Art + Science Collide: Horizon Theatre’s Completeness

What happens when the brain and heart collide? Two grad students might have the answer, if they can look up from their research long enough to find out. At 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 25-26 and Oct. 2-3, Horizon Theatre will premiere a Horizon at Home virtual production of Completeness by Tony-award-winning playwright Itamar Moses (The Band’s Visit), who will join the theatre live via Zoom for a special performance intro and talkback. This romantic comedy takes a modern look at love through a scientific lens.

From Horizon Theatre:

“In Completeness, Elliot, a computer scientist, and Molly, a molecular biologist, are struggling with the realities of romance. When love is the answer, how do these two intellectuals manage to figure out the equation in the first place? When Elliot builds a computer program to help Molly with her research project, the variables in their evolving relationship shift as rapidly as the terms of their experiment. You’ll see both their romantic triumphs and regressions mirrored in the science they create.”

Post-show discussions immediately following each showing of the play will allow audience members to engage directly with the artists, as well as special guests. In partnership with Horizon Theatre, Science ATL has invited scientists with expertise in molecular biology and computer science to weigh in about the science described in the play. Get your tickets to Completeness and learn more about the guests below.

Friday, September 25 at 7:30pm (EST)

Charles Ford IV

Charles Ford graduated from Davidson College with a BS in Neuroscience in 2012. He began a combined MD-PhD program at Emory University in 2015 and is currently completing his PhD in Neuroscience under the mentorship of Dr. Larry Young. His dissertation work focuses on oxytocin and the neurobiological basis of social bonding, behavior, and cognition.

Avani Wildani, PhD

Avani Wildani is an Assistant Professor in CS and Neuroscience at Emory University.  Her work is centered around information storage and retrieval across different storage models. She has worked in access prediction, data deduplication, power management, catastrophic fault tolerance, P2P networks, and recently in topological data analysis.  Her lab at Emory focuses on theoretical systems models, particularly those with biological connections, with a long term goal of categorizing neural information systems.

Friday, October 2 at 7:30pm (EST)

Myesha Green, PhD 

Myesha Green is a scientist at heart. She received her PhD in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis from Emory University fifteen years ago. Currently, Myesha is a Montessori teacher, consultant, and Interim Head of School here in the Atlanta area. 

Neil Green

Neil Green came to computer science by way of his undergraduate studies in particle physics. He has spent the last 20 years implementing all aspects of software design and platform architecture through his work with Atlanta start-ups and technology enterprises.

[Myesha and Neil met in college, have been together for 23 years, and have been married for 15 years.]

Saturday, October 3 at 7:30pm (EST)

Carleen Sabusap, PhD

Carleen Sabusap is a molecular biologist at Vanderbilt University studying drugs targeting the genetic origins of cystic fibrosis to understand why some therapeutics work better for certain patients versus others. She has designed and produced an eclectic mixture of science outreach programs; from a traveling neuroscience research lecture series involving abstract dance and an art exhibit about memory, to a training symposium for biologists to 3D print and animate molecular machinery. She enjoys painting and plans on creating a comic series about science and writing songs about the pandemic on her ukulele. 

Eric Shen, PhD

Eric Shen is a research scientist at Georgia Tech working on organic electronics, where he makes coatings that can change color with the push of a button, wires that can turn their conductivity on and off, and other fun applications. He has also been involved in many aspects of science outreach, such as the Atlanta Science Festival and Future Tech. When he’s not at work, Eric loves checking out Atlanta’s amazing art gallery scene, and sampling the wonderful restaurants and breweries across the city.