Landee, James, and Anne did extensive research in preparation for the production. They thoroughly enjoyed diving into the live and minds of the fiercely intelligent characters and learning about the real-life inspiration for the play. We hope you find the same joy in discovering and thinking about these ideas!
Here are a few sources that were utilized during rehearsals:
Woman; An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier
This book was Sarah Treem's inspiration for the play. We highly recommend giving it a read!
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Science and Feminism
Feminism in Twentieth-Century Science, Technology, and Medicine edited by Angela N. H. Creager, Elizabeth Lunbeck, and Londa Schiebinger
An exciting collection of essays that explore how feminist theory has had a direct impact on research in the biological and social sciences, in medicine, and in technology, often providing the impetus for fundamentally changing the theoretical underpinnings and practices of such research.
The Women's Health Research Intstitute
The Origin of Humankind by Richard Leakey
An argument on What Makes Humans Human, Leakey proposes his opinions on the story of human evolution and the steps that advanced homo sapiens beyond our primate cousins. In fascinating sections on how and why modern humans developed a social organization, culture, and personal behavior, Leakey has much of interest to say about the development of art, language, and human consciousness.
Humans Evolved to Exercise by Herman Pontzer from the January 2019 edition of Scientific American
An interesting look at the evolutionary imperative of physical activity in human development.
The Grandmother Hypothesis
Zelda's hypothesis was initially proposed by George C. Williams. Her character was also modeled after anthropologist Kristen Hawkes. Here are a number of stories about The Grandmother Hypotheses on a larger scale:
The Grandmother Hypothesis by Natalie Angier; Chicago Tribune
The Evolutionary Importance of Grandmothers by Lindsay Abrams; The Atlantic
Why Grandmothers May Hold the Key to Human Evolution by John Poole; NPR
Living Near Your Grandmother Has Evolutionary Benefits by Jonathan Lambert; NPR
The Anti-Pathogen Theory of Menstruation
Rachel's character was crafted after Margie Profet, who has a truly unbelievable story of her own.
What is Menstruation For? by Sharon Clough; Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
A Curse No More by William Plummer; People
The Mysterious Case of the Vanishing Genius by Mike Martin; Psychology Today
Additional Resources from other productions of THE HOW AND THE WHY
Timeline Theatre Company Dramaturgy Packet
CoHo Productions Dramaturgy Packet
These are just some sources of many. Let us know if you have other supplemental material that relates to the content of the play - we'd love to include it.