About the Play:

The How and the Why is a full-length drama by Sarah Treem. Evolution and emotion collide in this thought-provoking and sharp play about science, family, and survival of the fittest. On the eve of a prestigious conference, an up-and-coming evolutionary biologist wrestles for the truth with an established leader in the field. This intimate and keenly perceptive play explores the difficult choices faced by women of every generation.

The How and the Why is a smart, thoughtful, and surprisingly emotional play by Sarah Treem, writer of HBO's House of Cards and In Treatment. Two women meet for the first time on the eve of a national conference. Both are brilliant Evolutionary Biologists who share a zeal for science and a bold, contrarian approach to their male-dominated field. Rachel, a promising young Grad Student visits Zelda, a world-renowned scientist and pioneer of the field. When Rachel posits a radical new hypothesis to explain why women menstruate, Zelda's own ground-breaking work, the 'Grandmother Hypothesis', is challenged. As the two brilliant women spar over their differing views on evolution, feminism and generational divides, the ulterior motives surrounding their intense meeting slowly begin to unravel. The How and The Why is a beautiful piece of work that interrogates the conversations surrounding women's bodies, their role in society, as well as the challenges they face in a male driven work environment.

The How and the Why premiered in 2011 at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. Since then the play had regional premieres at professional theatres across the US and has been mounted by high schools, colleges, and community theatres.

Cast: 2 female

What people say:

"Sarah Treem's play brims with ideas and emotional colors that eddy and refract like rivulets in a lively, plunging stream." — Washington Post

"…an exhilarating, intellectual evening out." — Star-Ledger

"A moving portrait of a woman meeting with equanimity an unexpected, often painful series of questions about the choices she made in the past." — New York Times

"Two absorbing hours with two finely formed, interesting, smart, and captivating women…a very rare achievement indeed for women in and at the theatre." — Feminist Spectator

About the Playwright:

Sarah Treem is an American TV writer, producer, and playwright. She started out her career in Theatre, before moving to write for Television. Her first foray into Television, was writing and producing all three seasons of the acclaimed HBO series In Treatment, for which she won a WGA Award and was nominated for a Humanities Award. From there, she moved on to write and co-executive produce the inaugural season of the political drama House of Cards, which was nominated for a Pimetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. She is the co-creator and showrunner of the Golden Globe-winning Showtime drama The Affair, which won for Outstanding Drama Series. She has taught playwriting at Yale University, where she earned her B.A. and M.F.A.