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PRESENTED BY Nominate your favorites through November 18 at www.VoteBestNWA.com Best of Northwest Arkansas is Back! NOVEMBER 15-21, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 5 The Science Of Strength T2 takes unique look at Marie Curie FAYETTEVILLE LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette P laywright Lauren Gunderson's play, "The Half Life of Marie Curie" — now on (virtual) stage at TheatreSquared — follows Gunderson's usual modus operandi. The prolific author, whose press notices feature a slew of headlines calling her "America's favorite playwright" and referring to her as the "most produced playwright" in the country, is known for taking deep dives into the lives of historical figures and putting the most interesting and, often, the least known aspects of them on stage. This time, her subjects are Curie and her close friend, British scientist Hertha Ayrton. "What made me want to write this story was taking something that we do know, Marie Curie, and some things that we don't know," Gunderson said during an interview with Ira Flato on his podcast "Science Friday." "One of those things was a person, Hertha Ayrton, her great friend, an incredible engineer and suffragist. But also this moment in Marie Curie's life, when she was closer to Monica Lewinsky than Albert Einstein, when she was brutalized in the press, diminished, and this radical cruelty that she survived." Gunderson is speaking of a scandal that blew up in the French press when love letters from Curie to a man who was not her husband were made public. Despite the incredible contributions of Curie — who is credited with the discovery of radium and radioactivity, who was then about to win her second Nobel Prize and who would, ultimately, die of a disease caused by her dedication to furthering her scientific studies — during this scandal, she was reduced to a tawdry tabloid story. "It exposes that scientists are people — they're not just brains, they're bodies and hearts," continued Gunderson. "It's not what we expect from this certain scientist, Marie Curie, and I found that to be a really thrilling alchemy to put on stage, with rich emotions, high stakes. It became this story about this incredible unstoppable friendship that defines these two women and, frankly, changes the world, as well as saves both their lives." Science, then, is but a backdrop — an important backdrop, certainly — to the friendship that plays out on stage, and Gunderson's talent for writing strong female characters who aren't immune to vulnerability is on full display. "I love the very strong friendship that is represented in the play," says Rebecca Harris, a T2 veteran returning to the theater's stage as Marie Curie. "I was interested in playing an historical character but with the freedom that comes from 'The Half-Life of Marie Curie' WHEN — Nov. 28-Dec. 20 WHERE — Online at TheatreSquared COST — $20 INFO — theatre2.org FYI — Opening night has been delayed. Contact T2 to reschedule your reservations. FAQ See T2 Page 6 Welcome Back, Rebecca Harris It's not unusual for TheatreSquared to attract world class talent with hefty resumes. For example, actor Rebecca Harris, the Fayetteville native who plays Marie Curie in T2's current production, has film and television credits that include "Outsid- ers," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Chicago Med." But one credit on her resume distinguishes her as particularly notable in the T2 sphere of performers: She was in the company's inau- gural production, 2006's one-woman show "Bad Dates." She's returned to the theater company for many shows since, but "The Half-Life of Marie Curie" marks the first time she's performed on the theater's new stage. "This play happening right now is an amazing gift, and it is a great opportunity to be here in Fayetteville and to continue my relationship with T2," says Harris. "I'm so proud of everything they have built over the last 15 (!) years, metaphorically and literally. It is an honor to make theater with these artists and really extraordinary to be able to be a part of the first show since the covid-19 forced hiatus." Due to the pandemic, "The Half-Life of Marie Curie" will be offered in a virtual format rather than live. "I've been looking forward to working in the new theater," says Harris. "This is not what I had in mind, but I'll take it for now." "I think [playwright Lauren Gunderson] is very bold in the way she uses language," says actor Rebecca Harris (right, pictured with Leontyne Mbele-Mbong as Hertha Ayrton). (Courtesy Photo/Wesley Hitt via T2)