USask drama performance will bring quantum science to the stage
Jan. 31 reading of Copenhagen by Michael Frayn is for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
By Chris Putnam
University of Saskatchewan (USask) artists and scientists will kick off a year of quantum celebrations with a dramatic production perfect for the occasion.
At 7:30 pm on Friday, Jan. 31, the Entangled Spaces Theatre Collective will perform a live reading on campus of Copenhagen by Michael Frayn. The event is in celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology declared by the United Nations for 2025.
“We feel that this play celebrates the history of quantum, wrestles in a human way with the many implications of it, and immerses the audience in quantum thinking through its narrative structure. What’s not to love?” said Dr. Steven Rayan (PhD), a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and one of the organizers of the event.
Copenhagen depicts the mysterious 1941 visit of Werner Heisenberg to his former supervisor, Niels Bohr, at a time when the two famous quantum thinkers were on opposite sides of the Second World War. The exact nature of their discussion at that meeting is unknown, but the play takes inspiration from quantum physics to portray multiple possible versions of the conversation. First performed in 1998, Copenhagen won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Play.
At USask, the play will be read by Saskatoon actors Skye Brandon (BFA’00, MA’19), Kris Bratton and Elizabeth Nepjuk (BFA’15). The performance is supported by the USask Quantum Innovation Signature Area of Research, the quanTA Centre and the School for the Arts.
“I’ve loved this play since it first arrived on the scene,” said Brandon, a USask drama and interdisciplinary studies graduate who is also helping produce the performance. “It is intelligent, and it can seem dense, but at the same time, you don’t have to know the science to enjoy the story. It’s a really great dramatic human story about an important time in our history.”
Rayan and Brandon also recruited fellow College of Arts and Science faculty member Carla Orosz (BFA’04), an associate professor in the School for the Arts, to help organize the performance.
Orosz said she is excited about the opportunity to use theatre to bring the history of quantum science to new audiences.
“I think it is important to note how the sciences support the arts and the arts support the sciences. When we work together on projects like this, both areas gain a greater understanding of each subject area as well as a respect for what it takes to fully understand the nuances of each.”
Rayan—the director of the quanTA Centre and lead of the Quantum Innovation Signature Area of Research—has worked many times in the past to bring to life crossovers between quantum science and the arts: from concerts (1, 2) to art installations to exhibitions.
“Now that we are entering the Quantum Year, it seemed fitting to explore one more medium: drama. As always, we use our time and resources in the signature area to cultivate and support these important opportunities and occasions to tell scientific stories through a creative lens,” Rayan said.
The Entangled Spaces Theatre Collective is a new group formed by the faculty members and actors to produce the Jan. 31 performance. Physics Building room 165, a theatre-style classroom and the previous site of many great physics lectures, was chosen as the venue.
The 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology marks 100 years since quantum mechanics were first discovered. Groups and organizations around the world are holding events and activities to celebrate this milestone and to spread awareness of the importance of quantum science.
The Copenhagen reading is the first of many events being planned at USask in honour of the year. Lectures, a conference, a quantum hackathon and more will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
“It is going to be a wild year and everyone is invited,” said Rayan.
Tickets are not required to attend the Copenhagen reading. Admission is by donation at the door.
The performance is a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association production under the Artists’ Collective Policy.
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