Developed at Villanova in 2019 through the Sue Winge Award for Playwriting, Chrysalis explores the metamorphosis of Maria Sybilla Merian, 17th-century illustrator and naturalist, and her teenage daughter, Dorothea, as they redraw the lines of their personal and professional relationship. Determined to be taken seriously for her scientific discoveries in a male-dominated field, Maria embarks on a risky investigation that ultimately challenges how well she and her daughter know themselves and each other.