Play Reading: "Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight"

Image courtesy of WAM Theatre.

In February of 2015, the Gaudino Fund hosted a professional staged reading of EmilieEmilie was Voltaire’s lover and scientific partner. She translated Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica into French, and hers is considered the definitive edition. She also contributed to the development of the idea of kinetic energy. Needless to say, her path was unusual for a woman in the 18th century. In the play, Emilie examines her life, her decisions, and the effects of those decisions on herself and those close to her. The staged reading was followed by a short panel discussion where the panelists and audience members reflected on the ways in which Emilie’s choices resonate as we examine the costs of our own life choices. The reading was part of a month-long series of events centered on career choices and work-life balance.