions that he called "artifacts."  Some were built as prototypes; others exist only on paper; all he felt were technically viable.  He was a dogged individualist whose genius was felt throughout the world for nearly half a century. Even Albert Einstein was prompted to say, "Young man, you amaze me!"

     In 1927, at the age of 32, Buckminster Fuller stood on the shores of Lake Michigan, prepared to throw himself into the freezing waters.  His first child had died.  He was bankrupt, discredited, and jobless, and he had a wife and newborn daughter.  On the verge of suicide, it suddenly struck him that his life belonged, not to himself, but to the Universe.  He chose at that moment to embark on what he called, "an experi- ment to discover what a little, penniless, un- known individual might be able to do effectively on behalf of all humanity."  Over the next fifty-four years, he proved, time and again, that his most controversial ideas were practical and workable.

    During the course of his remarkable experiment he:

• was awarded 25 U.S. patents

• authored 28 books

• received 47 honorary doctorates in the arts, sciences, engineering and humanities

• received dozens of major architectural and design awards including, among many others, the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects and the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

• created work which found itself into the permanent collections of museums around the world

• circled the globe 57 times, reaching millions through his public lectures and interviews.

    Buckminster Fuller is best known for the invention of the geodesic dome-the lightest, strongest, and most cost-efficient structure ever devised.  The geodesic dome is able to cover more space without internal supports than any other enclosure.  It becomes proportionally lighter and stronger the larger it is.  The geodesic dome is a breakthrough in shelter, not only in cost-effectiveness, but in ease of construction.

What the Audience is Saying:

"There are few things more difficult than bringing a departed GREAT FIGURE back to life.  But BUCKY manages to do this with both accuracy and feeling.  A New York performance greeted their effort with a standing ovation.  I attended the Austin try-out and am paying this dramatic effort my most sincere compliment.  I have ordered TWO TICKETS to take a friend and SEE IT AGAIN."  

--  Anne Durram Robinson, creativity coach

"Bucky Fuller anticipated many of the breakthrough insights of modern business trends.  His precession concept predicted our understanding of complex, nonlinear systems and the evolution of markets and products.  In the short span of a highly entertaining play, the audience members will get tools to transform their understanding of daily management challenges."

--  Elota Patton, lecturer, University of Texas

"BUCKY  is a fascinating and loving tribute to an individual genius working to the benefit of all humanity.  Bucky, the man, is always present -- alive in the moment -- a spontaneous spirit inviting the audience to experience their own unity."

-- Kate Ludeman, President, Worth Ethic, Inc.

"I've seen BUCKY twice -- it's fabulous, funny and fascinating - Bucky's life was amazing.  It's thought provoking, heart-warming, and most of all trans- formational.  Brad Armstrong, as Buckminster Fuller will inspire you beyond your wildest imagination."

-- Bobbie Jones, Bottom Line Results

"Not just a night of mindless diversion but something you can and will use and think about the rest of your life!"

-- Nevin Shaffer, Shaffer & Culbertson

"The production is a playground of ideas which keep turning in my mind days and weeks later.  Bucky's magnificent mind is accessible to all and what a rare treat it is to discover your own genius as you directly experience his."

-- Barbara Miller, Barbara Miller Communications

"We gave BUCKY its first New York City venue as the evening event at our annual international ArtSci99 symposium.  The audience was delighted.  Brad Armstrong's one-person portrayal of Bucky was inspired.  I especially liked the fact that in our new interactive culture, the work uses fun tactics to get the audience on their feet and participating."

-- Cynthia Pannucci, Art & Science Collaboration

Reviews:

"Clearly Alice Wilson has captured Buckminster Fuller in her new play; it's obvious from the way she speaks of the man, easily, casually, relating so much personal information and scientific data that it's as if she'd been shadowing him throughout most of his life."

-- The Austin Chronicle

"Armstrong artfully portrays the complex man who was renowned during his lifetime as an architect, mathematician, humanist, educator, inspirational orator and best selling author in this inspirational play."

--  The Westlake Picayune