The Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT), located in downtown Los Angeles, is set to host the West Coast premiere of RHEOLOGY from June 11-13, 2026. The production is presented by The Bushwick Starr, HERE Arts Center and Ma-Yi Theater Company.
A Collision of Science and Stage
Created by Obie and Whiting Award-winning writer and director Shayok Misha Chowdhury, the 75-minute piece is a meditation on love, loss, and vocation. The work explores the scientific concept of rheology—the study of how matter moves—using it as both a scientific and theatrical framework.
The production features a unique collaboration between Chowdhury and his mother, theoretical physicist Bulbul Chakraborty. The performance begins with a lecture on the physics of sand, based on talks Chakraborty has delivered for decades, before transitioning into personal and theatrical passages.
Themes of Mortality and Experimentation
At its core, the play examines Chowdhury’s fear of his mother’s death and the finite time they share. The work incorporates family recordings and performances of Rabindra Sangeet, songs composed by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Chowdhury describes the project as “a new kind of theatre” that treats scientific research as dramaturgy. The piece serves as a theatrical experiment to test whether the artist can imagine a life without his mother.
Artist Profiles
Shayok Misha Chowdhury is a highly decorated artist whose play Public Obscenities was a 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist and named Best Theater of 2023 by The New Yorker. He has received a USA Fellowship, a Princess Grace Award, and a Jonathan Larson Grant.
Bulbul Chakraborty is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, she earned her PhD from Stonybrook after immigrating to the US in 1974.
Upcoming Projects
Following this production, Chowdhury may be involved in Jordan Tannahill’s Prince Faggot at Playwrights Horizons and Soho Rep, as well as a revival of Gospel at Colonus at Little Island.
Attendance and Ticketing
The program is presented in English and Bengali with English supertitles. Attendees should be aware that the production contains mature content, themes of death, and flashing lights.
General admission tickets are $27, with discounted rates of $22 for students and REDCAT members. CalArts students, faculty, and staff can purchase tickets for $14 via the REDCAT website.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central scientific theme of RHEOLOGY?
The play explores rheology, which is the scientific study of how matter moves, using it as both a conceptual and theatrical framework.
Who are the primary performers in the production?
The piece is a collaboration between writer, director, and performer Shayok Misha Chowdhury and his mother, physicist Bulbul Chakraborty.
What are the sensory and content warnings for the show?
The program contains flashing lights, mature content, and themes of death.
How does the integration of a scientific lecture change your perception of a theatrical performance?
