←Recommendations of The Physics for Poets Club (one act)

"The Physics for Poets Club" is like an introduction to all those women on the posters my math teacher put up on the whiteboard. To me, that poster was the most interesting part of the class. A lot of times, historians and teachers like to pretend that women never longed to be more than they were allowed to be. We grew up thinking that science and math were historically inaccessible interests to girls. So, women grew up to resent such topics. Nora Louise Syran reminds us that that was not the case - never has been and never will be.

Like Gunderson’s Silent Sky, Nora Louise Syran explores the contribution of females to science, but rather than focusing on one person, The Physics for Poets Club gives us a throng of heretofore largely unrecognized women who should be widely celebrated for their scientific prowess. I loved the incorporation of historical vignettes and the dynamics of the four girls in detention. Highly recommended.

I have to admit my ignorance of most of the female historical figures presented in this outstanding piece, largely because they weren’t taught when I was a student, their contributions to the sciences were not recognized, or their contributions were misappropriated by their male counterparts. Nora Louise Syran provides valuable lessons as four teenage girls in detention are required to write about women from the Enlightenment. As their research progresses, history comes to life. And we are all the more wiser and better off for it!

As a lover of history and a thirst for more “herstory,” I just gobbled up this play. I love the intellect at play with the four students and the debates that happen as they gather info on some of the great females minds in history. As the play delves into the challenges of the past for females, our modern students connect more and more with them. Syran succeeds in showing us that imagination creates thinkers. And the past should be explored because it is relevant and personal.

A small ensemble of delightful, realistically flawed modern-day teens meets some of the most brilliant female figures from the Enlightenment in this dynamic take on The Breakfast Club trope! This play is packed with big roles and theatrical moments - even some swordplay! Everything is tied together in a clever and concise way, with a satisfying conclusion that leaves readers feeling that anything is possible! This would be a wonderful piece for a school or youth theatre group to tackle!