Topic: Science as Art in Contemporary Theater
Abstract:
In the 1993 play Arcadia, playwright Tom Stoppard miraculously manages to use the tension between Euclidean geometry and modern fractal geometry to explore the classical/romantic dichotomy in literature, science, art, and human personality. This is just one example of how acclaimed playwrights such as Stoppard, Michael Frayn, Simon McBurney and others have effectively incorporated mathematical and scientific themes for artistic purposes. Inspired by this relatively recent phenomenon in contemporary drama, we have collaborated on a team-taught course aimed at exploring the complementary ways in which science and theater seek out their respective truths.
Biography:
Professor of Theatre and Gender Sexuality and Feminist Studies. Co-founder and co-director of the PTP/NYC (formerly Potomac Theatre Project), the college’s affiliated professional theatre company. Teacher, director and arts administrator. Selected professional directing credits: The Real Thing, Anna Karenina(Olney Theatre Center); Lovesong of the Electric Bear, Perfect Pie, Stanley, Arcadia, Masterpieces, Mad Forest, Cigarettes & Chocolate, The After-Dinner Joke (Potomac Theatre Project). At Middlebury, among many others: An Experiment with an Air Pump, Top Girls, The Rover, Arcadia (New England ACTF), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, On the Verge. Particular interests include interdisciplinary work with the sciences and mathematics and the study of women and creativity. Associations and affiliations: Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and numerous others. B.A. and M.F.A. in Theatre from Catholic University; Ph.D from Florida State University School of Theatre.