The Wall Street Journal recently published an interesting article (well, I found it interesting) about how “applied mathematics [is being] used to move around six different audiences in a new version of The Phantom of the Opera.” From the article’s opening paragraphs:
Simon Broucke didn’t expect to use his mathematics degree for his music assistant job at “Masquerade,” the new interactive revival of “The Phantom of the Opera” in New York.
But when “Masquerade” producers were struggling to figure out how to make it so the actors and the audience moved through the show on schedule, Broucke, 26, volunteered his background. He has dual degrees from Columbia University in music and mathematics, which uses spreadsheets and modeling to solve real-world problems.
“Masquerade” follows the point of view of the Phantom, a disfigured musical genius who lives below the Paris Opera House and is obsessed with singer Christine Daaé. Producer Randy Weiner and his wife, the director Diane Paulus, needed to get the audience in lockstep from the start to the finish of the show in just under two hours. They also needed to get all 42 actors to their spots to perform at the right time throughout the space.
This would be simple if there was only one audience. Instead there are six.
I thought this was a fun application of mathematics in an utterly unexpected context.
Mean Green Math 