Tom Felton to Star in “A Child of Science”

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English writer and author of 2001: A Space Odyssey Arthur C. Clarke once said that “magic’s just science we don’t understand yet.” Wizarding world fans who are of the same mind will not want to miss an upcoming play on a most miraculous scientific achievement, starring Harry Potter alumnus Tom Felton.

A Child of Science, written by Gareth Farr, is a play about scientists Patrick Steptoe, Robert Edwards, and Jean Purdy, whose work and dedication resulted in the development of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) method in 1978. The play details the pioneering of the method and the birth that resulted, which was the first baby out of millions to be conceived in this way. The story itself is a fictionalized account of the true events and is based on years of interviews with embryologists and fertility doctors.

 

 

The production will be directed by the celebrated Matthew Dunster, who has a personal connection to the story. His children, triplets, were the result of IVF, he explained. He also hails from Oldham, which is where the first IVF baby was delivered. “Over the last few years, I’ve watched Gareth put this beautiful story together about the brave, anonymous women of my hometown, and the three medical giants, Purdy, Steptoe, and Edwards, that gave so many of us hope,” noted Dunster, adding, “I had to direct this wonderful new play and I’m honored to have the opportunity.”

The production will run from Wednesday, June 5 through Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Bristol Old Vic. Tickets for general audiences will go on sale Thursday, October 26.

Interestingly enough, A Child of Science is not the only celebration of this medical achievement currently in the works. Joy, a biopic centered around the first “test-tube baby,” Louise Joy Brown, is reportedly being produced by Netflix and will also star some of our wizarding world favorites. The movie itself is written by Jack Thorne, who co-wrote Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Bill Nighy, who played Rufus Scrimgeour, will be taking on the role of Patrick Steptoe.