An all-female cast explores the topic of science experimentation - against the backdrop of a gospel church rehearsal - in The Bell Curves, by Contact Theatre director Keisha Thompson.
Nana, a biologist, wants to use her research to secure her future with her partner, Henri, but at what cost?
The play was prompted by two female scientists, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022 for the development of the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. Often referred to as “molecular scissors“ it enables scientists to perform microsurgery on DNA, but for some the discovery raises ethical questions.
The play is supported by a grant from The Future of Human Reproduction, an innovative, interdisciplinary research programme, funded by Wellcome, which explores the cultural, ethical, legal and social challenges faced by technological advances that fundamentally change the possibilities for human reproduction.
The work is also being supported by Contact and the In Manchester’s DNA project, a grant awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Performances are at Ascension Church (282 Stretford Road, M15 5TQ), from April 18-20, and Contact is also holding a free public read-through of the text at Contact Manchester on April 20 (book places at the address below).
More info and tickets here