ABSTRACT The depiction of science in theatre has been widely acknowledged and debated, while discussion of science fiction in theatre remains limited. Specifically, plays which draw upon the practices of both sciences fact and fiction are typically viewed as examples of the former, with the latter’s influence elided. Nick Payne’s Elegy interrogates the evolution of medical treatment into the prevention of neurological diseases, depicting a future society where such disorders can be surgically cured. The play creatively expands upon modern scientific knowledge to imagine this future world, using a science-fictional lens to engage with current ethical stances regarding life, death and the line between both. However, critical reaction to the play focused predominantly on Elegy’s apparently factual foundations, as opposed to its combination of imagined and scientific aspects. This paper aims to encourage a more nuanced view of science fiction, and its relationship to science, in theatre. By placing Elegy in conversation with science fiction scholarship, and by drawing comparisons with specific areas of current scientific research in which charges of science-fictionality have encouraged engagement and funding opportunities, I propose a template for how theatre-makers and scholars can recognise the role that science fiction plays within contemporary performance.

中文翻译：

---

科学、科幻小说和尼克佩恩的挽歌：概念上的第三种方式

摘要 戏剧中对科学的描述已得到广泛承认和争论，而对戏剧中科幻小说的讨论仍然有限。具体而言，借鉴科学事实和虚构实践的戏剧通常被视为前者的例子，而后者的影响则被忽略了。尼克·佩恩 (Nick Payne) 的挽歌质疑医学治疗向预防神经系统疾病的演变，描绘了一个可以通过手术治愈此类疾病的未来社会。该剧创造性地扩展了现代科学知识来想象这个未来的世界，使用科幻镜头来处理当前关于生、死和两者之间界限的伦理立场。然而，对该剧的批评反应主要集中在挽歌表面上的事实基础上，与想象和科学方面的结合相反。本文旨在鼓励对科幻小说及其与科学的关系在戏剧中更细致入微的看法。通过将挽歌与科幻小说奖学金进行对话，并通过与当前科学研究的特定领域进行比较，其中科幻小说的指控鼓励参与和资助机会，我提出了一个模板，让戏剧制作者和学者如何认识到这一角色科幻小说在当代表演中发挥作用。