TheatreSquared Debuts THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE

The Half-Life of Marie Curie, newly revised by playwright Lauren Gunderson, will open for nationwide streaming from TheatreSquared (T2) on November 28, 2020.

Following the successful completion of T2's September streaming run of Ann-which originally opened in February-The Half-Life of Marie Curie is the first brand-new production to be staged at the theatre since the onset of the public health crisis, and only the second production of the play since its acclaimed 2019 New York debut.

Dawn Monique Williams directs, with Rebecca Harris (Bad Dates, Mauritius, Good People) returning to TheatreSquared to play Marie Curie, and Leontyne Mbele-Mbong playing scientist and suffragist Hertha Ayrton in her T2 debut.

On-demand streaming is available for any date from November 28 through December 20 at just $20 per household ticket. The opening night performance on November 28 will feature pre-show and post-show conversations via Zoom with the artists and a celebratory toast. For tickets, call (479) 777-7777 or visit theatre2.org.

Lauren Gunderson is the nation's top-produced contemporary playwright and the author of TheatreSquared's 2018 production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley-a record-setting favorite that year. The Half-Life of Marie Curie revels in the power of female friendship between two fearless scientists at the heights and depths of their careers and lives. In 1911, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. By 1912, she was the object of ruthless gossip over an alleged affair with a married Frenchman, all but erasing her achievements from public memory. Weakened and demoralized by an unrelenting and unforgiving press, Marie joins her friend and colleague Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragist, to recover from the scandal at Hertha's seaside retreat on the British coast.

"It's such a joy to return to the stage with this brand-new work for our Fifteenth Anniversary Season," said T2 Artistic Director Robert Ford. "Marie Curie was the first scientist to win not one, but two Nobel Prizes against incredible odds. During this pandemic, the legacy of these two brilliant women shines as a beacon of inspiration-of how science can bring us out of this profound crisis, and friendship can carry us through."

"Scientists are people - they're not just brains, they're bodies and hearts," said Gunderson in an interview with NPR in 2019. "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."

"TheatreSquared's innovations in streaming this summer and fall have brought new audiences from 19 countries and 49 states," said Executive Director Martin Miller, "with acclaim from outlets as varied as The New York Times, NPR's All Things Considered, The New Yorker, and others. We are deeply grateful to our loyal supporters and friends here in Northwest Arkansas who continue to make this work possible every day."

In its New York debut, The Half-Life of Marie Curie was a popular success and won critical acclaim. Time Out New York described the show as "enlightening and entertaining-it radiates empowerment."

Household tickets for The Half-Life of Marie Curie start at just $20, and can be purchased online at theatre2.org or by calling 479.777.7477.

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