A dramatic list of plays: The emotions of science
Editor’s Note: This is the new installment of our list of must-read plays (yes, you read that right)—curated by former librarian Phalguni Vittal Rao. In this installment, Phalguni curates plays based on science and maths—that touch on the fun topics of cloning, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the God particle, afterlife and philosophy.
Written by: Phalguni Vittal Rao is an actor, writer, creator, curator and arts manager. Her written work can be found on Firstpost, The New Indian Express, The Better India, and the Drama School Mumbai newsletter and blog.
Being able to understand science and mathematics is a great way to understand the world around us. It is not only numbers and formulae and theories, it is a different language and system of knowing where we came from, where we are and where we might be headed next. The plays recommended below, though rooted in the sciences, take a step further and explore how much of the sciences is present in the dilemmas and situations we face in our every-day relationships.
A Number by Caryl Churchill: Written in 2002 by British playwright Caryl Churchill, ‘A Number’ explores the world of second chances, identity and the ethics of human cloning. It is set in the near future where Salter—a man in his early 60s—who clones his son Bernard (B1)—whom he had neglected as a child after his wife died by suicide. But unbeknownst to him, a group of scientists involved in the cloning process create multiple clones of Bernard (B1). Through the course of the play, Salter meets with his original son B1 and his clones, hoping to have a better connection as a father in each encounter.
Phalguni’s take: Churchill manages to capture the angst of a parent who knows they’ve failed and the lengths to which they will go to salvage their actions. She raises the question of what constitutes originality in a human being and if the science of human cloning highlights or diminishes human identity i.e. would it matter if we are the real thing or a perfect imitation? Like her other plays, the dialogues are sharp and often overlap each other and the true meaning and rhythm of the play is best revealed if it is read out loud.
Proof by David Auburn: This is a 2001 Pulitzer Prize winning drama which centres on Catherine—a 25-year-old woman who is about to lay her brilliant and mentally ill mathematician father to rest after spending years taking care of him. In the play, Catherine claims she has written a proof (yes, the playwright intended the pun) for a long-standing unsolved mathematical problem, which others in the play do not believe. However, we never find out what the crucial theory she proved is. Set in Chicago, the play deals with themes of gender, authorship and grief.
Phalguni’s take: Mathematicians often refer to the elusive and complex world of mathematics as lingua pura (Italian for “pure language”). However, to enjoy this play eponymous of a mathematical procedure and about three mathematicians, you don’t need to know the maths to understand it. ‘Proof’ captures well the love and intimacy between a father and a daughter, and the grief of having to watch your parent turn old and ill — sometimes unrecognisable to who you knew them as.
Copenhagen by Michael Frayn: Set in 1941, ‘Copenhagen’ dives into an unrecorded meeting between physicists Werner Heisenberg and Neils Bohr in Nazi-occupied Denmark against the backdrop of WWII and the atomic race. What happened in the meeting? What did they talk about? What led to their fallout? No one knows for sure. This speculative piece of work shows spirits of the two physicists—along with Bohr’s wife Margrethe—coming together in the afterlife to piece together what happened on that fateful day and arrive at what Heisenberg calls “the final uncertainty at the core of things”.
Phalguni’s take: Powerful, philosophical and provocative, this play makes elaborate use of science as source material to spark a moral debate. Frayn doesn’t hesitate to dive into the science of it all, and treats the audience as one with the capacity to absorb complex scientific ideas and concepts. And don’t worry, there is an explanation of the concepts in layman language too. With wars and genocides going around in the world, Frayn’s play is still timely even 25 years later, recognising the light and darkness in each one’s soul and that only seconds in time determine our existence today.
Einstein’s Dreams by Vijay Padaki and Vibhinna Ramdev: Can a reading list on science and maths be complete without the mention of Albert Einstein? Of course not. The famed and revolutionising scientist has been the subject of several plays including ‘Einstein’s Dreams’ by Vijay Padaki and Vibhinna Ramdev. An adaptation of the 1992 novel of the same name by Alan Lightman, this play takes place at a time when Einstein is yet to develop this Theory of Relativity.
Phalguni’s take: It is written as a series of fictitious dreams where the young scientist reflects through various concepts of time and reality—making it a mix of philosophy and science.
Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood: Set against the backdrop of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Geneva, this Lucy Kirkwood play is about two sisters: Alice—a star physicist at CERN who is part of the team looking for the ‘God particle’ Higgs Boson—and Jenny, a headstrong homebody who drinks, smokes, distrusts experts and recently lost her first child Amy to measles. Like protons accelerating and shooting in circles in the LHC, the two sisters are like those particles revolving and zipping around, not knowing when one might collide into another and what effect that might produce.
Phalguni’s take: Funny, witty and an emotional rollercoaster, ‘Mosquitoes’ is like chasing a buzzing mosquito and trying to kill it, except that when you think you almost have it, it buzzes away again — much like our understanding of this universe and our existence in it.
Tomcat by James Rushbrooke: Set in a not-so-distant future, ‘Tomcat’ gives us a wide peek into the life of 12-year-old Jessie who is locked up in a facility for study and experimentation because she has genetic predisposition to be a psychopath (as her mother was one and died by suicide when Jessie was a baby). Charlie, her new doctor, is sure she is dangerous and will do anything to keep society safe from her, while Tom—Jessie’s caregiver—wants to keep her safe from Charlie’s experiments. This is a world where termination orders are issued for children with cystic fibrosis and Down’s Syndrome. In other words, eugenics is back.
Phalguni’s take: The play explores crucial questions about how far one can go in the name of science and where should our duty of caregiving stop. How do we draw the line between being bad and acting bad? How do we separate one’s behaviour from one’s character? James Rushbrooke, who has a background in social care and psychology, writes a sympathetic exploration of what it means to be “normal”. The writing is engaging and the characters are sharp and well written. In a world that is quick to label people as good and bad, ‘Tomcat’ makes one pause and reflect on how we all live on an ethical spectrum and keep reading between the lines.
