Photo courtesy of Holmes Watson This flyer contains a partial list of the animated shorts included in this year's Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. The festival shows at The Loft Cinema and runs through March 2.

Math and madness can fit perfectly together.

"Proof's" author, playwright David Auburn, wanted to create a drama about a family, a story involving the discovery of something whose authorship could be questioned.

Though math and mathematicians were not originally what Auburn set out to write about, they seem ideal subject matter for a dramatic work, one that can combine a rather unemotional field of science with a story about love, fear and family.

"Proof" is a world away from the Arizona Theatre Company's last production, "My Fair Lady." Unlike that musical, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning "Proof" is subtle drama, relying more on the tension between characters than sets or costumes.

"The two specific ideas I started with were the idea of two sisters fighting over something that a parent had left behind after their death and the idea of a character worried about inheriting their parent's mental illness," Auburn said in a press release. "The great thing about math is that it's a kind of scientific activity that's still done in a solitary way. Most science is now with big teams on big projects. In math, someone could have done something major working alone in the attic."

The tension centers around Catherine, played by Angela Pierce, who had quit school to take care of her ailing father. Her father (Traber Burns) was a mathematical genius who slipped into dementia in his middle age.

A week after her father's death, just as her sister arrives to attend the funeral, one of his former students discovers a revolutionary new math proof in the attic.

Two questions pervade the rest of the play: How much of her father's mental illness with Catherine inherit? Will she inherit his genius as well?

Like a mathematical equation, performing in "Proof" requires careful attention to details in order to get it right.

Pierce seems to switch from sounding somewhat declarative to sounding really, really angry, with little emotional range in between. Hal, played by Marc Gray, strikes the right balance between math geek and regular guy. He's like the smart guy from your study group that you wouldn't mind hanging out with afterward.

University of Arizona math professor William Faris said he believes part of math's allure may come from our hope that it may explain and predict events that we don't know much about.

"People hope for some better understanding of the world around them, and they know that part of that understanding comes from physics, astronomy, biology and other sciences.

"They are beginning to understanding that mathematics is the key to some of the deepest questions. They are curious about how this can be," Faris said. "So you now see people on airplanes reading about fundamental science and even about mathematics."

As for the connection between mathematicians and mental illness, Faris, who helped organize the math department's upcoming colloquium with "Proof's" director, Samantha K. Wyer, says it isn't as common as films and plays make it seem. In that sense, "Proof's" Hal may be the most accurate portrayal of a mathematician - dedicated, but not obsessed; geeky, but still pretty hip.

"Most mathematicians are sane people who work hard but enjoy what they are doing. But there is dramatic contrast in the situation of someone who does high level work with his mind and also grapples with insanity," Faris said.

"'Pi' had little to do with mathematics; it was the story of a man with an obsession."

However "A Beautiful Mind" is about the life of John Nash, who had significant achievements and who also struggled with insanity.

"Unfortunately, the movie mainly deals with the insanity. Mathematicians and scientists have many different styles and personalities. Nash was an unusual case," Faris said.

With "Proof," Wyer does an excellent job of presenting the characters as people first and mathematicians second.

"The play 'Proof' has little mathematical content, but it is an insightful portrayal of the varied personalities of mathematicians and of their social interactions," Faris said.

The colloquium with Wyer takes place 4 p.m. Thursday in Room 501 of the Math building. Contact William Faris at 621-6877 for more information.

"Proof" runs through Feb. 9 at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Call 622-2823 for more information.