Photograph 51
About the Author
Anna Ziegler (born 1979) attended Yale University and graduated with Honours in poetry and dramatic writing. Growing up in New York, the home of stage performance, Ziegler experimented with writing various play scripts. Despite having written many plays, it wasn’t until 2008 when ‘Photograph 51’ first premiered that Ziegler received recognition for her talent in bringing hidden gems throughout history to the stage and celebrating everyday heroes. Despite being written seven years earlier, the play’s debut occurred in 2015 at London’s West End (a famous neighbourhood for theatre and stage performances) with Hollywood A-Lister Nicole Kidman in the title role. Kidman’s debut performance as the underrated scientist Rosalind Franklin nearly overshadowed the brilliance of Ziegler’s play, which was labelled ‘rich [and] complex’ by the Chicago Tribune reviews and was recognised by STAGE (Scientists, Technologists ad Artists Generating Exploration) International script competition for best new play. As well as owning many of the awards earned by Kidman in the title role, it received Best New Play by ‘WhatsOnStage’ Awards in 2016 and is applauded for it’s ‘crisp dramatic tension’ and ‘incidental poetry’.
Other notable plays by Ziegler include ‘The Last Match’ (2015), ‘Dov and Ali’ (2008) and ‘Boy’ (2016).