The Maine Science Festival is delighted to announce the 2023 Headliner Event: a partnership with longstanding partner Penobscot Theatre Company and their production of Queen by Madhuri Shekar. QUEEN is a dramatic comedy about friendship, love, truth, and data.
Sanam and Ariel are best friends and fellow researchers. They’re on a mission to save the bees and the world. Just days before the team’s groundbreaking scientific presentation, a discovery suddenly threatens years of their work. Should they let a little thing like the truth get in their way? Angela Smith, Director of the Maine Science Festival states, “Science is built on
experimentation and learning, and we’re looking forward to another experiment in our science/art collaborations: extending the timeframe of the Maine Science Festival.”
From March 30 - April 16, 2023, Penobscot Theatre Company is presenting, Queen by Madhuri Shekar. The Maine Science Festival will produce discussions/forums throughout the run of
Queen, including both pre-show talks exploring some of the science-themed topics examined in Queen, and talkbacks. Prior to the opening of Queen, the MSF will have events during the Festival itself (March 22-26, 2023) that will also address some of the science around bees and Maine. Kate Dickerson, Executive Director of the Maine Discovery Museum, noted, “Having artists and arts organizations involved with the Maine Science Festival has been part of the MSF’s DNA from the beginning. We’re excited to continue these deep collaborations with Penobscot Theatre Company with our largest program.” “Art and science, for me, have always gone hand in hand,” shares Jonathan Berry, Artistic Director of Penobscot Theatre Company, “We are both engaged, with curiosity, asking questions and exploring our world and our society. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Maine Science Festival to share Shekar’s beautiful play and hopefully spark good and thoughtful conversations within our community.” At each performance of Queen, a block of MSF tickets will be available to MSF attendees at a reduced price; further details will be available in the coming months. Since 2015, the Maine Science Festival has used forums, workshops, talks, art exhibits, film screenings, and hands-on activities to produce events that focus on the science being discovered, used, and explored in Maine. We bring Maine science to the public.