After COVID forced an immediate performance stop of ExPats Theatre’s world premiere production of Einstein’s Wife by Snežana Gnjidić in March 2020, Artistic Director Karin Rosnizeck is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the play back to DC for a full performance run from September 23 to October 16 at Atlas Performing Arts Center. Einstein’s Wife was written by Serbian playwright Snežana Gnjidic, based on an idea by Milena Trobozić-Garfield, who also provided the English translation of the play.
This summer, Karin Rosnizeck was invited by the National Theatre Belgrade (Serbia) to direct Einstein’s Wife in its Serbian original (GOSPOĐA AJNŠTAJN/Mrs Einstein) with a local Serbian cast. GOSPOĐA AJNŠTAJN premiered at the Belgrade National Theatre on July 1 as the season finale and also as opening performance of the annual summer theater festival “Belef” in Belgrade. For ExPats Theatre’s current U.S. production of Einstein’s Wife, Rosnizeck has reassembled the same cast and costume and projection designer as in 2020 but is working with a new set (by David Higgins) and new sound design (a collaboration with Serbian composer Vladimir Petričevic).
About the play:
The name Albert Einstein, forever linked with the theory of relativity, has become synonymous with genius. Lesser known is the story of Mileva Marić, the gifted mathematician and Einstein’s fellow student at the prestigious Zurich Polytechnic, who later became his wife. As recent research suggests, the Serbian female scientist contributed substantially to Einstein’s groundbreaking theory, yet remained virtually unknown until private letters hidden for decades were released. What followed was a heated controversy among the scientific community regarding the role of Mileva Marić in Einstein’s theories that revolutionized modern science.
In this gripping production, Gnjidić presents an intriguing story of the couple’s tumultuous relationship and Marić’s struggle as a female scientist. What started as a scientific team eventually was derailed by motherhood and a world not prepared for women’s professional achievements. But the playwright of Einstein’s Wife goes beyond historical facts and spins the story further. What if Albert and Mileva could go back in time and do it again? Einstein’s Wife is a bold take on the tale of a gifted woman in the shadow of a brilliant man.
ExPats Theatre, a 501(c)(3) venture founded in 2019 by Karin Rosnizeck to bring international contemporary plays to DC, is devoted to connecting people across cultures through the performing arts. Previous productions included: Surfacing by Russian-Austrian playwright Julya Rabinowich, Einstein’s Wife by Serbian playwright Snežana Gnjidić, Pankrác’ 45 by Czech playwright Martina Kinská and Christmas Eve by German playwright and novelist Daniel Kehlmann.
At a glance:
Einstein’s Wife by Snežana Gnjidić. Idea and translation by Milena Trobozić Garfield
Director: Karin Rosnizeck
Cast: Sasha Olinick as Albert Einstein and Cecelia Auerswald as Mileva Marić
Set Design: David Higgins
Costume Design: Alisa Mandel
Projection Design: Dylan Uremovich
Sound Design: Vladimir Petričevic
Lighting Design: Hailey La Roe
Stage Manager: Laura Schlachtmeyer
Einstein’s Wife plays September 23 through October 16, 2022, presented by ExPats Theatre performing at Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab Theatre II, 1333 H Street, NE, Washington, DC. Showtimes are 7:30 pm Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 2:30 pm Sundays. . Tickets ($25–$40) are available online.
Special events include post-show talk-back with cast, director, and design team Sunday, September 25, and Industry Night Monday, October 3 at 7:30 pm.
COVID Safety: Masks are required for patrons, staff, and performers when in the building. Performers will perform without a mask. Atlas Performing Arts Center’s COVID Health and Safety Policy is here.
SEE ALSO:
In ‘Einstein’s Wife’ at ExPats Theatre, the downside of marrying a genius (Sophia Howes’ interview with Karin Rosnizeck Plenty to chew on in ExPats’ thoughtful production of ‘Einstein’s Wife’ (review by David Siegel, March 7, 2020)
Another lost female genius found, in ‘Einstein’s Wife’ at ExPats Theatre (Magic Time! column by John Stoltenberg, March 8, 2020)
