COSTA MESA, Calif. (​​Feb. ​1​1, 2019)— It has been called the most important photograph ever taken—an image that led to a breakthrough in genetics research. The X-ray crystallographer who took it, Rosalind Franklin, is at the heart of Anna Ziegler's Photograph 51, next up on South Coast Repertory's Julianne Argyros Stage, directed by Kimberly Senior, March 3-24. Tickets are available at www.scr.org.
The story follows Franklin, a British science pioneer, whose groundbreaking role in the discovery of DNA's double-helix structure in the 1950s is still often overlooked. Based on a true story, Photograph 51 offers an intriguing portrait of a complex, courageous woman who makes her way in a male-dominated field. As rival teams of researchers compete for a breakthrough, Franklin—focused and unbending—is locked in a race of her own.
Ziegler's works also have been produced at Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Williamstown Theater Festival, Geffen Playhouse, The Old Globe Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre and many others. Her play Actually won the Los Angeles Ovation Award for Playwriting for an Original Play; The Last Match was nominated for the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Play; A Delicate Ship was a New York Times Critic's Pick; The Wanderers won the Blanche and Irving Laurie Theatre Visions Fund; and Boy was nominated for the New York Outer Critics Circle's John Gassner Award for a New American Play. She holds commissions from Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre and Geffen Playhouse. Oberon Books published a collection of her work, Anna Ziegler: Plays One.
The cast includes Giovanni Adams, George Ketsios, Anil Margsahayam, Riley Neldam, Josh Odsess-Rubin and Helen Sadler.
The creative team includes Cameron Anderson, set design; Elisa Benzoni, costume design; Jaymi Lee Smith, lighting design; Cricket Myers, sound design; and Joanne DeNaut, CSA, casting. The production manager is Holly Ahlborn and the stage manager is Alyssa Escalante.
The play has generous support from Honorary Producers Joan and Andy Fimiano, and Jean and Tim Weiss. The Corporate Honorary Associate Producer is BNY Mellon Wealth Management.
Tickets: May be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances run March 3-24. Low-priced preview performances run March 3-7. Ticket prices start at $23.
Tuesday-Thursday, March 5-7, at 7:45 p.m.
Tuesdays-Sundays, March 9-10; March 12-17; and March 19-23, at 7:45 p.m.
Saturdays-Sundays, March 9-10; March 16-17; and March 23-24 at 2 p.m.
ASL-interpreted: Saturday, March 16, at 2 p.m.
Post-Show Discussions: Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13. Discuss the play with Photograph 51 cast members during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory's literary team. Julianne Argyros Stage.
Inside the Season: Saturday, March 23, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Led by members of SCR's literary staff, this lively two-hour session features in-depth interviews with cast members and artists from SCR's production staff, offering insights into SCR's production of Photograph 51. The morning includes a guided tour of the set. Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased in advance or at the door.
Current and Upcoming Productions: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and based on the book by Hugh Wheeler, through Feb.16, 2019; Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience by Mo Willems, with music by Deborah Wicks La Puma, through Feb. 17 (Theatre for Young Audiences); Poor Yella Rednecks by Qui Nguyen, March 30-April 27; Sheepdog by Kevin Artigue, April 14-May 5; Pacific Playwrights Festival, April 26-28; M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, May 11-June 8; and The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, May 24-June 9 (Theatre for Young Audiences). Complete information is available at www.scr.org.