BY THE NUMBERS is a fun, inventive and diverse collection of eight short plays inspired by mathematical theorems.
• POINT OF INTERSECTION by James Hindman. (1M, 1W): A watchmaker and a romantic find common ground, but can Sidney and Sydney synchronize their hearts?
• HEDY LAMARR MAKES A MOVIE by Arlene Hutton. (2M, 2W): As Hedy Lamarr films a scene with an inexperienced young actor, the Hollywood star figures out the radio guidance systems and frequency hopping technology that led to Bluetooth and GPS.
• THE TRANSCENDENCE OF PIE by Lynne Halliday. (2W): Jane’s blind date is a matter of life and death for Rosie – literally. In the future, the E-Life Pheromone Connector is never supposed to be wrong. But if Jane strikes out on one more date then Rosie, Jane’s android life coach, will be re-purposed.
• THE GRAND HOTEL by Craig Pospisil. (2M, 2W, 2n/s): Shirley doesn’t understand how Hilbert, the unflappable concierge of the Grand Hotel, keeps finding rooms for guests when the hotel is already full. But if a hotel has an infinite number of rooms and an infinite number of guests, is it booked or not? And how do you feed them all?
• SHRINKING THE NUMBERS by Lynne Halliday. (1M, 1W): Grace is a doctoral candidate in mathematics with a problem: She’s developed a math anxiety. Can her therapist Dr. Zamboni cure her? Maybe, but which one of them needs psychiatric help more is up for grabs.
• THE FOUR COLOR PROBLEM by James Hindman. (3 n/s): Is it worth invoking the Wrath of God to create a perfect world? Designers Tippy and Buzzy dare to color outside the lines.
• THE INCOMPLETENESS THEOREM by Arlene Hutton. (1M, 1W): During a birthday picnic, an artist and her ex-boyfriend mathematician connect with nature and learn new ways to communicate.
• THE BIG SHELL by Craig Pospisil. (3M, 3W): In this “Math Noir,” private dick Philip Fibonacci is hired by a femme fatale to recover a priceless stolen nautilus. But the case takes an odd tangent and the variables multiply. Will Fibonacci’s theory add up?
