Jacqueline E. Lawton
  • Home
  • Info
    • Artistic Statement
    • Bio
    • Awards and Fellowships
    • Affiliations
  • Writing
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
    • Plays
    • Productions
    • Commissions
    • Award Ceremonies
    • Publications
  • Advocacy
    • Appearances
    • Facilitation, Workshops, and Trainings
    • Access, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the American Theatre
    • Gender Equity
    • Theatre and Technology
    • Theatre Action >
      • After Orlando
      • Climate Change
      • Every 28 Hour Plays
    • Testimonials
    • Additional Resources
  • Dramaturgy
    • New Play Development
    • Production Dramaturgy
    • Dramaturgy and Script Consultation
    • Additional Resources
  • Teaching
    • Qualifications
    • Curriculum Development, Theatre Arts Integration and Teaching Artist Training
    • Philosophy
    • Experience
  • Producing
    • ARDEO
    • On Stage with the Migration Series
    • Out of Silence: Abortion Stories from the 1 in 3 Campaign
  • Media
    • Gallery
    • Good Ink
    • Media Coverage
    • Interviews
    • Press Releases
    • Podcast & Video
  • Blog
  • Contact

The Drama of DNA: Genomics on Stage Workshop and Performance

4/6/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
On Thursday April 10th, I'll be participating in The Drama of DNA workshop co-hosted by the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health and the Smithsonian Associates.

"The purpose of this workshop is to generate dialogue about the intersection of science and the theatrical arts among participants with interest and expertise in science, medicine, bioethics, policy, education and the theatrical arts. The workshop will also seek to stimulate a community of playwrights and theatre professionals interested in engaging with scientists to encourage public discourse on issues related to biomedical research and genomics." said Karen Rothenberg, J.D., M.P.A. Senior Advisor on Genomics and Society to the Director, National Human Genome Research Institute

I’ll be joined by D.C. area playwrights Renee Calarco, Joshua Ford, D.W. Gregory, Ron Kampeas, David Robinson, Ari Roth, John Strand, Gwydion Suilebhan, Richard Washer, Irene Wurtzel, and Laura Zam.

Here's the agenda:
Panel 1: Uncovering the Drama in Science
Moderated by Karen Rothenberg with panelists: Dorothy Fortenberry, Lisa Loomer, Cassandra Medley, Ari Roth, Anna Ziegler. This panel will explore the interest of playwrights and theatre professionals in genomics, the process of writing in this area, and the challenges involved in creating and producing theatre related to genomics.

Panel 2: Real‐life Drama and the Future of Genomics 
Moderated by Lawrence Brody with panelists: James Evans, William Gahl, Sara Hull, Philip Shaw. This panel will focus on the drama involved in the clinical and research use of genomics, including discussion of case studies and emerging trends in genomics.

Discussion: Fostering a Dialogue between the Arts and Sciences
Moderated by Vence Bonham, this open discussion will address ways to encourage the greater interaction between the arts and sciences and the use of theatrical arts as a means of promoting public discourse related to scientific.

The Drama of DNA: Genomics in Performance

Picture
Later that evening from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, there will be a special program entitled, “The Drama of DNA: Genomics on Stage,” at the Smithsonian’s Dillon Ripley Center. Featuring excerpts from four contemporary playwrights dealing with genomic themes, this performance is open to the public and part of the ongoing educational outreach for the “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. Click here to purchase your tickets. 

Uncovering the human genome more than a decade ago led to a range of questions about the complexities, realities, and implications of what this information holds. Several contemporary playwrights have used theatre to examine the ethical, legal, and social issues that genomics introduced into our lives, as well as to stimulate conversations about biomedical research.

Join playwrights Dorothy Fortenberry (Good Egg), Lisa Loomer (Distracted), Cassandra Medley (Relativity), and Anna Ziegler (Photograph 51) as they discuss why and how they transformed complex topics rooted in genetics—including issues of identity, the power of genetic information, and the impact of health decisions on family dynamics—into compelling theater. Staged readings of scenes from their plays are presented by Ari Roth, artistic director of Washington's Theater J, and directed by Shirley Serotsky, associate artistic director of the company, where Photograph 51 was produced in 2011.

The program is moderated by Karen Rothenberg, senior advisor to the National Human Genome Research Institute Director on Genomics and Society, the Marjorie Cook Professor of Law at the University of Maryland, and co-author of the forthcoming book, The Drama of DNA. She and the playwrights are joined by James Evans, Bryson Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of Genetics in Medicine, for a conversation on how the artistic and scientific communities can create dialog around genomics and biomedical research.

Synopsis of the Plays

Picture
Dorothy Fortenberry, The Good Egg

For as long as she can remember, Meg has been taking care of her younger brother Matt – through their childhoods, after their parents died, and especially after his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Now in their twenties, Meg and Matt live together in Washington, DC, where she’s a Congressional researcher, and he’s a freelance web designer. She’s organized, he’s chaotic. She’s tidy, he’s creative. And she’s getting pregnant – with the help of a sperm donor and IVF. The play takes place on the night before her in vitro embryos undergo genetic testing, a procedure known as Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis or PGD. Matt's discovery that Meg plans to screen her embryos for bipolar disorder sets off a cavalcade of decisions and revelations, and neither sibling will ever be the same. Over the course of the play, the action switches from their apartment to Meg’s womb to Matt’s brain and back, as they struggle with their individual desires and shared need for family. As the night wears on and Matt’s medication wears off, both of them are pushed irrevocably to the limits of unconditional love.

Picture
Lisa Loomer, Distracted

What’s going on with nine year old Jesse? He can’t sit still, he curses, he raps, you can’t get him into—or out of—pajamas. His teachers think it’s ADD. Dad says, “He’s just a boy!” And Mama’s on a quest for answers. Is it “dysfuncton” or “difference?” And what’s ADD in an ADD world? She consults a 
psychologist, a homeopath, an environmental physical, a shrink. She talks to neighbors—whose kids have their own diagnoses. A psychiatrist prescribes Ritalin. Throughout, Jesse is an offstage voice, becoming more and more desperate. And will his parents’ marriage survive the quest for a diagnosis? Everyone is distracted‐‐including an actor who can’t stay in character. DISTRACTED is a look at a modern family and an epidemic dilemma: Are we so tuned into our 27/7 info‐rich world that we’ve tuned out what really matters?

Picture
Cassandra Medley, Relativity

Kalima, a young, ambitious, up and coming Bio‐geneticist has a beloved mother, Claire, who is celebrated within several small African‐American intellectual circles as a “Melanin Scientist.” Claire is a leading proponent of the belief that “people of color of physically, mentally, emotionally superior to others because of the supposed larger concentration of melanin in their skin. Circumstances force the Kalima to have to decide whether to publicly denouncer her own beloved mother’s lifetime career, and save her own professional reputation, or to hold fast to her mother’s approval, and emotionally sustaining love. A play about melanin, DNA, and family.

Picture
Anna Ziegler, Photograph 51

James Watson and Francis Crick received the Nobel Prize for their work modeling the DNA molecule. But did they steal data from a female colleague and claim credit for themselves? Based on a true story, the provocative Photograph 51 explores sexism, ethics, and scientific collaboration through the recounting of how passionate biophysicist Rosalind Franklin provided the key breakthrough leading to the DNA discovery.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    My Blog

    Picture
    I'm a playwright, dramaturg, and teaching artist. It is here where you'll find my queries and musings on life, theater and the world. My posts advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity in the American Theatre and updates on my own work. Please enjoy!
    Tweets by @dulcia25

    Categories

    All
    Advocates For Youth
    ARDEO
    Blackbirds
    Dance Exchange
    Dc Theatre
    Diversity And Inclusion
    Dramatist Guild
    Gender Parity
    Intelligence
    Lions Of Industry
    LoTT
    Love Brothers Serenade
    Mothers Of Invention
    Musings
    Nnpn
    Noms De Guerre
    Nso
    Our Man Beverly Snow
    Plays For Two
    TCG
    Theatre Education
    Theatre For Social Change
    The Hampton Years
    The Inferior Sex
    Triangle Theatre
    Wizard Of Oz
    Women Artistic Directors
    Women Directors
    Women Dramaturgs
    Women Playwrights
    Women Stage Managers
    Women Theatre Critics
    Xx Playlab Festival

    Archives

    June 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012

    Reading List
    2am Theatre
    American Theatre Wing

    Americans for the Arts
    The Atlantic
    Black Girl Dangerous
    Colorlines
    Feminist Crunk Collective
    Feminist Spectator

    The Good Men Project
    Guardian: Theatre
    Guernica
    HowlRound
    Media Diversified
    The Nation
    NEA Art Works
    NPR Arts and Life
    NYTimes: Arts

    Opine Season
    The New Yorker
    The Paris Review

    Salon
    Theater Talks
    Think Progress
    WaPo: Theatre
    Works by Women

    Vox

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Info
    • Artistic Statement
    • Bio
    • Awards and Fellowships
    • Affiliations
  • Writing
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
    • Plays
    • Productions
    • Commissions
    • Award Ceremonies
    • Publications
  • Advocacy
    • Appearances
    • Facilitation, Workshops, and Trainings
    • Access, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the American Theatre
    • Gender Equity
    • Theatre and Technology
    • Theatre Action >
      • After Orlando
      • Climate Change
      • Every 28 Hour Plays
    • Testimonials
    • Additional Resources
  • Dramaturgy
    • New Play Development
    • Production Dramaturgy
    • Dramaturgy and Script Consultation
    • Additional Resources
  • Teaching
    • Qualifications
    • Curriculum Development, Theatre Arts Integration and Teaching Artist Training
    • Philosophy
    • Experience
  • Producing
    • ARDEO
    • On Stage with the Migration Series
    • Out of Silence: Abortion Stories from the 1 in 3 Campaign
  • Media
    • Gallery
    • Good Ink
    • Media Coverage
    • Interviews
    • Press Releases
    • Podcast & Video
  • Blog
  • Contact