Love and physics collide when the Blinn-Bryan Theatre Troupe brings Nick Payne's 'Constellations' to the stage

Performances run Feb. 15-18 at the Blinn-Bryan Student Center

February 6, 2024

A beekeeper and physicist fall in love in the Blinn-Bryan Theatre Troupe’s (BBTT) upcoming production of Nick Payne’s “Constellations,” a multiverse romance that explores the limitless possibilities of one relationship.

“It is the season of February and I’m always looking for an atypical relationship story that people may not have heard of before,” Blinn-Bryan Theatre Director Greg Wise said. “I don’t think the audience will ever have seen a show like this before. The play uses the concept of the multiverse, which Marvel uses all the time now, and applies it to the intimacy of a relationship between two people. As an audience member, it’s going to be such a fun, wild ride to watch these actors replay these scenarios in all these different ways.”

First produced in 2012, “Constellations” is a two-person play that focuses on the romantic relationship between Roland, a beekeeper, and Marianne, a physicist and professor at Cambridge University. After meeting at a barbecue, the two become involved, but like the physics concepts Marianne analyzes, their relationship defies the traditional sense of space and time. Brief scenes between the couple are repeated throughout the play, often with varying outcomes. Tackling issues of infidelity, health, hope, and humor, “Constellations” encourages audience members to think about all the “what-if” moments in their own lives.

“If you want a ‘whoa’ moment, come to this show,” said Mackenzie Owens who plays Marianne. “Marianne is basically a genius. She does theoretical physics and quantum mechanics. Her whole life revolves around the idea of space and time and how it molds our universe. For an actor it’s a huge challenge, but it’s really pushing my acting abilities and opening up a lot of different avenues of acting that I didn’t know I could do.”

Fabián Santana, who plays Roland, is looking forward to watching the audience connect with his character and embrace the play’s unique structure.

“This character is so different in that I’m playing a different version of him almost all of the time. It was very challenging and keeps me constantly on my toes,” he said. “I think people should come see “Constellations” if they’ve ever had questions about what if or what could have been, in anything in their life. It really plays into the idea of the multiverse and alternate timelines where things could have been different or the same.”

Production team members are Caylin Darnell, stage manager; Abigail Boyd, assistant stage manager; Jordan Ingram, properties designer; David Gipson, light design; Rachel Smelzter, light board operator; Karenza McRae, sound design and operator; Chrissy Hockensmith, costumes; and Madeline Shaw, house manager. Professor Brent Ehrig serves as sign language consultant for the show, which features a scene in British Sign Language.

Performances run at the Blinn-Bryan Student Center (Building F, map ) Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 15-17 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at www.blinn.edu/boxoffice.

The show contains mature language and is recommended for ages 15 and up.

The Troupe will conclude its season with the musical [title of show] by Jeff Bowen April 18-21 and April 24-25.

To learn more about the BBTT, contact Wise at [email protected]. For more information about Blinn’s Theatre Arts Program, visit www.blinn.edu/theatre.