EST/Sloan Presents: PHOTOGRAPH 51

October 27 – November 21

“Critic’s Pick! A play that glows with intelligence and humanity. Compelling theatre.“ - Backstage

“Palpable, persuasive drama.” - TheaterMania

“I highly recommend it!“ - NPR

London, 1953. Scientists are on the verge of discovering what they call the secret of life: the DNA double helix. Providing the key is driven young physicist Rosalind Franklin. But if the double helix was the breakthrough of the 20th century, then what kept Franklin out of the history books?

A play about ambition, isolation, and the race for greatness.

By Anna Ziegler
Directed by Linsay Firman

Featuring Kristen Bush, Kevin Collins, David Gelles*, Haskell King*, Benjamin Pelteson and Jeremy Webb

* denotes EST Member

Scenic Design: Nick Francone • Sound Design: Shane Rettig
Costume Design: Suzanne Chesney • Lighting Design: Les Dickert
Properties Design: Caitlin Fergus • Dialect Design: Erik Singer
Casting Director: Kelly Gillespie
Production Stage Manager: Danielle Buccino
Assistant Stage Manager: Olga Kreimer

A production of the EST/Sloan Project.

Presented by Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Photograph 51 is the winner of the 2008 STAGE International Script Competition and was developed, in part, through the University of California, Santa Barbara’s STAGE Project by the Professional Artists Lab (Nancy Kawalek, Director) and the California NanoSystems Institute.

The Story Behind the Play

: Rosalind Franklin

In the early 1950s, scientist Rosalind Franklin used x-ray diffraction photography to examine what people were calling the “secret of life”: the structure of DNA.

One particular image, nicknamed “Photograph 51″, was the key that revealed the secret of DNA’s double helix.

: Watson and Crick

Fellow scientists James Watson and Francis Crick used “Photograph 51″ as the inspiration for their 1953 paper in Nature Magazine detailing DNA’s helical structure. This breakthrough won them the 1962 Nobel Prize.

: “Photograph 51″

To the layperson, this landmark photograph may not reveal much at all. To get a closer look, take a look at PBS/NOVA’s animated explanation of “Photograph 51″ and its significance.

To learn more about the fascinating history and science behind the play, check out the New Yorker article “Photo Finish” or the PBS documentary “Secret of Photo 51″.

A newly discovered trove of letters from this era has revealed deeper insight into the people behind the race to discover the “secret of life”. To learn more, read the New York Times article about this recent find.