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Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  3w, 2m

Lauren Gunderson

"Gunderson possesses an antic imagination that seeks to invent its own rules. As soon as we're drawn in, she shakes us and whisks us 10 or 15 paces ahead." – Los Angeles Times
A highly theatrical, fast, funny, sexy rediscovery of one of history's most intriguing women, Emilie defends her life and loves; and ends up with both a formula and a legacy that permeates history.

Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Biography, Docudrama/Historic, Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Passionate. Brilliant. Defiant.

Tonight, 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet is back and determined to answer the question she died with: love or philosophy, head or heart? In this highly theatrical, fast, funny, sexy rediscovery of one of history's most intriguing women, Emilie defends her life and loves; and ends up with both a formula and a legacy that permeates history.

History
Commissioned and produced by South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, CA, 2009.
Keywords
Performing Groups

EMILIE DU CHÂTELET – forty, dressed in no particular era, confident and curious
VOLTAIRE (V)– fifty, dressed immaculately in 18th Century fashion, charming, boyish

SOUBRETTE - a young woman, mid twenties, plays Emilie and others:
-MARY-LOUISE – simple and stupid
-DAUGHTER – direct and strong

GENTLEMAN- a handsome man, thirties, plays:
-JEAN-FRANÇOIS – young and doting, sincere
-THE MARQUIS – serious but warm, very formal
-MAUPERTUIS – sexy and academic
-MARAIN – snide and proud

MADAM – a slightly older woman, fifties, plays:
-MOTHER – serious and wounded
-MADAM GRAFFIGNY – obnoxious and rich

This play has been successfully produced for colleges and universities with a cast of 7 by splitting the role of "Gentleman" and "Soubrette" into to parts.

  • Time Period Not Applicable
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"An evening of humor and heartbreak with a powerhouse ending." - BroadwayWorld.com

"Emilie is quite the best play I have read in a very long time,"- Robert Schenkkan, Pulitzer Prize Winning playwright

"Gunderson possesses an antic imagination that seeks to invent its own rules. As soon as we're drawn in, she shakes us and whisks us 10 or 15 paces ahead." –Los Angeles Times

"The ambitious, non-linear experiment is a highly theatrical romp that literally crackles with electricity." –LA/OC Examiner

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Lauren Gunderson

Lauren Gunderson
Lauren Gunderson is a playwright, screenwriter, and short story author from Atlanta, GA, who lived in NYC before finding San Francisco. She received her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch, where she was also a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She has been commiss ...
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