Paper Title: “Could I become a scientist?”: Exploring theater’s power to connect the
public with science

Author(s) and Year: Kailani Guimarães & Carla Almeida, 2025

Journal: Technovation (closed access)

TL;DR: Artistic formats such as theater can make science communication more inclusive, but they have to make deliberate choices to connect with audiences that typically have access to neither science nor art. A science-theater production in a science museum in Rio de Janeiro shows how following elements of popular entertainment tradition and emphasizing humor, narrative, and audience interaction can effectively engage marginalized audiences.

Why I chose this paper: I have a confession to make — I have never been particularly interested in science shows. And I’m someone interested in science and how to communicate it, so if they don’t manage to catch my attention, I’m not sure how they would attract people with a wholly different background. This study is one more example of the vital importance of storytelling in science communication and the power of true interaction to connect with an audience. And it has clowns!

Surveys in many countries show most people are interested in science, but public participation in science is starkly unequal — those from lower socio-economic backgrounds have less access to science-related resources and activities. While science communicators try to bridge this gap, their efforts often cater to privileged and already engaged groups.

Art can help science communication reach new audiences, for example, through science-theater performances. However, such performances often sacrifice theatrical elements in favor of scientific content and are therefore seen as primarily educational, more like a science demonstration. Moreover, art can be just as elitist as science, and art-science collaborations often attract privileged and already interested audiences — those with access to art museums and cultural centers, or who attend science festivals. 

The Background

As part of the larger question of how to effectively engage underserved audiences in science communication, the authors of this study wanted to assess the potential of a science-theater play to connect the public with science.

They analyzed a production from the events program of the Museu da Vida Fiocruz, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, located in a predominantly low-income area with some of the lowest quality of life in the city. For the museum’s typical public, attending such a performance might be their first experience at a science museum or seeing a theater play.

The production, called Paracelso, o Fenomenal (“Paracelsus, the Phenomenal”), is a comedic play featuring two clowns travelling through a mysterious setting, who perform scientific experiments for the audience. It is aimed at children between seven and eleven years old, but it often attracts a broader audience. 

The paper’s authors – one of whom performs in the show – carefully analyzed the choices of the play’s creators to understand what characteristics of the play effectively engaged the audience and what impact the choices had. 

The Methods

The authors first focused on the creators’ choices in writing and designing the play. To analyze these, they interviewed the director, studied the text and photos of the play, and reviewed the literature about specific elements and the field of comedy in general. 

The team also studied the audience’s reception and experience of the play during three performances in fall 2023. These were attended by a total of 140 students between eight and eighteen years old from five local schools. Most of them also came from disadvantaged socio-demographic backgrounds. The researchers recorded details of the students’ immediate reactions, including their attention level, interactions with the performers during and after the show, and willingness to participate in the scientific experiments. 

The Results

The authors found through their analysis that the play’s creators consciously chose to use elements of popular entertainment tradition, particularly of comedy. For example, the two characters in the play are clown-scientists who embody classic archetypes of clowning, and the atmosphere and setting evoke circuses and street performances.

The interactions between the characters serve to move the narrative and set up the “spontaneous” scientific experiments, which are introduced or performed comically. This use of comedy aims to show science as a process of trial and error, which humanizes scientists as imperfect, fallible, and approachable.

The performers start interacting with audience members at the very start of the play, immediately showing them they are an integral part of the show. This audience interaction gradually increases, culminating in students coming onstage to participate in the experiments. The growing interaction allows the audience to develop a sense of empathy and connection with the performers and to identify with the science being performed.

The authors observed in all three analyzed performances that audience attention remained high through most of the play, particularly during the scientific experiments. In after-show conversations, the students said they highly valued the humor and interaction, and showed interest not only in the scientific objects but also in the theatrical mechanisms of the stage.

There were also signs of an effect on the students’ ability to identify with the scientific world. When asked to suggest a setting for the play, many students mentioned locations from their communities, implying they had related the show to their own experiences. And, when prompted to ask questions one student asked, “Could I become a scientist?”.

The Impact 

A series of careful choices were made during the development of the play with the clear goal of engaging an audience unfamiliar with both science and theater. The blend of science, comedy, and audience participation presents science in a less serious, more approachable context, and succeeds in establishing a connection between the audience and the scientific world — even helping audience members identify more strongly with science. The authors conclude that this format contributes to more inclusive and diverse science communication.

The authors suggest that a play with a carefully developed plot and characters, and that integrates comedy, narrative, and scientific experiments, can better engage more diverse audiences than a traditional science show. However, they do not want to prescribe a specific formula to follow, since that would hinder artistic expression.

More research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind inclusive science communication, especially by integrating audience feedback. In any case, art-science initiatives must be careful to value both art and science equally and ensure that the experiences they offer are unique, meaningful, and accessible, particularly for those who typically have access to neither.

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Written by Elena Reiriz Martínez

Edited by Julianna Goenaga and Madeline Fisher

Featured image credit: Donald Tong on Pexels