I am Abby and I am an aspiring science communicator or should I say theatre practitioner? It’s hard to say because not many people do what I want to do. I share scientific ideas through the art of theatre.
I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and Theatre Performance from Beloit College. This is where I discovered science and theatre could coincide.
I fell in love with theatre in the 6th grade when I was required to take a short theatre class. I got butterflies when I stepped on stage to say my silly rhyming lines. This launched me into my theatre career! … Just kidding. I started to explore acting because I thought it was fun but this was also the time that I fell in love with science and research.
In High School, I started exploring scientific research and asking questions. I took a research class designed for sophomores and juniors in high school where I worked with a real scientist. I did this on top of my normal school work and acting. Next thing I knew I was applying for college and putting my scientific mind on a pedestal to get in.
When I started college, I had no intention of studying theatre. I thought it may be fun to continue acting and maybe taking some classes for fun but I had no dreams of continuing past college. I found myself taking math and science classes for my intended Microbiology major and a theatre class to lighten the load.
By year two I was hooked on theatre, but not acting. There was a combination of things that made me want to stop acting, but the primary reason was I started getting very anxious when having to perform in front of large crowds. I’m not sure if you knew this but that’s not the best trait for an actor to have. So instead of the big school performances, I started getting more involved with the theatre club on campus. Between class and the club, I learned about all the other aspects of theatre that weren’t acting. Something I had somehow never explored.
I have a vivid memory of wanting to do an activity with the theatre club that somehow involved what I was learning about science and theatre. Did I know what that would look like? No, so I turned to google. What I was not prepared for was finding so many plays about science. You’re telling me I wasn’t the first person to think of these things being used together, so why did it take me so long to find it. I started reading books and plays about science theatre or about them being used together and that’s when I found my project.
The How and the Why by Sarah Treem. This is a play about two female scientists who discuss real scientific theories about menstruation and menopause. This was the perfect play to show the world plays about science. I decided to direct it. I had zero directing experience if you don’t count watching other people direct through my acting eyes. I asked one of my best friends who also studied science and did theatre in high school to help me. Thank God for Kensie Finan. She not only helped me navigate what to do but also made me feel confident in my decisions. Made me feel like I could really do this. I fell in love with directing.
Directing a play wasn’t my goal though. I wanted the audience to walk about curious about the science. Kensie helped me plan and execute a panel about women in science to follow the play for those who wanted to stay. I also created a website that broke down all the scientific information so people could keep thinking about the science even after they left the theatre. The website can be found here: https://thehowandthewhybeloit.tumblr.com
This was the turning point. I started trying to incorporate science into my theatre lessons and theatre into my science lessons. If I was going to do this I was going to get the most out of my education. I declared a major in Theatre Performance and dropped my Microbiology major down to General Biology to have time to complete both majors. The funniest thing is I wouldn’t have been able to complete my Theatre major if I wasn’t purposely trying to study science theatre. I was able to use my science classes for requirements for my theatre major as outside credit relevant to the major. The whole time I felt in my gut that I was on a path that made sense for me but I was constantly faced with the same response when I told people what I was studying….Oh those are…different. It’s like no one could see what I saw and because I was still exploring the idea I couldn’t even fully verbalize what I was trying to do.
Well. I’m out of college now and science theatre hasn’t taken over the world to the point where I can just jump in. I feel in limbo. So I’m starting this blog. I’m going to be sharing what I know about science theatre, people I meet who are in the field, plays, books, and opportunities I find.
It will be a journey.
Join me.
Abby Bender
Curiosity Doesn't Kill 