“By staging our production of PHOTOGRAPH 51 ‘in the round’ we have a unique opportunity to bring to life – in such a dynamic way – this exciting story of scientific discovery and the intricate and complex personal relationships that shaped the historic work,” said Elizabeth V. Newman, director of “Photograph 51.” “The audience, seated so close to the playing space, on all sides of the stage, will be able to see, close-up, copies of the research notes taken by Rosalind Franklin in her actual handwriting, as well as copies of the actual scientific paper and publications and the x-ray photographs that feature as props for the show.” 

Filigree has an ongoing relationship with playwright Anna Ziegler as the company performed Ziegler’s play “A Delicate Ship” during their inaugural season in Austin. Ziegler and Filigree’s Artistic Director, Elizabeth V. Newman, are friends from Yale. “Photograph 51” follows the story of Rosalind Franklin, the x-ray crystallographer responsible for the discovery of the DNA’s double-helix structure. This play captures the season theme, “The Woman in the Story,” perfectly, as this historical fiction introduces the audience to the complications (both professionally and personally) faced by a female scientist in the 1950s as she competes with her male colleagues in the race towards a monumental scientific breakthrough. 

ABOUT “PHOTOGRAPH 51” DIRECTOR & CAST:

Anna Ziegler (Playwright) Anna Ziegler’s plays include the widely produced Photograph 51 (West End, directed by Michael Grandage and starring Nicole Kidman; named the number one play of 2019 by the Chicago Tribune; winner of London’s WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play; available on Audible; published in Methuen Drama’s Modern Classics series), The Last Match (Roundabout; Old Globe; Writers Theatre), The Wanderers (Old Globe; Roundabout; City Theatre; GesherTheater (Israel); Ernst Deutsch Theater (Germany)), Actually (Geffen Playhouse; Williamstown; Manhattan Theatre Club; Trafalgar Studios in London and many more; L.A. Ovation Award winner for Playwriting for an Original Play). She holds commissions from Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage Theatre and Grove/Whitman Productions. Bloomsbury/Methuen Drama has published two collections of her work entitled “Anna Ziegler: Plays One” and “Anna Ziegler: Plays Two.”

Elizabeth V. Newman (Director, Filigree Producing Artistic Director) is a native New Yorker who has directed and produced critically-acclaimed theatre and film projects in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Austin. Newman graduated from Yale University with dual B.A. degrees in History of Art and Theater Studies. She earned her M.F.A. degree in Film Production at Boston University. Her stage directing credits include: “LIFTED” by Charlie Thurston (World Premiere, Austin); “TIDE” by Molly Wagner (World Premiere, Austin);  “Fire in Dreamland” by Rinne Groff (Austin); “100 Planes” by Lila Rose Kaplan (World Premiere, Austin, West Coast Premiere, Los Angeles); “The Lady From The Sea” by Henrik Ibsen; “The Turn Of The Screw” by Jeffrey Hatcher (Austin); “Fefu And Her Friends” by Maria Irene Fornes (Austin); “Miss Julie” by August Strindberg (Austin); “A Delicate Ship” by Anna Ziegler (Austin Premiere), “Trio” by Sheila Cowley (World Premiere, Austin); “Any Night” by Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn (Los Angeles Premiere and Austin Premiere – nominated for four B. Iden Payne Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Drama); “Body of Work” by Christine Hoang, (World Premiere, Austin); “Mocha” by Eleanor Burgess (World Premiere, Austin); “The Sniper’s Nest” by Lisa Soland (Austin Premiere); “Goodnight Children Everywhere” by Richard Nelson (London, ON, Canada); “Fragments” by Murray Schisgal (Los Angeles). Her theatrical producing credits include: The Austin Premiere of “When We Were Young And Unafraid” by Sarah Treem; the World Premiere of “Mocha” by Eleanor Burgess (Austin); the World Premiere of “Nights of Noir!” by Casey Wilson (Los Angeles); the West Coast Premiere of “Orange Lemon Egg Canary” by Rinne Groff (Los Angeles); the American Premiere of “Clocks and Whistles” by Samuel Adamson (New York) and “Dutchman” by Leroy Jones (New York). Newman’s film directing credits include the feature film “Child of Light” as well as numerous short films, including her most recent project, the comedy short, “Pizza My Heart”. She has written several award-winning short and feature-length screenplays. She is a member of DIRECTOR’S LAB: NORTH and served as the Founding Co-President of Women in Film and Television: Austin. She has twice served as a panelist at The Austin Film Festival. To learn more, visit elizabethVnewman.com.