MWV Episode 12 - Petri Dish Circus

See the history of microbiology in nine scenes of gags, burlesque, drollery and song.

Produced by Active Cultures, the vernacular theatre of Maryland, Petri Dish Circus is a play loosely based off of the classic non fiction novel Microbe Hunters by Paul Henry de Kruif. Much like the original book first published in 1926 that describes 12 historical milestones in science, Active Cultures reenacts "the daring-do of Louis Pasteur in his Parisian lab, the Scotch fortitude of Ronald Ross as he travels through disease-stricken Africa, and the melancholy saga of Walter Reed as he battles Yellow Jack in Cuba" - all with a healthy dose of humor.

In this episode we interview Mary Resing, artistic director for Active Cultures, who talks about Microbe Hunters as inspiration for theatre and her whimsical, and slightly pointed, approach to portraying the women featured in de Kruif's work. Excerpts from the actual performance are also featured.