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Steve DeVito, Ph.D. is a 2026 graduate of the PhD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.

Dissertation Committee

  • Diane Richard-Allerdyce, PhD, Committee Chair
  • Carol Barrett, PhD, Committee Member
  • Elden Golden, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

theater, arts-based research, musical performance, women scientists, Albert Einstein, Mileva Maric, Elsa Einstein, Bertolt Brecht, gender injustice

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

This creative dissertation investigates the barriers that patriarchy has historically created for women scientists as they pursue scientific discovery. It also examines theater as a critical and creative practice for challenging the patriarchal system. To contextualize this inquiry, the study reviews literature on women scientists whose significant contributions were historically minimized, overlooked, or neglected. Additionally, multiple plays, movies, and creative theatrical works are discussed in the literature review, with particular emphasis on different styles of using theater to illuminate the achievements of women scientists. The creative component of this dissertation is an original musical play that explores Albert Einstein’s relationship with his first wife, Mileva, and his second wife, Elsa. The play foregrounds the pivotal roles both women held in Einstein’s personal and professional life, as well as the contributions each made during her marriage to him. Although neither woman received recognition during her lifetime, Mileva as a brilliant scientific thinker and Elsa as a successful businesswoman, their influence is evident in Einstein’s scientific work, even though they were not credited with his discoveries. The potential of the arts, particularly theater, to change hearts and minds about issues around gender injustice is explored and embraced in this theater piece, contextualizing essay, and afterword. The power of theater as a vehicle for social change is central to this study. This dissertation is accompanied by six supplemental MP3 audio files. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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steve devito

Steve DeVito, Ph.D.

ORCID id:  #0009-0004-5832-1138

Steve DeVito is a lifelong learner with a deep love of science, theater, music, and languages. He is a child of first-generation Americans and the first in his family to attain a college degree. His parents were instrumental in his drive for learning and his curiosity about different cultures and history. His father was a World War II vet, and Steve was influenced by this to spend 20-plus years in the United States Army serving in Washington, D.C., Europe, and Hawaii.

Dr. DeVito holds degrees from Georgetown University, Boston University, and the University of Maryland University College and spent his junior year at the Academy of Music at the University of Vienna, Austria. Steve has been involved in theater since his days at Red Bank Catholic High School and had the opportunity to work with Broadway Directors as a young actor. He has also written multiple plays and musicals, including his play Mona Lisa, which was performed at the Roadside Theater in Heidelberg, Germany.

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