Let Newton Be! A Play Produced by the Menagerie Theatre and presented by the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology and the Department of Physics, University of Toronto April 13, 2011

Let Newton Be!
Isaac Newton…heretic, alchemist, genius
by Craig Baxter
Produced by the Menagerie Theatre, Cambridge, U.K..
Presented by the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology and the Department of Physics, University of Toronto

Let Newton Be! brings the complex and controversial character and iconic figure of Sir Isaac Newton to life: a devout, difficult, obsessive man who sought and found God in universal laws of light and motion. Let Newton Be! explores the life and thought of a genius whose scientific theories still provide the foundations for our understanding of the Universe today.
Theatrical and entertaining as well as informative for both specialist and general audiences, the play uses three actors, video and clever stage design to show a different way to see the world of Newton – the clash between scientific discovery and religious orthodoxy, a story of obsession and isolation.
Theatrically simple and powerful, three incarnations of Newton battle with each other for their place in history: the young boy measuring the speed of wind; the isolated Cambridge scholar, practising alchemy in the secrecy of his darkened room; the autocrat of British Science, ruling the Royal Society with an iron fist.