Falcon Theatre opens its’ 2022-2023 season with the Regional premiere of playwright Lauren Gunderson’s The Half-Life of Marie Curie, a compelling new play about renowned scientist Marie Curie and radical engineer Hertha Ayrton—and the friendship that strengthened their resolve to pursue their ambitions.
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 the married Frenchman Paul Langevin, all but erasing her achievements from public memory.
Weakened and demoralized by the press lambasting her as a “foreign” Jewish temptress and a homewrecking traitor, Marie agrees to join her friend and colleague Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragette.
The Half-Life of Marie Curie revels in the power of female friendship as it explores the relationship between these two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry.
Filled with snappy back-and-forth dialogue, this two-woman play is directed by Falcon Theatre Producing Artistic Director Ted J. Weil and features Tara Williams as Marie Curie and Tracy M. Schoster as Hertha Ayrton.
Performances are September 23, 24, 29, 30 and October 1, 6, 7, 8 at 8 p.m.EST. Ticket prices are $28 for adults and $15 for students with valid ID. Visit falcontheater.net for details and to reserve your seats.
Falcon Theatre