Explore the history and legacy of the Golden Record. Launched in 1977, this record is attached to NASA’s Voyager I and II space probes, which were designed to explore the outer Solar System. Ancient Beacons Long for Notice is Dario Robleto’s third installment in a trilogy exploring the history and legacy of the Golden Record. Launched in 1977, this record is attached to NASA’s Voyager I and II space probes, which were designed to explore the outer Solar System. The gold discs contain images, languages, music, and sounds representing the diversity of life and cultures on Earth. Created by a team of scientists led by Carl Sagan, the Golden Record was a hopeful gesture, carefully curated to present humanity’s “best face forward” in a first-contact scenario with other intelligent life forms; any traces of war, injustice, famine, or environmental decay were intentionally omitted. The film examines the implications of this ethos across time and space through new research on a forgotten document: the earliest audio recording of warfare, made in 1918 on the Western Front of WWI. Robleto’s film asks: “What is our moral obligation to fully account for our actions—the good and the bad—in perpetuity, off-planet, and to beings we have yet to confirm exist?” “The film is full of cross-disciplinary possibilities, and I love bringing many departments across campus together,” Robleto said. “I’m currently working with the Space Institutes and various Humanities Initiatives at Harvard, Duke and Rice University on the film. This includes scientists as well as philosophers, religious studies scholars, historians, linguists and creative writing programs. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Voyagers, and many science and astronomy departments will celebrate this achievement.” Dario Robleto is an American artist, writer, and filmmaker based in Houston, Texas. His work has been exhibited widely and is held in prominent collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Menil Collection, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. His work has been profiled in numerous publications and media outlets, including Radiolab, Krista Tippett’s On Being, and the New York Times. He is currently working on his first book, The Heartbeat at the Edge of the Solar System: Science, Emotion, and the Golden Record, co-authored with Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts, which will be published by Scribner in 2027. Join us for this special screening and Q & A live with Dario Robleto live at Marroney Theatre.

Experience original music from three LA jazz innovators in an intimate evening of upright bass, alto saxophone, and drums. Mexican-born bassist Mauricio Morales brings a powerful trio to the Century Room featuring alto saxophonist Devin Daniels and drummer Nate Friedman. Morales is in constant demand as a sideman in LA’s flourishing jazz scene, known for his command of both upright and electric bass traditions and the songwriter’s sense of structure he brings to his own compositions. His influences span from Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau to Peter Gabriel and Sting, creating a sound that transcends traditional jazz categories. Morales leads the albums Luna, Eclipse, The Endless Ride, and Seven Days, and recently appeared on the collaborative release Between Dreams and Twilight with pianist Adam Hersh, guitarist Mike Moreno, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and drummer Gary Novak. This is an evening of original music that captures the raw energy and sophisticated musicianship defining LA’s contemporary jazz landscape. Experience Mauricio Morales at The Century Room.

Enter a world of shadow, magic, and revenge as Manual Cinema transforms Shakespeare’s Macbeth into a breathtaking new story told entirely through shadow puppetry set to live music. The 4th Witch is a stunning new tale that begins at the edge of war. When a warlord’s army invades a small town, a young girl escapes into a dark, ancient forest. Orphaned and alone, she is taken in by a witch who teaches her the craft. As her skills grow, so does her grief, and so does her hunger for vengeance against the man who took everything from her. Manual Cinema tells this story without a single word of dialogue, relying entirely on shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette, and a powerful live music score to pull audiences deep into a world that feels both timeless and urgent. Inspired by the world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth but told from an entirely new perspective, The 4th Witch explores grief, war, and the cycles of violence left behind on the battlefield long after the fighting ends. It is a story about the people history forgets and the cost of vengeance on those who survive. Manual Cinema is one of the most inventive theatrical companies working today, and this production is among their most ambitious and visually arresting works. No dialogue. No narration. Just pure visual storytelling at its most powerful; live at Centennial Hall. Recommended for ages 12 and up.