Live Reading of "Could You Patent The Sun?"

Please join playwright and poet Robert Galinsky who brings his acclaimed new solo work Could You Patent the Sun? to the Jefferson Market Library.

Written and performed by , Directed by Cory Michael Herman, and executive produced by Dr. Nigel Brown & Mark Schoenfeld, Could You Patent the Sun? explores the life and legacy of Dr. Jonas Salk, the visionary scientist who developed the polio vaccine and who famously refused to patent it, believing that life-saving knowledge should belong to everyone.

With minimal staging and maximum impact, Galinsky fuses humor, grit, and heart to embody Salk as both a man and a mirror for our times. The 55-minute performance is an intimate theatrical experience that raises timely questions about science, compassion, innovation, and the human spirit: Who owns knowledge? Who profits from discovery? And what happens when compassion, not profit, drives innovation?

A proud son of New York City, Salk grew up in the Bronx, studied at City College, and embodied a distinctly New York blend of grit, intellect, and compassion.

“When Salk said, ‘Could you patent the sun?’ he was speaking against the madness of putting a price tag on human survival,” says Galinsky. “My father, a pharmacist and science teacher, believed knowledge was meant to be shared. My grandfather, born in the same village as Salk’s, knew roots matter. For me, caring for people is the only reason to stand on a stage. This piece is my act of service and my reminder that the light we inherit must never be owned by anyone.”

At its core, Could You Patent the Sun? is not a biography but a moral meditation - a living, breathing reflection of the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and of New York’s enduring spirit of generosity and ingenuity. Through Salk’s story, Galinsky and the Sirovich Center invite audiences to celebrate a shared belief: that knowledge, kindness, and community are our greatest collective inheritance.

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Host or Publisher Galinsky Media