With the STARDust (Scienza Teatro Arte Ricerca Donne) project, the University of Pisa is giving shape to a new narrative of scientific research— how it unfolds, the knowledge it produces, and the impact it has on our lives.

This creative challenge entrusts women in science with the task of guiding the stage narrative through their perspectives and voices, transforming them from protagonists of research into protagonists of theatrical storytelling: “ricercattrici” in every sense of the word. What unites them is creativity—the power to spark thought and emotion, to educate and transform—expressed through different forms to make knowledge more accessible.

To meet this challenge, STARDust steps out of labs and classrooms and enters the immersive world of theatre. But this is no ordinary performance: it is a unique theatrical production where the rigour of the scientific method blends with the emotional resonance and lightness of performance, and with the universal language and beauty of art. The interwoven voices of the “ricercattrici” will narrate their cutting-edge research at the University of Pisa, while actresses and musicians will give form and sound to their emotions.

Following the success of the first performance “The Mind: It’s Not What It Seems” which was performed to a full house at Pisa’s Teatro Verdi on 8 November 2024, work is now under way on the new edition for 2025. The upcoming show, in ideal continuity with the previous one, will focus on the theme of Artificial Intelligence and is scheduled for the evening of Saturday 18 October at the Teatro 4 Mori in Livorno.