Re:Design
Darwin Festival in Cambridge, July 2009
Pilot: ?????
Writer: Craig Baxter
Director: Paul Bourne
Filmmaker: Sarah Wood
Commissioned by the Darwin Correspondence Project
GRAY: “Organic Nature abounds with unmistakable and irresistible indications of design.”
DARWIN: “Can the mind of man, which has, as I fully believe, been developed from a mind as low as that possessed by the lowest animal, be trusted when it draws such grand conclusions?”
With The Atlantic Ocean between them, Charles Darwin in England, and Asa Gray at Harvard, correspond voraciously in an attempt to reconcile orthodox Christian beliefs with Darwin’s new theory of evolution by natural selection. Using their own words, we enter the worlds of these groundbreaking 19th century naturalists as they debate the great issues of science and religion whilst sharing news of personal tragedies and triumphs, holiday experiences and various gardening accidents! Serious thinkers, family men, patriots, wrestling with the issues of their own day and ours.
In this new version of the play, commissioned by the Darwin Correspondence Project, the characters of Darwin and Gray unfold through the eyes of Jemma, a modern day artist and film-maker coming to terms with the same issues 150 years on.
Introduction to Re:Design by Craig Baxter
The world was Darwin’s laboratory. Confined to his home in rural Kent by his own ill-health, he wrote thousands of letters, using (quite brilliantly) his reputation, charm and self-deprecating humour to persuade amateur collectors and busy professionals from all over the world to collect and interpret data on his behalf. Darwin worked hard to get the best information out of the best people for feeding into his theories. Gray was perfectly placed to provide Darwin with information about the geographical distribution of plants in his part of the World. At Darwin’s instigation, a warm and lively correspondence was struck up and Gray became one of the very few fellow scientists to whom Darwin revealed his theory of natural selection before the publication of On the Origin of Species. As a committed Christian, Gray saw no conflict between his religious faith and Darwin’s theory and became a staunch champion of Darwin in the United States. The two friends discussed at length, over many years and not always agreeing, the evidence for divine ‘design’ in nature.
Re:Design was commissioned by the Darwin Correspondence Project, University of Cambridge, and funded by the John Templeton Foundation as a way of introducing wider audiences to the letters of Charles Darwin. The words the historical characters speak are verbatim, taken from the original, written words of Darwin and Gray. It has proved a highly mutable play, evolving into two- and three-actor versions of varying running time and being translated into Danish, German, Spanish and Turkish.
Biographies
Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury in 1809. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, but switched to Cambridge in 1827 where he studied theology and natural science. He spent five years sailing round the world on board HMS Beagle. He published articles and books about his observations and deductions, and began to piece together the data that led him to understand the mechanism by which new species develop. He called it `natural selection’ and his famous work, On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection, was published in 1859. He married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood in 1839. They had ten children; one daughter died soon after birth and another at the age of ten; one son died in infancy. Darwin died at his home in Downe, Kent, in 1882.
Asa Gray was born in New York State in 1810. He qualified as a doctor, but gave up medical practice after two years to teach and study botany. He travelled in England and Europe in 1838 and 1839 and met Joseph Hooker, son of the Director of Kew Gardens. Although Gray and Hooker first briefly met Charles Darwin during that visit, it was not until 1855 that Gray and Darwin first corresponded. Returning to the US, Gray was appointed Professor of natural history at Harvard University in 1842, a post he held until his death in 1888. He wrote numerous botanical works and was President of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1848 he married Jane Loring. They had no children.
Jemma, a video-artist, is an invented modern day character.
The Darwin Correspondence Project was founded in 1974 by an American scholar, Frederick Burkhardt, with the aid of Sydney Smith, a zoologist in the University of Cambridge (UK). They originally set out to locate, research, and publish summaries of, all letters written by Charles Darwin (1809-82), the most celebrated naturalist of the nineteenth century. Following a pilot project, it was decided to include letters written to Darwin also – an unusual step for a collection of correspondence at the time, and one now widely followed – and to publish complete transcripts in chronological order. Since then, the Project has had a staff of researchers and editors in both the UK and US, those in the UK being based in Cambridge University Library which houses the largest single collection of Darwin’s manuscripts, and his own library of books and journals. The papers include around 9,000 letters. www.darwinproject.ac.uk
Playwright
Craig Baxter Craig studied Zoology at Sheffield University and Playwriting at Birmingham University. His stage plays include St James and the Tattoo Man, Taking Liberties, The Ministry of Pleasure(published by Oberon Books), The Animals, Hard Sell, Big Bang(published by ARC Theatre Press), Relicsand Spearcarriers. He has adapted two of his plays for radio broadcast on BBC Radio 4: The Thrill of the Chasteand Monogamy. His play about Charles and Emma Darwin, Like Confessing a Murderwas broadcast on the BBC World Service in 2009. At present, Craig is developing two more science-themed plays: Let Newton Be! (a verbatim drama about Isaac Newton for the Faraday Institute) and The Altruists (a non-verbatim play about evolutionary biologists in the late 1960s/early 1970s).
Sarah Wood – Filmmaker
Sarah Wood has been working for the last ten years in film. Her latest film projects have all been an exploration into ideas of the archive using found footage. I Want To Be A Secretarywon best film at the Halloween Film Festival 2007, Galleryplayed as part of Whitechapel Art Gallery’s fundraiser 2008, The Book of Love(2008) still tours with a live soundtrack performed by the Exploits of Elaine and most recently The Angel of History(2008) (a collaboration with Jersey Film Archive) played in the Jersey War Tunnels with live soundtrack performed by Zan Lyons, as part of the first Brancharge Film Festival. Sarah is currently in development for Swingin’ Dors a video piece about Diana Dors and the British studio system, and in production with For Cultural Purposes Only, an Animate Projects’ commission with Channel 4, about the lost Palestinian film archive
Andrew Lovett – Sound Design
Andrew’s work has been performed all over the world and throughout the UK. He is currently composing a new opera, Don’t Breathe a Wordwith libretto by Fraser Grace. Other recent work includes Abraham on Trial, The Colour of Sadness, premiered by Damian Royannais and recorded by AMPublishing, Unknown Terrors, premiered by Judith Mitchell and Clive Williamson and broadcast on Radio 3; and Voyage, performed by the London Sinfonietta at the South Bank Centre, London, conducted by Martyn Brabbins.
Cast
Lynette Clarke (Jemma) Born in North London, trained at The Anna Scher Theatre and The Mountview Theatre School, North London. For Menagerie: In The White Highlands, Mother F*** Island, Elephants in Nairobi, Stutterand Sudden Visitation. Other theatre credits include The City of One- Myrtle Theatre Co., Bristol, The Bacchae- National Theatre of Scotland, The Container- Nimble Fish Productions (Essex), The Crucible- Royal Shakespeare Company. Gielgud Theatreand To Kill a Mockingbird- Pitlochry Festival Theatre. TV -Harley Streetfor ITV1 and of course The Bill!
Terry Molloy (Charles Darwin) Terry Molloy has worked in all areas of the entertainment business as an actor, director, producer, trainer and presenter over the past ‘forty-something’ years. He has appeared in repertory all over the country with parts ranging from ‘Mr. Toad’ in Toad of Toad Hall to ‘Arturo Ui’ in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, and more recently as ‘Walsingham’ to Janet Suzman’s ‘Elizabeth I’ in Frobisher’s Gold. On Radio he has appeared in over 500 plays as well as poetry and prose programmes and voiced an infinite number of commercial voice-overs and corporate videos plus voice dubbing many films and is perhaps best known as the voice of milkman Mike Tucker in THE ARCHERS on BBC Radio 4. Terry also conducts radio master classes for professionals in training and also amateur groups. Among a wide spectrum of television appearances, he is perhaps best known on the small screen to Doctor Who fans having appeared over 12 times as the character ‘DAVROS’, creator of the Daleks, playing the Doctor’s nemesis in the classic series from 1983 to 1989.
Patrick Morris (Asa Gray) For Menagerie, he has directed premieres of Claire MacDonald’s Correspondence, Naomi Wallace’s The Retreating Worldand Between This Breath and You, along with new plays by Amanda Whittington, Craig Baxter and Jennifer Farmer. He directed the world premiere of Abraham on Trial, the opera by Andrew Lovett. Performing work in the USA and UK includes Henry VI at New York’s Public Theatre, Counting the Waysdirected by Joseph Chaikin, numerous productions with Menagerie (Out of Your Knowledge, Frobisher’s Gold, Hard Sell) and 2 national tours with Foursight Theatre. This Autumn, Patrick directs the premiere of Let Newton Be! by Craig Baxter as part of the Cambridge 800 celebrations. Patrick is co-founder and Associate Artistic Director of Menagerie.
Re:Design Reviews:
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Background
Re:Design is an extraordinary new play based on the letters of Charles Darwin.
Written by editing exclusive material from the Darwin Correspondence archive at Cambridge University, the play includes many letters not yet in the public domain. Entirely verbatim, the play focuses on the correspondence between Darwin and Professor Asa Gray of Harvard, but also includes many other letters and published and private thoughts from friends, family, colleagues and rivals, as Darwin and Gray investigate and debate the arguments around science and religion in particular, but also their varied interests in science and society in general. This professional play is produced by Menagerie, one of the UK’s best touring theatre companies, on two scales – a simple small one for schools and colleges, and a full scale production for events, conferences and theatre runs. Starring Terry Molloy as Darwin, the play is written by Craig Baxter and directed by Paul Bourne. It is available for UK and international touring throughout 2009.
GRAY: “Organic Nature abounds with unmistakable and irresistible indications of design.”
DARWIN: “Can the mind of man, which has, as I fully believe, been developed from a mind as low as that possessed by the lowest animal, be trusted when it draws such grand conclusions?”
With The Atlantic Ocean between them, Charles Darwin in England, and Asa Gray at Harvard, correspond voraciously in an attempt to reconcile orthodox Christian beliefs with Darwin’s new theory of evolution by natural selection. Using only their own words, we enter the worlds of these groundbreaking 19th century naturalists as they debate the great issues of science and religion whilst sharing news of personal tragedies and triumphs, holiday experiences and various gardening accidents! .
Thoughts and point of departure…
“. . . the Intelligent Design movement as well as those opposed to the ID approach need to examine and learn the history of Natural Theology and design, reading both the advocates and the opponents. . . . we can follow the pattern of civility and humility that both Gray and Darwin displayed as they sought to understand each other’s position, to acknowledge strengths in argumentation and to point out weaknesses in reasoning. . . Their letters were filled with words like “dear” and “friend,” and signed with such words as “cordially” and “affectionately.” Differences of opinion–clearly and forcefully stated–did not distort or disrupt their relationship. Gray’s testimony was respected by Darwin, and Darwin’s real confusion was accepted by Gray. They continued to reach out to each other, and their relationship actually served as a bridge that each could cross in their journey toward Truth. We could do worse than emulate their pattern of debating vigorously yet loving genuinely as we interact with one another on this subject that has yet to be fully resolved.”
Sara Joan Miles, Charles Darwin and Asa Gray discuss teleology and design.
The vigorous and yet civil and humble manner in which the two men debated matters of intense personal belief and social consequence should serve a model of constructive engagement for the present. It also makes fascinating theatre…
Background
The longest running and most intimate exchange of letters that Darwin had about the relationship between science and religion was with the Harvard botanist and devout Christian Asa Gray. This correspondence, consisting of about 300 letters has now been turned into a play by British playwright Craig Baxter.
Commissioned by The Darwin Correspondence Project at Cambridge University, this new production has been created by professional theatre company Menagerie of Cambridge, England. The play was premiered in its showcase form during Cambridge University Science week on 25th March 2007.
It features the personal thoughts sent in correspondence between Charles Darwin and American botanist Asa Gray, along with those of other contemporaries and members of the Gray/Darwin families.
The play is developed in ‘verbatim style’ using only the words as written by the principal characters. Many of the letters used in developing this piece will be aired for the first time as they are not currently available to the public.
The theatrical realisation of RE: Design is compelling not only because we hear the words of these great men, but also because the dramatic form employed plays with time and space to gain an intimacy into issues and arguments that are still resonant today.
The raw material is the correspondence exchanged by Charles Darwin and Asa Gray over the period 1854 to 1881, with additional letters exchanged between them and their mutual friend Joseph Dalton Hooker. The piece will use only their own words to chronicle their relationship, with particular reference to their intimate discussions of the implications of their scientific work for their personal beliefs and for religious belief in general.
Darwin and his correspondents were very human. They had ambitions, anxieties, religious and political beliefs, health problems, enthusiasms, faith, doubt, desires and obsessions. They were social animals, members of families and institutions, with acute awareness of status, decorum, gentlemanliness, and honour. RE: Design brings this human and social context to life.
Because drama is a medium of empathy, it can help us feel a little of what it must have been like to be Charles Darwin or Asa Gray or Joseph Hooker. You see a man reporting the results of an experiment while at the same time mourning the death of his child; you see a man falling over backwards to pay a compliment while begging for yet another favour; you see people exchanging information, laughing at themselves and sharing one another’s tragedies and triumphs. This empathic insight is a complement to scholarly study, and adds to its understanding. This production is highly insightful as well as entertaining and moving.