As a young Jewish man in 17th century Amsterdam, Baruch de Spinoza excelled as a theological student; but as he encountered free-thinking Protestants, atheists, and radicals in this relatively tolerant city, he began to question his religion and the nature of God. As a result, he was branded a heretic and faced excommunication.Includes an interview with Steven Nadler, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age.Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, in July 2011.Director: Rosalind AyresProducing Director: Susan Albert LoewenbergAn L.A. Theatre Works Full-Cast Performance Featuring:Edward Asner as Abraham van ValkenburghRichard Easton as Saul Levi MorteraAndrea Gabriel as ClaraArye Gross as Ben IsraelAmy Pietz as RebekahJames Wagner as Simon de VriesMatthew Wolf as Baruch de SpinozaAssociate Producer: Christina MontanoRecording Engineer/Sound Designer/Editor: Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West HollywoodSound Effects Artist: Tony Palermo
