Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is one of the most controversial and influential science books ever written. To celebrate the 150 year anniversary of the book’s publication, the Literature and Environment Minor and Hennebach Program hosted a performance of Craig Baxter’s Re: Design, a dramatization of the correspondences between Charles Darwin and Asa Gray. Throughout his research, Darwin maintained contact with Asa Gray, a retired botanist at Harvard. The play demonstrates how these correspondences influence Darwin and his ideas.The performance, which took place in the Boettcher Room of the library last week, starred Dr. Steven Daniel as Darwin and Dr. Carl Mitcham as Gray. Organized by Tina Gianquitto, the event was put on to enlighten the Mines community about Darwin’s ideas, not to push a certain opinion toward natural selection.
The play is set up with Gray alone on stage, giving a monologue commemorating Darwin’s death. While Gray is explaining Darwin’s poor physical condition near the end of his life, Darwin enters on cue, proclaiming, “My confounded stomach!” and takes a seat at one of the two tables. The action then moves to the past, when Darwin and Gray first begin corresponding about Darwin’s theory.
Darwin and Gray begin to converse, through letters, discussing Darwin’s new theory as it emerges. Darwin says, “Nature never lies, ergo theorizers are always right.” Gray agrees with him. It seems that they are in total agreement over this theory and are very excited to meet each other. However, Gray avoids saying so directly, stating, “I have no favor nor predispositions toward any theory whatsoever.”
In the following scene, Gray reveals to Darwin that he is a theist, that he follows the Christian faith. Darwin does not seem to mind this, but he is at the time preoccupied with his son’s scarlet fever. His son dies, and his contact with Gray lessens.
Darwin sends Gray a copy of the book in scene 4, which represents the years 1859 and 1860. Gray tells Darwin that “the best part [of On the Origin of Species] is the whole,” but says that the idea of natural selection for organs is a weak point. They discover that the community does not support Darwin’s ideas, and they both realize that it may take a long time for the idea to sink in. Gray tells Darwin to be cautious about openly preaching his ideas because they may never be proven either way.
Finally, in scene 5, the big issue of the play emerges. Now that the ideas are published, Darwin is confused as to how far the theory of natural selection actually applies. He sees evidence of design, but doesn’t understand how design can exist on all levels. One major point that would be important to theists and scientists alike is that Darwin thinks his views are “not at all necessarily atheistic.”
The conflict emerges in which Gray and Darwin separate on interpretations of natural selection with design. Gray believes that design is obvious, but Darwin says he cannot see the world either as a result of chance or as a product of design. He declares that he is agnostic, despite previously having been Christian.
For the only time in their lives, the two meet in person in Scene 6. The narrator, played by Gianquitto, said, “The two theorists come together personally while moving apart theologically.” At this point in 1868, they are excited to see each other but secretly disagree. Gray still respects the ideas of Darwin, but cannot be convinced that design is not crucial to understanding the theories.
The play proceeds with Darwin declining physically and still uncertain in his belief in design. The play returns to Gray commemorating his death in the final scene, and he says that although there were things that could not be worked out between the two of them, he still supports the concept of Natural Selection.
The play leaves the audience free to interpret Darwin’s theories. Whether the audience member agrees with Darwin, Gray, or neither, the play explains the context of the theories and their importance. The play revealed what the famous, or perhaps infamous theorist believed, and how it was interpreted by one of his closest acquaintances.
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