Theater News

Austin Pendleton to Direct New York Premiere of Sarah Treem's The How and the Why

Karen Leiner and Arielle Goldman will star as a pair of scientists.

Austin Pendleton will direct Sarah Treem's The How and the Why.
Austin Pendleton will direct Sarah Treem's The How and the Why.
(© David Gordon)

Austin Pendleton will direct the New York City premiere of Sarah Treem's The How and the Why, which is set to begin previews at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture on October 20 ahead of an official opening night on October 23. Ticket are on sale through November 6.

According to press material The How and the Why is a "rapid-fire joust between two women scientists with a complicated history. Their scholarly debate on the purposes – not the how but the why – of female reproductive processes escalates into an all-in, life-changing clash around power and age, sex and gender, and the hard choices faced by women of every generation."

Treem, who won a Golden Globe Award for the Showtime drama The Affair, was inspired by the work of two evolutionary biologists: Margie Profet (who referred to sperm as "vectors of disease") and Kristen Hawkes (whose "grandmother hypothesis" posited that the purpose of menopause was to allow older women to raise their children's children).

Pendleton (who was recently seen on Broadway on The Minutes and was recognized by the New York Drama Critics' Circle for his remarkable 60-year career in the theater) will lead a design team that includes Anya Klepikov (set), Ryan Metzler (lighting), Kathleen Doyle (costumes), Mona Damian (props), and Andrew Lynch (sound).

Tickets are on sale here.