{"id":2442,"date":"2019-12-13T16:29:46","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T15:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/?post_type=jetpack-portfolio&p=2442"},"modified":"2026-06-12T08:57:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:57:45","slug":"diving-into-math-with-emmy-noether","status":"publish","type":"jetpack-portfolio","link":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/?portfolio=diving-into-math-with-emmy-noether","title":{"rendered":"Diving into Math with Emmy Noether"},"content":{"rendered":"

A theatre performance by portraittheater Vienna <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

in co-operation with Freie Universitaet Berlin<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

video<\/a>\u00a0 photos<\/a>\u00a0 reviews<\/a>\u00a0 contact <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Diving into Math with Emmy Noether (c) portraittheater<\/p><\/div>\n

Emmy Noether (1882-1935) was one of the most influential mathematicians of the last century. Her works and teachings left a lasting mark on modern algebra, opening new avenues for a modern structural perspective in mathematics. Noether began her studies at a time when women were only beginning to break down the barriers that prevented them from entering the doors of German universities. She eventually overcame even stronger resistance when she applied for the right to teach at a German university. It took her four years before she acquired that certification (Habilitation) in Goettingen on June 4, 1919, after submitting a thesis in which she solved one of the central problems in Einstein\u2019s general theory of relativity.<\/span><\/p>\n

To celebrate the centenary of this event and the career of a unique personality in the history of mathematics, the ensemble Portraittheater Vienna produced a biographical play, directed by Sandra Schueddekopf and starring Anita Zieher as Emmy. It opened on June 4, 2019 at the Freie Universitaet Berlin. Afterwards the play has been performed with great success at several different universities throughout Germany as well as the Theater Drachengasse in Vienna under the title \u201cMathematische Spaziergaenge mit Emmy Noether\u201d. Based on historical documents and events, the script was written by Sandra Schueddekopf and Anita Zieher in cooperation with the historians Mechthild Koreuber and David E. Rowe.\u00a0<\/span> Financial support for the original production was provided by three universities in Berlin (Freie Universitaet, Humboldt-Universitaet, Technische Universitaet), and four other German universities (Erlangen-Nuernberg, Goettingen, Mainz, and Bielefeld).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDiving into Math with Emmy Noether,\u201d had three very successful tours in the USA in 2022, 2023 and 2025, with 20 performances e.g. at Harvard University, MIT- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State University, University of Oklahoma, Brandeis University, UC Davis, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College, Vassar College and Pitzer College. We also performed the play in France (Sorbonne Universit\u00e9 in Paris, Nantes Universit\u00e9) and the United Kingdom (University of Cambridge and Edinburgh, Austrian Cultural Forum London).<\/span><\/p>\n

REVIEWS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ravi Vakil, Robert Grimmett Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University and President of the American Mathematical Society (AMS)<\/span><\/p>\n

„The play was a wonderful meditation on Emmy Noether and what is behind her enormous legacy.\u00a0Impressively, it got right not just the facts of her life, but also an insider’s feeling for the mathematical\u00a0universe as separate from yet inescapably engaged with the larger world.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

John Ewing, President Math for America<\/span><\/p>\n

„The play was terrific \u2013 Emmy Noether felt like the real thing. Congratulations to all.“<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Chris Quigg, Professor of Physics (Emeritus) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, University of Chicago<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201eCelebrating a dazzling performance\u201c<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Andras Vasy, Professor & Department Chair of Mathematics at Stanford University<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a really compelling performance that appealed to a broad mathematically inclined audience. We had a short talk on Emmy Noether by a colleague before the performance, and the combination of the play and the talk was really striking, in particular highlighting Emmy Noether\u2019s enormous influence on how we think about mathematics.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Karen Parshall, Professor of Mathematics and History, University of Virginia<\/span><\/p>\n

„You so beautifully interpret and portray Emmy Noether\u2019s life and spirit. In particular, I thought you perfectly captured her joy of mathematics, which is a sentiment so hard to convey to non-mathematicians, at the same time that you deftly conveyed the many complexities of her life.“<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Silvie Benzoni, Director Institut Henri Poincar\u00e9, Sorbonne Universit\u00e9 <\/span><\/p>\n

„Wonderful play regarding an amazing woman, a great mathematician brought back to life by the actress Anita Zieher and the director Sandra Schueddekopf.“<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clotilde Fermanian, Professor Universit\u00e9 Paris Est – Cr\u00e9teil Val de Marne, Pr\u00e9sidente du Comit\u00e9 de culture math\u00e9matique de l’Institut Henri Poincar\u00e9,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSuperbe repr\u00e9sentation \u00e0 la Sorbonne le 10 octobre! Beaucoup d’\u00e9motion face au destin de cette femme exceptionnelle !\u201c<\/span>
\n(Eine gro\u00dfartige Auff\u00fchrung in der Sorbonne am 10. Oktober! Sehr emotional angesichts des Schicks<\/span>als dieser au\u00dfergew\u00f6hnlichen Frau!)<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Giorgio Gratta, Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor & Department Chair of Physics at Stanford University<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPhysicists have long had a particular affection for Emmy Noether. \u00a0The play humanized the person behind \u201cNoether theorem\u201d and reminded us of the many other contributions she made in the field of mathematics.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

John McCleary, Professor of Mathematics, Vassar College<\/span><\/p>\n

„It was a wonderful performance, a remarkable feat of writing and theatrical focus.“<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jim Ryan, President of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a terrific performance about one of the most important women in the history of mathematics and physics.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Peter Olver, Professor, School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn amazing performance of „Diving into Math with Emmy Noether“ occurred at the University of Minnesota on September 26, 2023.\u00a0 Anita Zieher’s stunning portrayal of Emmy Noether, directed by Sandra Schueddekopf, gave the impression that one was truly in her presence.\u00a0 Those without mathematical expertise came away with a better understanding, not just of Emmy, her personality, her career, and her difficult times, but also intimations of what it is like to be a research mathematician. Those of us who know Noether’s profound contributions and impact in both mathematics and physics were mesmerized by the play and Anita\u2019s performance.\u00a0 A truly memorable event \u2014 do not miss it!\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bernd Schroers, Head of School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh<\/span><\/p>\n

„There are few mathematicians for whom the gulf between the experts‘ admiration for and the public awareness of their achievements is greater than for Emmy Noether. `Diving into Maths with Emmy Noether\u2019 does a great job at beginning to bridge that gulf. It is a tightly constructed portrait, including some mathematical details and observations which are interesting to the expert, and a gripping story, told with insight, humour – and pudding!“<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jemma Lorenat, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Pitzer College in Claremont, California<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201eAt moments it feels as if we are in Noether’s classroom and should be taking notes. Anita Zieher captures a warmth and excitement that resonates with the academic enthusiasm one can experience at the best workshops and seminars\u2026. Directed by Sandra Schueddekopf,\u00a0Diving into Math with Emmy Noether\u00a0is entertaining and important\u2026 unquestionably a resounding success for those of us lucky enough to be in that audience\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Duration: 65 minutes
\nLanguage: English
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Cast:
\n<\/span><\/strong>Director: Sandra Sch\u00fcddekopf
\n<\/span>Actress: Anita Zieher
\n<\/span>Text: Sandra Sch\u00fcddekopf, Anita Zieher; original quotes from Emmy Noether and contemporaries
\n<\/span>Scientific board: Mechthild Koreuber (Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin), David Rowe (Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz)
\n<\/span>Videos: Karl B\u00f6rner<\/span>
\nActors on screen: Alexander Fennon, Werner Landsgesell (Voice: Florian Troebinger), <\/span>Karola Niederhuber (Voice: Anne Weyner), Helmut Schuster, Anita Zieher
\n<\/span>Music: Rupert Derschmidt
\n<\/span>Costume: Lejla Ganic
\n<\/span>Translation: David Rowe
\n<\/span>Language Coach: Bronwynn Mertz-Penzinger
\n<\/span>Photos: Helena Wimmer, Sandra Sch\u00fcddekopf
\nSynchronisation videos: Rupert Derschmidt, Karl B\u00f6rner
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Book \u201cProving It Her Way – Emmy Noether, a Life in Mathematics\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Authors: David E. Rowe and Mechthild Koreuber<\/span><\/p>\n

Publisher: Springer, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

This book serves as a companion to \u201cDiving into Math with Emmy Noether\u201d by reproducing information and photos from the brochure for the original play. It includes relevant facts about Noether\u2019s life together with brief sketches of the four mathematicians who appear with her on screen, as well as a \u201cWho\u2019s Who\u201d identifying others whose names are mentioned onstage. Readers are thereby afforded easy access to essential facts needed to appreciate the events alluded to in the script. In addition, the book also contains a brief overview of Noether\u2019s life as well as separate chapters providing detailed accounts of important phases in her unique career. These begin with an account of mathematical life in Erlangen, followed by the story behind her unsuccessful attempt to join the G\u00f6ttingen faculty in 1915, her remarkable contributions toward understanding the status of conservation laws in relativity theory, and crowned by her years of success in G\u00f6ttingen, where her work in modern algebra spawned a dynamic new international school. The final chapter concerns the last years of her life, after the Nazi government expelled her along with hundreds of other prominent Jewish academics. Her brief years at Bryn Mawr College left a lasting mark on a number of leading mathematicians in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A theatre performance by portraittheater Vienna in co-operation with Freie Universitaet Berlin video\u00a0 photos\u00a0 reviews\u00a0 contact Emmy Noether (1882-1935) was one of the most influential mathematicians of the last century. Her works and teachings left a lasting mark on modern algebra, opening new avenues for a modern structural perspective in mathematics. Noether began her studies…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"jetpack-portfolio-type":[],"jetpack-portfolio-tag":[],"class_list":["post-2442","jetpack-portfolio","type-jetpack-portfolio","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","empty-entry-meta","portfolio-entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio\/2442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/jetpack-portfolio"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2442"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio\/2442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4095,"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio\/2442\/revisions\/4095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jetpack-portfolio-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fjetpack-portfolio-type&post=2442"},{"taxonomy":"jetpack-portfolio-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portraittheater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fjetpack-portfolio-tag&post=2442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}