A story about two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry.

“The Half-life of Marie Curie” opens its Philippine debut on August 23 in the Doreen Black Box in Areté, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. It is under the direction of Fulbright Specialist Kiara Pipino, with the script written by Lauren Gunderson.

Dr. Pipino is a renowned theater director, playwright, author, and associate professor of theater at the State University of New York, Oneonta, United States (US). She received a doctorate degree in Architecture for Performance at the Universita’ degli Studi di Genova in Italy.

Gunderson is a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She is one of the most produced playwrights in America and holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Dramatic Writing at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in the US.

The Half-life of Marie Curie is a MusicArtes, Inc. production presented by Areté Ateneo and co-presented by the Philippine Theater Actors Guild, Inc. and the Ateneo Fine Arts Department.

Leading the artistic team is Director Pipino on Set Design, together with Bethany Marx on Costume Design, Jethro Nibaten on Lighting Design, Jessy Gardner on Sound Design, GA Fallarme on Projection Design, Julia Macuja on Assistant Production Design, and Adriane Ungriano on Technical Direction.

Marie Curie is played by Missy Maramara, who performed as Sister Lucia in GRACE (2024). The actress earned an MFA degree in Drama at the University of Arkansas, US, and a doctorate degree in English Language and Literature from Ateneo, where she is an assistant professor.

Meanwhile, Hertha Ayrton is portrayed by Caisa Borromeo, who directed Elise Santos’ Sa Babaeng Lahat for Virgin Labfest 19: Pintog (2024) and won an Aliw Award for Best Stage Director for Lungs (2023). Beyond theater, she is also a vocal coach and saddle row instructor.

Curie is most known for her scientific discovery of the chemical elements radium and polonium as well as pioneering research on radioactivity and substantial findings for cancer treatment. The play is set off by a scandalous rumor of an alleged affair that devastates her stature and success.

Berated due to the cruel gossip, Ayrton — an engineer, suffragette, colleague, and friend — invites Curie to a seaside refuge to recuperate from the scandal. The leading women also traverse through the hardship of being female scientists where women are not welcomed in their respective fields.

Moreover, the story celebrates the relationship between Curie and Ayrton, with themes and topics that revolve around women’s suffrage, female empowerment, scientific achievement, and the fields of chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

Revel in the power of female friendship of these two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry.

Tickets may still be purchased at bit.ly/MarieCurieMNL2024.

Show dates include August 23 (7PM), 24 (3PM & 7PM), 25 (3PM & 7PM), 27 (7PM), 28 (7PM), 29 (7PM), and 30 (7PM).

Jules Aranjuez is a sophomore studying psychology. He lives by the motto, “I’d rather try while regretting than regret without trying,” so if you find him watching theater productions with so much awe and inspiration, it is because he wants to try being a part of a play without regrets than to regret not trying at all.

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