Who really discovered the secret of life? Rosalind Franklin was a brilliant and passionate young scientist whose groundbreaking study led to the historic discovery of DNA. But did her male colleagues steal her data and claim credit for themselves? "Photograph 51" is a moving and compelling drama about scientific intrigue and competition - and a woman's life in a man's world.

Based on a true story, "Photograph 51" recounts how X-ray diffraction images created by English biophysicist Rosalind Franklin provided the critical breakthrough that James Watson and Francis Crick needed to develop their Nobel-prize-winning model of the DNA molecule in 1953. How much credit Franklin deserves for this discovery, and how the work of women scientists was treated, has roiled scientific circles ever since. Playwright Anna Ziegler introduces us to a combustible mix of characters: Franklin, Watson, Crick, and their colleagues Maurice Wilkins, Raymond Gosling and Don Caspar, to recreate the events leading up to one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. In the process, she raises provocative questions about sexism, scientific collaboration and ethical behavior - and wraps it all in a tale of romance and intrigue.

A Guest Production at Santa Monica Playhouse.
A park bench… a dinner party gone horribly wrong… the dreams that keep us up at night… and a song to save the world.
Expect the unexpected in a sexy, outrageous, moving, provocative and unabashedly fun evening of four distinctly original new plays.
A provocative, hilarious and unique exploration of love, loss and finding your voice in a powerful mix of theatre, live music and spoken word.

Playwright Steve Connell (who also performs and co-directs) is an acclaimed actor, playwright, spoken word artist and National Poetry Slam Grand Champion (‘02 Hollywood, ‘03 LA Poetry Slam Champion, ‘03 National Champion, team LA). His hit one-man theatrical show, 40 Days - a “world premier tour de force” hailed as “breakneck, mind-boggling theatre”- received rave reviews from the LA Weekly (Pick of the Week) and Backstage West (Critic’s Pick) and Entertainment Today’s pick for Best Solo Performance of 2005.
His production The Word Begins developed at the prestigious Ojai Playwrights Conference and directed by Robert Egan earned nominations for three Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Acting and Best Original Play for its run at the Signature Theater in Washington, D.C. in 2007. Critics hailed it as “explosively funny,” and “…a stunning show on the cutting edge of modern theater.” Most recently Connell has performed at Declare Yourself (Norman Lear’s pre-Inaugural Ball in Washington D.C.), The Marion Anderson Awards, and alongside Barak Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Stevie Wonder at Oprah’s fundraiser for Obama’s Presidential Campaign in Santa Barbara in 2008.
.(http:// www.SteveConnell.com)

Directed by Steve Connell and Emily Weisberg (Robots vs. Fake Robots)
Produced by Patricia Garza and Push to Talk Theatre (http://www.PushToTalkTheatre.com)

The west coast premiere of Barbara Wiechmann's compelling human drama dealing with faith, hope and doubt. Have the residents of the small town of Hadley, New York actually witnessed a miracle? Or are they merely avoiding the loss, pain and fear in their own lives on this one wintery evening? Witness a miracle.

EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14

The West Coast premiere of the New York Drama Desk-nominated play based on the true story of Jewish activist Hillel Kook (aka Peter Bergson). What the U.S. government and American Jews did - and didn't - do to help Jews fleeing the Nazis is the subject of this blistering account by former New York Times political reporter Bernard Weinraub. In 1940, Hillel Kook arrived in the U.S. fresh from the underground resistance in Palestine. Changing his name to Peter Bergson, he sought aid for the rescue of European Jews from the Nazis. Shocked to find himself blocked by both the Roosevelt administration and the Jewish establishment, Bergson spearheaded an extraordinary campaign of public rallies, hard-hitting newspaper advertisements and lobbying in Congress in his one-man fight to save millions and end the conspiracy of silence and inaction that continues to haunt us to this day.

What the U.S. government and American Jews did - and didn't - do to help Jews fleeing the Nazis is the subject of "The Accomplices", the Drama Desk Award-nominated new play by former New York Times political reporter Bernard Weinraub at The Fountain Theatre in Hollywood.

The Accomplices is based on the true story of Hillel Kook, who in 1940 arrived in the U.S. fresh from the underground resistance in Palestine. Changing his name to Peter Bergson, he sought aid for the rescue of European Jews from the Nazis. Shocked to find himself blocked by both the Roosevelt administration and the Jewish establishment, Bergson spearheaded an extraordinary campaign of public rallies, hard-hitting newspaper advertisements and lobbying in Congress that forced America to confront the Holocaust. Figuring prominently in the play are such historical figures as FDR; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long; Broadway playwright and Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht; and American Jewish leader Rabbi Stephen Wise, who found himself torn between nationalism and cultural/religious identity. The result is a blistering account of Bergson's fight to save millions - and of the conspiracy of silence and inaction that continues to haunt us to this day.

"In today's culture, many people don't believe the individual has a voice," comments the director, Deborah LaVine. "Bergson's story shows that the individual can make a difference. The backdrop is the fight to save the Jews during World War II, but it's a story about one man pitting himself against the machinations of the power elite."

"The Accomplices" was the recipient of a Stellar Network Award, which led to last year's premiere in New York by The New Group and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best New Play.

A long-time reporter for The New York Times, Bernard Weinraub was a correspondent in Vietnam, London, New Delhi and Washington D.C. where he covered politics as well as the White House for several years under Presidents Reagan and Bush

"[Weinraub] shows the makings of a forceful political scribe," wrote Daily Variety, noting the "unwavering intelligence" of The Accomplices. "This is a story that needs to be told, and Weinraub does so with moving clarity," agreed Time Out New York. Said the Jerusalem Post, "[Weinraub's] riveting play has the ability to tell this story to an audience that may never crack open a history book. In resurrecting this confrontation for the stage, he has tapped into a message that is as timely as it is dramatic."

"The Accomplices" runs July 12 through August 24 at The Fountain Theatre in Hollywood, with performances Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Low-priced previews begin July 3. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.

The storied titans of Edwardian comedy will find new company on June 26th when the Ark Theatre presents Donaco Smyth’s “Capsized Flotsam.” In the spirit of past Edwardian legends, from Oscar Wilde to George Bernard Shaw to P.G. Wodehouse, Los Angeles playwright Smyth has concocted an outrageous mix of wit, manners and fantasy.
In 1904 London, a troubled novelist must juggle his mounting debt, plagiarism and the occasional hassle of an ill-timed out-of-body experience while struggling to keep his sexuality a secret and to prevent his irritated lover from marching out the door. This tsunami of threats and pressure mounts from all sides as the desperate writer strains valiantly, and hilariously, to hold it all together. Smyth brilliantly meshes the wit of Wilde and Wodehouse with the fantasy worlds of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and fuels it all with pure silliness. “Capsized Flotsam,” which previously met with popular and critical success in Florida and New York (The Village Voice called it “a raucous romp”), is the second of Smyth’s plays to romp across L.A. stages. His comedy, “Annoyed by Life” appeared at the Hudson Guild Theatre in 2004 and was directed by Ark Theatre member Douglas Leal, who is back to direct “Capsized Flotsam.”

Theatre of NOTE's "Season of Longing" continues with the West Coast Premiere of Boo Killebrew's hip and stylish play: "They're Just Like Us".
The famous actress wants to be unknown...
The wannabe rapper wants to be famous...
The slow kid wants the wannabe rapper to come to his 14th birthday party...
And the four unkowns willdo anything to be famous... Anything.
In the darkly satirical world of "They're Just Like US" (like the magazine), the wants are superficial and the needs are delusional.
What would you do to be famous?