Starring Math

A monthly series hosted by Dr. Arthur Benjamin

(online)

MoMath’s 2025–2026 Visiting Professor Dr. Arthur Benjamin curates a monthly dive into the many ways mathematics inspires — and hides inside — film, theater, music, magic, juggling, and more.  Each session features an hour-long conversation with Dr. Benjamin and special guests.  Some months you’ll watch the selected movie or performance on your own, then join a lively discussion; other months the performer will appear live, ready to share insights and answer questions.  Discover how creative minds weave math into stories, staging, and spectacle, and leave with fresh ways to see the connections between performance and mathematics.

_____________

Next up

Proof 

Starring Math, featuring
Proof
by David Auburn

Hosted by Dr. Arthur Benjamin
with Stephen Abbott

Monday, September 15
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm ET

(online)

Join host Dr. Arthur Benjamin, MoMath's 2025–2026 Visiting Professor for Public Outreach, and Stephen Abbott for an engaging discussion of the play and film Proof by David Auburn.

Stephen is the Nathan Beman Professor of Mathematics at Middlebury College, where he has taught for three decades. He is the author of the widely used textbook Understanding Analysis (Springer, 2015) and a former co-editor of Math Horizons.  His recent book, The Proof Stage, explores how mathematics can be transformed into richly human stories through the lens of theater.

Participants are encouraged to watch the featured film independently, then join the online conversation with Dr. Benjamin and Stephen, who will take us deeper into the making of the film and the math behind it.  Proof is currently available for streaming through the popular subscription service, Pluto TV.

Stephen Abbott
Speaker: Stephen Abbott

_____________

October

Matt Baker

Starring Math, featuring
The Magic of Matt Baker

Hosted by Dr. Arthur Benjamin
with Matt Baker

Thursday, October 9
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm ET

(online)

Join host Dr. Arthur Benjamin, MoMath’s 2025–2026 Visiting Professor for Public Outreach, and Matt Baker for an evening of mathematical magic and entertainment.

Matt Baker is a Georgia Tech mathematics professor by day and an award-winning magician by night.  An internationally recognized researcher, Matt has published three books and more than fifty papers in mathematics, earning honors such as two Simons Fellowships and election as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society.  His parallel career in magic has brought equal acclaim: a protégé of the late Simon Aronson, Matt is a two-time Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year.  His book The Buena Vista Shuffle Club is now in its fourth printing, and he has appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us.

No advance viewing is necessary for this special Starring Math session.

_____________

Dr. Arthur Benjamin, MoMath's Visiting Professor
Host: Dr. Arthur Benjamin, MoMath’s Visiting Professor for Public Outreach

Searching for a film list designed especially for those interested in connections to mathematics?  Check out prior Starring Math presentations!