Anna Ziegler Recieves 2008 STAGE Prize From Alan Heeger 4/11

Nobel Laureate Alan Heeger (2000, Chemistry) will present playwright Anna Ziegler with the 2008 STAGE International Script Competition prize on April 11 at The Fountain Theatre. The prize, accompanied by a $10,000 check, will be bestowed during a short ceremony at 8 pm, immediately prior to a performance of her winning play, Photograph 51.

Photograph 51 is based on the true story of British biophysicist Rosalind Franklin, whose groundbreaking study led to the historic discovery of the structure of DNA. But did her male colleagues steal her data and claim credit for themselves? A moving and compelling drama about scientific intrigue and competition, Ziegler's play raises provocative questions about sexism, scientific collaboration and ethical behavior.

The third annual STAGE (Scientists, Technologists and Artists Generating Exploration) award for Best New Play about Science and Technology was chosen from nearly 150 entries by a panel of judges that included Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner David Auburn; Tony, Olivier, and Obie Award-winner John Guare; Nobel Laureate in physics and KBE Sir Anthony Leggett; Pulitzer Prize-winner playwright David Lindsay-Abaire; and Nobel Laureate in physics Dr. Douglas Osheroff.

Anna Ziegler is a published and produced playwright whose work has been developed by the Sundance Theatre Lab, the Old Vic New Voices program, Primary Stages, Geva Theatre Center, McCarter Theatre, New Georges (where she is an Affiliate Artist), the Hampstead Theatre in London, Birmingham Rep, and Company B at the Belvoir St. Theatre in Sydney, Australia, among others.

STAGE is a unique collaboration between the Professional Artists Lab (the Lab), a dynamic artistic laboratory, and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), an esteemed science institute, both housed at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For more information about STAGE, go to http://www.stage.cnsi.ucsb.edu .

The Fountain Theatre is a multiple award-wining theater in Los Angeles whose projects have been seen in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Florida, New Jersey, Minneapolis and Edinburgh.

Photograph 51 is currently receiving its West Coast premiere at The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.