How do you get applause, cheers, and whoops for a science talk? Make it the prologue to a play. This was the hypothesis tested by “Centrifuge,” an experiment in science and theatre conducted this month by Seattle’s Infinity Box Theatre Project.
“Theatre is where we come together as a society to do our collective thinking,” said David Mills, artistic director of Infinity Box. “Theatrical stories help us think ahead about the human consequences of changes driven by science and technology.”
For Centrifuge, Mills and colleagues used an established protocol: 14/48. Twice a year in Seattle, playwrights, actors, and directors create and perform 14 new plays in 48 hours, based on a common theme. Centrifuge had a slightly more relaxed pace: five 10-minute science plays generated over five days.
On Monday, June 20, participants assembled at the North Seattle College theatre. Five science writers—journalists, public information officers, bloggers, and book authors—were ...
