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"Proof" Performed at Trinity Repertory Company

poster for Proof at Trinity Rep

The Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI is one of many theaters around the country to produce Proof, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Auburn. Due to the importance of mathematics to the story, the AMS was invited to advise Trinity on props and to provide the actors with some background on mathematics. The Society also offered free tickets to students from Brown University, Providence College, Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island.

Here are reactions of two students from Brown's Division of Applied Mathematics who attended the play:

Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this great play. It is very touching and fun at the same time. I definitely will recommend it to my friends, both mathematicians and non-mathematicians.

I especially enjoyed the first half [of the play], where the characters and their relationships were developed. There were also moments when the joy and frustration of doing math was captured. It was fun to see that on stage.

The play was a big success when it was on Broadway, coming away with three Tony Awards (Best Play, Best Director and Best Actress) in 2001. Proof gives people a chance to see mathematics and its processes (see a review by David Bayer from the Notices, and a summary of the review in Nature ). Read a synopsis of the play, interviews with the director of this production (running September 5 through October 12, 2003), and see links related to Proof on the Trinity Rep website.

Image courtesy of the Trinity Repertory Theater.