by Deanna Dement Myers
‘Truth Values: One Girl’s Romp through M.I.T.’s Male Math Maze’ – Written and acted by Gioia De Cari: Directed by Joey Brenneman. Scenic Designer, Brian Freeland; Costume Designer, Heather Carey; Lighting Designer, Kate August; Sound Design, Andy Evan Cohen. Presented September 12-23, 2018 at the Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, (617) 576-9278.
What is truth?
This is the first question actor and playwright Gioia De Cari grapples with in her award-winning autobiographical play Truth Values: One Girl’s Romp through M.I.T.’s Male Math Maze. Returning to the Central Square Theater to be a part of this venue’s 10th anniversary, Truth Values fills the stage with over 30 characters that tell the story of one woman’s time in the world of elite mathematics as she pursues a doctoral degree. De Cari uses humor to reveal the gender inequality of MIT and mathematics in general, something that resonates today as it did in the late 80s when she was a student.
As a newly married woman, she leaves UC Berkeley for Cambridge, and a dungeon-like office inhabited by fellow PhD candidates who either ignore her or hit on her. She fares no better with her professors, who wonder why a married woman isn’t home caring for her for her husband and having his babies. Eventually, she seeks out another office with another female student, who promptly ignores her. Each character is brilliantly portrayed with a signature change in posture and De Cari’s vocal transformations. The humor and unexpected moments of insight fill out these characters into fully-fledged inhabitants of the stage. She presciently portrays mansplaining before it was even a catchphrase.
Throughout the play, De Cari explains the reason why she wanted to tell her story, and pinpoints Larry Summer’s infamous “innate differences” comments in 2005 as her call to action. Her father, and his great love for her, was another inspiration. Other men, and their casual entitlement, drive this story as well. In fact, the competitive and toxic interactions she has with her fellow students, even those she eventually develops close relationships with, are some of the more interesting parts of this 75 minute show.
While groundbreaking in 2009, it feels a bit dated now, however, to see these interactions, drive De Cari from her mathematics career path to a women-dominated field. She tries a number of feminist “fashion experiments” that antagonize the other women in the department without changing the patronizing attitudes of the men. The local audience delighted in the MIT inside jokes and the spot-on characterizations of toxic masculinity, however, we saw little of the mathematical brilliance for which De Cari was accepted in the first place. Perhaps, the demeaning atmosphere lead her to seek outside outlets; as her theatrical and musical interests waxed, her devotion to her chosen career waned. In fact, at the end, she decides that a PhD in mathematics is in fact, not for her. In a time when more women are considering STEM careers, seeing a story of a woman who gives up when family issues and gender discrimination become too much, shows that we still have a long way to overcome bias in the sciences.
De Cari clearly loves what she is doing and she does it well. The flow of memories and great timing make a great story. Her passionate characterizations are carefully executed and gives voice to others in the story, while engaging the audience to think about gender, sexism and stereotypes. The clever use of video and the surprise musical elements make this a finely crafted show. Audiences have another weekend to see this thought-provoking performance.
Very informative! I especially appreciate the care taken to place the work in its own time—your observations about the play’s early recognition of “mansplaining—and our own: it is useful to know in advance that the play may disappoint folks already woke by the #metoo movement
Two worlds: mathematics and physics. Think two tubs of water, one hot, the other cold. Physics = Hot water, Mathematics = Cold Water. Get a third tub, half fill it with hot water, and fill the other half with cold water. Then the resulting tepid (warm) water is analogous to mind. Do you see what consciousness is doing? It”s mixing the two worlds (mathematics and physics). Mind (warm water) is both physics (hot water) and mathematics (cold water). Things that aren”t conscious are analogous to the hot or cold water. But as the two tubs of water mix (analogous to matter arranging itself ever more complex patterns), more and more of reality becomes conscious. (the mixing is consciousness). So consciousness weaves the two worlds (mathematics and physics) together!