Kanata Theatre stages Gunderson's Émilie du Châtelet play November 18 to 28

Kanata Theatre opens Lauren Gunderson's play "Émilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight" on November 18, 2026, with performances through November 28. Tickets are at kanatatheatre.ca, by calling 613-831-4435, or by emailing boxoffice@kanatatheatre.ca.

The production is about Émilie du Châtelet, an 18th-century French scientist who produced a groundbreaking paper on the nature of fire, the first by a woman published by the Paris Academy, and a translation and commentary on Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica that is still used today. The play imagines her returning to answer the question she died with: love or philosophy. Gunderson, who also wrote "Silent Sky" and "The Book of Will", stages the story through what the producers describe as a blend of history, science, humour and drama, raising questions about gender equality and the right of women to shape their own destinies.

The cast is Shirley Manh as Émilie, Stavros Sakiadis as Voltaire, Keira Conlin as the Soubrette, El Mehdi Idihya as the Gentleman, and Jennifer Simpson as the Madam.