Mezinárodní soutěž o hru o vědě a technologii

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
FOR PLAYS ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
WITH $10,000 PRIZE

The Professional Artists Lab and the California NanoSystems Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara announce a collaborative effort, the first International STAGE Script Competition, open to plays about science and technology.

The winning script in the Scientists, Technologists and Artists Generating Exploration (STAGE) competition will receive $10,000 USD; a staged reading with a cast of professional actors and simultaneous participation in an awards event with distinguished professionals from the worlds of theatre, film, science and technology; and the opportunity to go through the Professional Artists Lab's development process, which includes access to advice and guidance from professional theatre and film artists as well as experts in the fields of science, engineering and technology.

Scripts will be judged by an esteemed panel of jurors from both the arts and sciences. Thus far, the judges include two Nobel Laureates: Dr. David Gross (Physics, 2004) and Dr. Alan Heeger (Chemistry, 2000). Additional judges to be announced shortly.

Submitted plays must explore scientific and/or technological stories, themes, issues or events. (The competition is not open to plays written in the genre of science fiction.) Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 15, 2005. The winning play will be announced on June 15, 2006. For details about the competition and submission guidelines, visit http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/stage/.

STAGE endeavors to:

- catalyze the development of art that depicts the technological age in which we live
- foster new and imaginative voices and methods of storytelling
- cultivate appreciation and collaboration between the two cultures of science and art
- promote understanding of the sciences in the public arena
- accomplish all of the above within an international community
The Professional Artists Lab (www.proartslab.ucsb.edu) is a dynamic artistic laboratory in the Department of Film Studies and the Media Arts and Technology Program at UCSB, in which professional actors, directors, writers and producers create and develop new works in film, theatre, television, radio and multi-media performance.

The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) (www.cnsi.ucsb.edu), one of the prestigious California Institutes for Science and Innovation, focuses on dramatic breakthroughs in materials, devices and resulting technologies, made possible by controlling form and function at the nanoscale. These breakthroughs are being accomplished through the integration of many science and engineering disciplines, and will have broad applications for innovation in communication, biomedical, energy and environmental technologies.

The Professional Artists Lab and CNSI plan to launch many other collaborations, including STAGE 2, a similar competition for screenplays about science and technology.