The How and The Why

Evolution and emotion crash in The How and the Why, the thought-provoking and sharp new play about science, family and survival of the fittest. Written by esteemed playwright Sarah Treem, this production is the local debut of a play The New York Times calls “a smart, densely textured work about men and women, love and conflict, genes and destiny.”

The How and the Why is an intimate and keenly perceptive play where two female scientists explore the difficult choices women of every generation face. On the eve of a prestigious conference, an up-and-coming evolutionary biologist wrestles for the truth with an established leader in the biology world. Their question – why do women menstruate, when most mammals do not? While the elder scientist centers her research on the grandmother hypothesis, the younger presents radical new ideas aimed at explaining the minutiae of female biology. Along the way, the characters dig deeper into the why of Mother Nature, revealing drama that reveals the secrets of human anatomy.