From Copenhagen to infinity and beyond: Science meets literature on stage

Abstract

Works likeCopenhagen and After Darwin have shown that 'science plays' can be an especially successful and powerful meeting point of literature and science. Here, we continue the exploration of science and theatre oVered in last year's special issue of ISR on science and theatre, by looking at science plays from both a literary and a theatrical perspective. What is it that makes them work as theatre? In many science plays, form and content merge to convey the ideas in a highly theatrical way that re ects the scienti c substance and themes. As analysis of speci c textual examples shows, this interdependence of formal and thematic properties has become one of the hallmarks of the contemporary genre of science plays, along with their often provocative and innovative challenges to stage realism.

The Evolution and Popularity of Science Play with Specific Reference to Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, Brecht’s Galileo and Frayn’s Copenhagen

“…The great admiration for geniuses has also played an important role. People are quite eager to know; how geniuses think, how they do it, what the secret is and finally how they manage to cope between work and domestic demands (Barr, 2008).…”

“…Writers, actually, find in science a mine of ideas (Brook, 1998). Besides some science plays cast light on very important events that shape our present life, they dig deep into the reasons and consequences of these ideas that might be of assistance to warn humanity of going back to chaos (Barr, 2003).…”

“…However, they failed to outshine theatre as they tend to be more informative. They tell people about science, but they cannot construe it in a vivid, interactive and accessible way as theatre does (Barr, 2003). Nonetheless, some movies like; A Beautiful Mind It narrates the story of a scientist who exchanges his soul for absolute power and carnal pleasure.…”

“…Brecht's versions of Life of Galileo (1938Galileo ( /1947 were a turning point in the evolution of science play as the light had been shifted for the first time from the scientist to the potential danger of science itself. To Barr (2006), the dates 1938 and 1947 were quite crucial. She described Brecht's play as ''a watershed in the development of science plays'' (p. 24).…”

O que torna Darwin dramático?

“…Os dramaturgos, poderão também encontrar na Ciência uma fonte de novos mitos e metáforas, e, eventualmente, uma visão mais profunda do ser humano no universo (Shepherd-Barr 2003, Barnett 2005; poderá ainda existir a procura, por parte dos produtores de teatro, de novos campos de actuação, não só pela pertinência e actualidade de alguns temas científicos (ligados à biologia celular, à física de partículas, à astronomia) com implicações imediatas na sociedade, mas também como forma de alargar o seu campo de financiamento, estendendo-o a instituições de índole científica e educacional, indo de encontro aos anseios de maior aproximação à sociedade destas comunidades.…”