Eighty years after the famous Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes trial, L.A. Theatre Works brings the still-current issue of teaching evolution to stage in its production of The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial.

The play, starring actors Edward Asner (Elf), Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H) and Sharon Gless (Judging Amy), will be preformed at 7:30 tonight and tomorrow night in the Schwab Auditorium.

The script, written by Peter Goodchild, is based on the famous trial that brought the issue of teaching evolution in public high schools into the American courts.

"The play, based on the 1925 Scopes Trial, is a radio play," Laura Sullivan, marketing and communications director for the Center of the Performing Arts, said.

The performance will be unique because of this, Sullivan said.

"It is a format that people are not used to seeing," she said. "You see more of the sound effects and production of the play. It's not as much about the costumes and stage set as it is about the spoken word."

The actors in the play will even read directly from the script at times, Sullivan said.

Edward Asner and Mike Farrell will be playing the two lawyers in the trial, and Sharon Gless will play the part of the narrator.

"We're really excited to have some of the biggest names in acting involved," Sullivan said.

"It will be an exceptional night of acting, and students should really take advantage of the opportunity to see such a star-powered cast," she said.

Although the script is pulled from events in history -- it is striking to see how current the issue still is, Susan Loewenberg, producing director, said.

"It's important because it reflects a lot of what's going on today," Loewenberg said. "It's shocking to see that nothing has really changed in all these years. It's eight decades later, and we are still echoing the same arguments of Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan [the two lawyers involved in the trial]."

Carol Wonsavage, Penn State Public Broadcasting marketing director, worked with the College of Communications to hold a "lobby talk" with a panel of Penn State faculty and other guest experts on the hot-button topic.

"It's a play about one of the greatest debates in American society," Wonsavage said. "The same issues -- evolutionism and creationism in public high schools -- are alive and in state courts today."

Sullivan said that the play is important, especially for Penn State students, because the issue is so close to the campus.

"It's a very timely subject, and it's not too far away from us, with the recent trial about the same issue in Dover, Pa.," she said.

When L.A. Theatre Works was first approached about the idea of touring, the concept was simply to get to know their audience. The reason to tour with the play, however, became much more profound, Loewenberg said.

"Touring the play is a wonderful way to spark a national conversation on a very important issue," she said. "It is important that, as citizens, we fully inform ourselves of the facts by hearing the original arguments at the trial, and understanding the mood of the country as well as the political and social forces propelling the controversy at that time."

After the play, there will be a "talk-back" session, where the actors will come back on stage and talk to the audience about the issue addressed in the play and acting in general.

"It's a great way to get a first-hand look at the industry," Sullivan said.

Loewenberg said that using the medium of a play is a great way to address the topic.

"It is a terrific way to become better informed about the issue as it stands today," she said. "Theater is a wonderful learning tool because, at its best, it touches both the mind and the heart, and our play aspires to do just that."