Neuroscientists Heather Berlin and Yasmin Hurd join neuropsychologist Miguel Arce Renteria and social worker Adina Segal to discuss the scientific issues behind the new comedy THE RESERVOIR

From left, Dr. Heather Berlin, Dr. Yasmin Hurd, Dr. Miguel Arce Renteria, Adina Segal

Everyone attending the 7:00 PM performance on Thursday, March 5 at the Linda Gross Theater of THE RESERVOIR, the brilliant new comedy by Jake Brasch, is encouraged to stay afterward for a stimulating discussion about the play with neuroscientist and clinical psychologist Heather Berlin, neuroscientist Yasmin Hurd, and neuropsychologist Miguel Arce Renteria. Adina Segal, senior navigator and community builder at CaringKind, will moderate the discussion about some of the scientific issues behind the play, including the causes and treatment of addiction, our current understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and much more. The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and join the discussion.

The story of the play: Josh’s life is a mess. He’s moved home to Denver to get sober, but after years of drinking, the fog in his brain won’t lift. Struggling with memory loss, confusion, and shame, he finds himself strangely in step with his four aging grandparents. THE RESERVOIR is a funny, human play about memory, recovery, and the joys of cross-generational connection.

THE RESERVOIR, written by Jake Brasch and directed by Shelley Butler, is the 2026 EST/Sloan Project play and a co-production of the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Atlantic Theater Company, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The play’s New York Off Broadway premiere began previews on February 5 at the Linda Gross Theater and runs through March 22. You can purchase tickets here.

About the panelists

Dr. Heather Berlin

Dr. Heather Berlin is a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. She explores the neural basis of impulsive and compulsive psychiatric and neurological disorders with the goal of developing novel treatments. She is also interested in the brain basis of consciousness, dynamic unconscious processes, and creativity. Dr. Berlin is a committee member of the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a passionate science communicator. She hosts the PBS Nova series Your Brain, and the Science of Perception Box podcast (the #1 Science podcast on Apple Podcasts during its run). 

Dr. Berlin also hosted PBS’ Science Goes to the Movies, and Discovery Channel’s Superhuman Showdown. She makes regular appearances on StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, BBC, History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, and TED, and was featured in the documentary Bill Nye: Science Guy. She also co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway show, Off the Top, about the neuroscience of improvisation, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, Impulse Control.

Her new book, The Fine Art of Losing Control (Simon and Schuster), is slated for release in January 2027.

Dr. Yasmin Hurd

Dr. Yasmin Hurd is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Pharmacological Sciences, the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience, and the Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai. Dr. Hurd's multidisciplinary research investigates the neurobiology underlying addiction disorders and related psychiatric illnesses.  A translational approach is used to examine molecular and neurochemical events in the human brain and comparable animal models in order to ascertain neurobiological correlates of behavior.  A major focus of the research is directed to risk factors of substance use disorders including genetics as well as developmental exposure to drugs of abuse such as cannabis. Her team also conducts human clinical trials in developing novel therapies for opioid use disorder. Her work has been featured in various media including Time magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on CNN, PBS NOVA, and Netflix as well as in a TEDMED talk. Based on her work, Dr. Hurd was inducted into both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.  

Dr. Miguel Arce Renteria

Dr. Miguel Arce Rentería is an Assistant Professor of Neuropsychology at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain and the Department of Neurology at the Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Arce's research focuses on determining factors of reserve and resilience to cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) among racial/ethnic minorities both within the United States and abroad with an emphasis on understanding the role of bilingualism. Dr. Arce is also involved in outreach efforts to engage with diverse communities in ADRD research. He is the director of the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement (ORE) Core for Columbia University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). 

About the Moderator

Adina Segal

Adina Segal, LCSW, is a clinical social worker with over 15 years of experience specializing in dementia care and complex caregiving dynamics. She serves as Senior Navigator and Community Builder at CaringKind, where she provides direct clinical support to individuals and families impacted by dementia.

Her primary focus is supporting caregivers as they navigate challenging behavioral symptoms, shifting family roles, and complex relational dynamics. She is frequently consulted on high-complexity cases, including individuals living alone with dementia, family conflict, elder abuse concerns, and limited support systems, and works closely with caregivers of individuals with early-onset dementia. As part of her role, she also facilitates evidence-based Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) groups for individuals with early-stage dementia, provides individualized care planning around safety and long-term care transitions, and leads educational workshops while consulting with community organizations to strengthen dementia-informed care.

She previously served as Caregiver Program Director at Heights and Hills in Brooklyn and held clinical roles at Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services and Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services.

THE RESERVOIR began previews on February 5 and runs through March 22. You can purchase tickets here. The play is the 2026 mainstage production of the EST/Sloan Project, EST’s partnership with The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to develop new plays “exploring the world of science and technology,” an initiative now in its twenty-sixth year. 

Enjoy more related to THE RESERVOIR

Remembering the Complexity of Alzheimer’s Disease by Michael A. Yassa (program essay)

Playwright Jake Brasch and neurobiologist Stuart Firestein discuss THE RESERVOIR with Nick Dirks, president of The New York Academy of Sciences on the Shaping Science podcast (on YouTube; 50 mins)

Poet Pichchenda Bao, Neuroscientist Heather Berlin, Artist Daveth Cheth, Designer Davey Chhoeun, and Chef Chinchakriya Un join Dramaturg Soriya Chum to discuss the many sides of what you are now

From left, Pichchenda Bao, Heather Berlin, Daveth Cheth, Davey Chhoeun, Chinchakriya Un, Soriya Chum

On April 2, following the 2:00 PM matinee performance of what you are now, the powerful new drama by Sam Chanse, everyone is encouraged to stay for a talkback about the historical, cultural, and scientific context of the play, as well as the many issues it addresses, including how trauma gets passed from one generation to another, Cambodian American life in the U.S., and what happens in the brain when we form memories and create art. Dramaturg Soriya Chum will moderate the discussion with neuroscientist Heather Berlin, poet Pichchenda Bao, artist and activist Daveth Cheth, designer Davey Chhoeun, and chef Chinchakriya Un.

what you are now asks what if our memories aren’t fixed, but change each time we recall the past? This world premiere by Sam Chanse is a thrillingly insightful new play that asks the audience to move through the shifting dance between the past and present, and to consider how with new understanding we might change “who you were then” to “what you are now.”

what you are now is this year’s mainstage production of the EST/Sloan Project, EST’s partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to develop new plays “exploring the worlds of science and technology,” an initiative now in its twenty-third year, and is being co-presented with The Civilians, a theater group dedicated to investigative theater, projects created through field research, community collaborations, and other methods of in-depth inquiry.

About the Panelists

Pichchenda Bao

Pichchenda Bao is a poet born in Cambodia at the end of the Khmer Rouge regime. She came with her parents to the United States as refugees in the 1980s, and now she lives, writes and raises her children in New York City. Her work delves into the urgencies and uncertainties of post-war and post-genocide survival and resilience, generational tension, motherhood, and feminism. Her honors include a Pushcart Prize nomination, an Emerging Writer Fellowship from Aspen Words, a grant from Queens Council on the Arts, a residency from Bethany Arts Community, and an invitation to the Kundiman writers retreat as a poetry fellow.

Dr. Heather Berlin

Dr. Heather Berlin is a neuroscientist and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in NY. She explores the neural basis of impulsive and compulsive psychiatric and neurological disorders with the aim of developing novel treatments. She is also interested in the brain basis of consciousness, dynamic unconscious processes, and creativity.  Berlin is a passionate science communicator and a committee member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She’s hosted series on PBS and the Discovery Channel and makes regular appearances on StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, BBC, History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, and TEDx, and was featured in the documentary film Bill Nye: Science Guy. Dr. Berlin also co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway show, Off the Top, about the neuroscience of improvisation, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, Impulse Control.  Berlin received her doctorate from the University of Oxford, and Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and trained in clinical neuropsychology at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Neurological Surgery. She is a visiting scholar at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, and was a Visiting Professor at Vassar College, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology/University of Zurich, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Daveth Cheth

Daveth Cheth is the founder, writer, and visionary behind Khmer Identity, a platform honoring Khmer legacies and contemporary Khmer voices. Born in Cambodia, Daveth immigrated to Lynn, Massachusetts when he was nine. A queer, non-binary Cambodian artist and activist, Daveth explores the  mediums of art, dance, and spoken word by focusing his work around queer visibility and Cambodian heritage and culture. A native Khmer speaker, Daveth teaches online classes in Khmer through Khmer Identity.

Davey Chhoeun

Davey Chhoeun is co-founder of Khmer Identify. The youngest daughter of four, and the only one born in the U.S., Davey was born and raised in Lynn, Massachusetts, where her family immigrated from Cambodia in 1988. Davey aspires to share her creative lens with her community and the world through apparel design and many personal hobbies. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in Fashion Design. Currently, she is a designer at a manufacturing company based in Boston. In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, she collaborated with Daveth Cheth to create an exhibition to share their mutual heritage with the world. This became Khmer Identity.

Chinchakriya Un

Chinchakriya Un is the chef and owner of Kreung Cambodia.  Kreung is a project that highlights her family’s recipes and new inspired dishes that she creates. Kreung is a traveling pop up with roots in Brooklyn, NY. Chinchakriya’s goals are to raise money to buy a tractor for her family in Cambodia, create a residency for artists, connect with the Cambodian diaspora around the world, and to document her family’s stories from the past and present to include in a cookbook. She was born in a refugee camp, moved to Massachusetts and grew up in a neighborhood with other immigrant families, predominately Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cape Verdeans, and attended a predominately white school. Chinchakriya has found  that connecting with her elders and Khmer folks in the diaspora is a way that she continues to grow her understanding about the Khmer culture. She hopes that Kreung can exist as a platform for other young aspiring chefs to showcase their creations.

About the Moderator

Soriya K. Chum

Soriya K. Chum is a Cambodian American writer, dramaturg, and project manager working in the fields of arts and culture and book publishing. He currently produces consumer engagement events and programs for the Random House division of Penguin Random House. Previously, he has held roles at the flagship branch of The New York Public Library, Theatre for a New Audience, and the Asian American Arts Alliance. As a dramaturg, he specializes in providing support to scripted projects that focus on the lives of contemporary immigrants and refugees, particularly intergenerational stories that center the perspectives and experiences of Cambodian Americans.

what you are now began previews on March 10 and runs through April 3 at EST. You can purchase tickets here.