This year's Midsummer Science Cabaret took place on the longest (and hottest?) day of the year, as part of the Oxfordshire Science Festival. For those of you still wondering, although yesterday was officially the first day of summer 2017, the term 'midsummer' originates from Old English midsumor, when summer and winter were the only recognised seasons. Last night's compère, Rob, expanded our knowledge with additional solstice facts, including how the Earth's axial tilt plays a role and how sticks and shadows provided a rudimentary way to figure out the solstice timing. In between acts, Rob provided witty commentary and eased transitions between performers.
The first act, a collaboration between Creation Theatre and DPhil student Inés Dawson, was equal parts 'midsummer' and 'science.' A colourfully-dressed actor from the theatre company performed brief excerpts from A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Dawson debunking the Shakespearean love potion and providing botanically-accurate facts. I learned afterwards that this duo had never rehearsed together; I would have liked to hear more if they had prepared a longer act in advance.
Archaeologist Jill Hind presented a series of slides on the history of tattoos in relation to medicine. It felt a bit too academic for a cabaret setting, but she lightened the mood with a joke about the custody battle between Italy and Austria for the Ötzi iceman, and how glacier-preserved remains were quite the opposite from the summer solstice theme. Although I did learn about how acupuncture points might have been indicated in 3300 BCE, I would have liked a more detailed narrative than a succession of case studies that seemed more appropriate for a lecture hall than the Bullingdon.
Noelle Aly, a representative of Science Oxford, reminded me of the host of the podcast Hidden Brain, but with the addition of caffeine and a touch of comedy. She took us through about a dozen cognitive biases, illusions, and fallacies in fifteen minutes, and topped it off with Stonehenge construction calculations. The vibrant Aly bridged the ancient with modern day, taking us from 'alternative facts,' to how it might have taken 10.6 months for 4,000 workers to move the monumental stones, and then back to the March for Science. Despite covering so much ground in her act, she made logical transitions, albeit a bit too speedy to catch all the relevant terms and definitions.
Author Colin Bruce radiated inquisitiveness; he sounded like a cross between an Oxford tutor and radio presenter. Bruce had us wondering how to program self-driving cars to deal with ethical questions like that found in the Trolley Dilemma and channelled a humorous Jared Diamond in asserting that laziness drove the invention of the wheel. My favourite part was how he re-introduced themes from his own presentation (a stand-up comedy technique) and called back on earlier acts from the evening extemporaneously. However, I had difficulty following how his diverse topics were related to each other or to the solstice.
Dawson returned to the stage to answer how animals keep cool in the heat. She included funny quips about how to spot tourists in her birthplace, Seville, and how prairie dog burrows make use of the Bernoulli Principle. Dawson had an effective use of props and animal facts to tackle her seasonable posed question, and she sparked a discussion about sunscreen SPF that continued after the show.
Julia Galbenu's act was reminiscent of children's story theatre, but with a grown-up message. She played the dual roles of hungry moth hunting for nectar and bespectacled academic narrator telling us about niche separation. Galbenu engaged the audience to turn on their phone lights, illuminating the dark room to mimic the artificial light pollution from cities that prevent moths from seeing the full moon as a cue for a particular flower blossoming. She had a wonderful use of light and dark to convey the memorable plea from a tiny moth; though it felt a bit juvenile for the 16+ pint-toting crowd - I think her act would be well-suited for families.
Rounding out the evening, Creation Theatre presented what was advertised as a short act about psychotropic drugs. The Alice in Wonderland theme was fitting for Oxford, and I absolutely loved the Alice and Caterpillar costumes, but I would have liked more of a connection to science. As the compère put it, "I don't know what just happened but I really liked it."
Overall, the performers had unique ways of conveying information, with some acts working better than others for the setting. I would have liked to see clearer connections to the advertised solstice theme, but I still walked away learning more than I would have on an average Wednesday night. The winter installment of the Science Oxford cabaret will be on 6 December 2017.