Theatre of Science!

Recently, a couple people on Twitter were kind enough to mention ‘Theatre of Science’ – a joint endeavor between best-selling science author (and pal) Simon Singh and I from many ages back. I thought it May Be entertaining to turn back the hands of time and discuss some more info and photos about the project……

In 2001 Simon indicated that the two of us create, and present, a live science-based show in a West End theater. I knew that this type of entertainment had been popular throughout the turn of the previous century, but has been originally sceptical about it working for a audience. But, Simon won me and I agreed to give it a try. Simon subsequently persuaded The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts to finance the endeavor and also The Soho Theatre to stage the show.

In the first half, Simon used mathematics that the Teletubbies are evil, sabotaged The Bible Code, and illustrated chance theory via gambling scams and bets. Following the period, I researched the psychology of deception with the assistance of magical tricks, optical illusions and also a live lie detector. It was all and largely depended on a acetates, an overhead projector, plus a few marker pens!   We opened in March 2002 and fast sold-out. The reviewers were quite kind, together with The Evening Standard explaining the show as ‘… that a masterclass in brain ’ and What’s On stating that it was “…uplifting, hilarious and frequently thought-provoking. ” In 2002 we took the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In 2005 we staged a version of the show at the Soho Theatre.

A few years earlier, I were involved in a project exploring the science of anatomy, and had organized for high contortionist Delia Du Sol to enter an MRI scanner and perform extreme back-bends. Throughout Theatre of Sciencewe revealed these scans to the audience because Delia bent her body into shapes and squeezed to a small perspex box.

Additionally, musician Sarah Angliss attested that the science behind various weird electronics, and played songs in a saw and a theremin!

We wanted to end the show on a truly dangerous, science-basedstunt. HVFX – a company that makes high voltage electricity gear – kindly provided two huge Tesla coils capable of creating six-foot bolts of million-volt turbo throughout the stage. At the end of each display Simon I entered a coffin-shaped cage and hoped that it would shield us against the force of the million-volt strikes. The stunt brought lots of press attention and once more we sold out.

In 2006 we staged it in an arts and science festival at New York (co-sponsored from the Centre for Inquiry).

Back then plenty of people were deeply skeptical, although Now we are used to people enjoying a day of comedy and mathematics in the theatre. When we proved anything, it was that it’s potential attract a mainstream audience.

Anyway, I hoped you loved hearing about everything and huge thanks to everyone who worked so tough to make the job a success, such as: Portia Smith, Delia Du Sol, Sarah Angliss, Stephen Wolf, Tracy King, Nick Field, HVFX, Austin Dacey, Jessica Brenner and Caroline Watt (who came up with the title for the show) and, obviously …. .Simon Singh!

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