Professor Stengler, Katie Dragan ’20, Barbara Pratt ’20, and Phoebe Cos ’20 performing “Displacement DRAMA.”
Last Friday, the Class of 2020 had the opportunity to work with Matheatre, the internationally touring scientific theatre company. Sadie Bowman and Ricky Coates led students through a half day workshop, teaching them strategies to offer creative access points to science and math through the performing arts.
Bowman and Coates split the students into groups and assigned scientific concepts, such as classical conditioning, the conservation of energy, displacement, and the birth of a star. In the course of four hours, participants wrote and performed their own musicals exploring these topics. Some titles of programs included “A Whole New Form: The Fire Within,” “Displacement DRAMA,” “Let It Glow,” and, “I Want My Dog to Drool.”
The students thoroughly enjoyed their experience and gained a deeper appreciation for the connection between science and the arts. The workshop demonstrated the power of human stories behind the sciences and enhanced students’ vocabulary and expression with which to communicate the marvels of science.