TICKETS: $15
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SHOWTIMES
THURS. Mar. 19 at 8pm. PAY WHAT YOU CAN NIGHT
(A donation of your choice can be made at the door.)
FRI. Mar. 20 at 8pm.
SAT. Mar. 21: 2pm (matinee) and 8pm (evening)
$10 GROUP SALES TICKETS AVAILABLE:
A "group" is 5 PEOPLE OR MORE. If you'd like to enjoy a night out with friends to come see the show, contact us:
PHONE: 850-933-9133. Leave a message and please include your FIRST AND LAST NAME, PHONE NUMBER, and the number of $10 group tickets you'd like. We will call you back to pay and confirm.
EMAIL: palavertreetheater@gmail.com. Please include "HALF LIFE TIX" in your subject line. In the message, include all listed above.
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT
Tallahassee actor brings Marie Curie's story to life on stage
Only one person has ever won a Nobel Prize in two different scientific categories. That same person is also the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and currently the only woman to win twice. That person is Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, better known as Marie Curie.
Audience members can see her life unfold in Palaver Tree Theater's upcoming production of "The Half-Life of Marie Curie," from March 19-21. In this production, local theater actor and tech Emily Cole takes on the role of Marie Curie herself.
(Emily Cole plays Marie Curie in Palaver Tree Theater's upcoming production of "The Half-Life of Marie Curie". March 19-21, 2026. Photo credit: Emily Cole)
The play also features Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragette. According to the script, the play "revels in the power of female friendship as it explores the relationship between these two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry."
Constant supporter of the arts
Ever since her early years, creative expression has been a vital part of Cole's life. I've always been involved in the arts in some shape or fashion since I was a child," Cole said. She mentions that her parents emphasized its importance, making it an integral part of her education and upbringing. "I danced ballet and tap… played several instruments in my middle and high school bands."
Once she went off to college, her focus shifted to literature and languages, leading her to earn her bachelor's degree in Editing, Writing, and Media. Cole's other family members also love the arts. "My cousin performs in theater… my family also owns and operates Small Batches Café and Collective in Fort Walton Beach.""
She talks about their goal of always giving local artists a dedicated space to craft, display, and sell their art. Supporting local artists is something they instilled into Cole, as she loves the Tallahassee theater, music, and film community. "We've got to support our local creatives now more than ever… the arts are not 'extracurricular' or extraneous; they're essential."
(Behind the scenes rehearsal: Emily Cole, Tiffany Underwood, and Alison Quinn, director. Photo credit: India Underwood.)
Being understood in the theater community
Yet Cole notes that the local theatre community has also given her essential support. "I started working in theater on a whim, essentially," Cole says, mentioning how her first involvement was during a difficult time in her life. "Finding a supportive, creative community gave me a new zeal that I thought I had lost in the transition to adulthood."
Her first theatrical production was in 2022, when she helped stage manage "The Scarlet Letter" at the Monticello Opera House. "I was feeling fairly listless at the time, with the monotony of working a desk job full time." It was there that, despite having "zero experience", she was bitten by the 'theater bug'. "I've been working either behind or on stage ever since."
And has she been working since! Cole has stage-managed or worked backstage for numerous productions with an expanding list of theater companies. Some include Monticello Opera House, Palaver Tree Theater, Southern Shakespeare Company with The Bardlings, Theatre Tallahassee, and a production of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" performed at The Bark.
And last year, despite any growing fears, she added her first performance title to that growing list of theatrical accomplishments at the 2025 Micro Theater Festival with Tallahassee Hispanic Theater.
(Behind the scenes rehearsal: Tiffany Underwood and Emily Cole. Photo credit: Alison Quinn.)
"Working with someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Tiffany has truly been a gift," Cole said. "Being very new to the acting side of theater, she has been my rock and mentor through the bouts of imposter syndrome."
Cole continues by expressing the initial belief that director Alison Quinn had in her. "[They have] believed in me from the jump and have continued to encourage me to blossom."
The belief that the actors and director have in one another connects to the root of "The Half-Life of Marie Curie." The play opens with Curie isolated in her home in the wake of a truly ruthless wave of gossip and press over an alleged affair with the married Frenchman Paul Langevin.
Marie's friend and colleague, Hertha Ayrton, swoops in to offer sanctuary at her summer home in England, where Marie can rest, recuperate, and rediscover her resilience.
When asked what the audience should expect, Cole says that there is no stage separating the audience from the actors, only a few feet of floor space. "The audience [will witness] the conversations between our two characters." This is done to let the audience feel they are in the room, almost becoming the very same public eye Curie contends with at the outset of the play.
That perception has stuck with Cole. "One thing… throughout this production is how public perception can radically shift the narrative of someone's life," Cole explains.
She then explains that although Curie is considered French, she was actually Polish and did most of her work in France, which led to her becoming a naturalized French citizen. "This may seem like a small detail, but it essentially erases key parts of this woman's identity. We should all work towards remembering the facts as they are, not as how they've been construed."
When asked about the show's significance, Cole said that it humanizes a well-known historical figure and shows how even a single deeply committed friend can help put one's life back on track. She also said that it showcases how one of the most influential scientists of all time was significantly overshadowed and diminished by gossip, and why this remains relevant today.
"Women still have to fight for their seats at the table and to be recognized for their ingenuity," Cole said. "Our rights and our accomplishments are continuously under threat of being stripped from us or already have been. This play reminds us to not let ourselves be diminished and to ensure that our successes are celebrated, not just during Women's History Month but as we move forward as a society."
And with Palaver Tree Theater being the perfect venue for intimate, experimental theater, Cole and the entire production are ecstatic to bring the truth of Marie Curie to life.
If you go
What: "The Half-Life of Marie Curie" presented by Palaver Tree Theater
When: March 19-21; Evening shows at 8 p.m. and matinee shows at 2 p.m.
Where: Palaver Tree Theater, 59 Shadeville Road, Crawfordville
Cost: $15 general admission; Thursday, March 19, is Pay What You Can Night
Samantha Sumler is the Marketing & Communications Manager for the Council on Culture & Arts. COCA is the capital area's umbrella agency for arts and culture (tallahasseearts.org).