Physics and theater come together as Science & Art Cabaret returns

Buffalo’s Science & Art Cabaret will return this March with a conversation between physicists and theater professionals following the local production of Nick Payne’s 75-minute play, “Constellations.”

The event will take place March 19. That night, participants are invited to view the production of “Constellations” by Second Generation Theatre at 8 p.m. in Shea’s Smith Theatre, 658 Main St., Buffalo, and to stay for the cabaret panel discussion afterward.

Tickets for the play and cabaret are available by calling Second Generation Theatre at 716-508-7480. Tickets are also available online, and audience members who would like to attend the cabaret should select the “Post-Show Discussion” and enter the code SCIENCE to receive $5 off. (The price for the “Post-Show Discussion” option includes admission to the play.)

According to promotional materials for “Constellations,” “This spellbinding romantic journey begins with a simple encounter between a man and a woman. What happens next defies the boundaries of the world we think we know, delving into the infinite possibilities of their relationship and raising questions about the difference between choice and destiny.”

The Science & Art Cabaret panel discussion after the play will feature a conversation with:

• Cabaret co-founder Will Kinney, UB professor of physics. He is a cosmologist and author of the forthcoming book, “An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe.”
• Salvatore Rappoccio, UB associate professor of physics. He is a particle physicist and a member of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) collaboration, a large international team of scientists who run the CMS particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider.
• Michael Wachowiak, director of “Constellations.”
• Kristin Bentley, executive director of Second Generation Theatre, who stars in “Constellations” as Marianne.

The panel discussion marks the Buffalo Science & Art Cabaret’s return after a two-year pause due to the pandemic. The March 19 event is a partnership between Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, the UB College of Arts and Sciences, and Second Generation Theatre.

The Buffalo Science & Art Cabaret was established in fall 2009 as an ongoing conversation about endless topics across all disciplines. The series’ underlying premise is that intellectual pursuits that appear distinct actually cross paths far more often than presumed and share spheres of interest and meaning.