By the same Authors.
Foreword.
Production History.
Cast of Characters.
Scene 1.
Intermezzo 1.
Scene 2.
Intermezzo 2.
Scene 3.
Scene 4.
Intermezzo 3.
Scene 5.
Scene 6.
Scene 7.
Scene 8.
Scene 9.
Intermezzo 4.
Scene 10.
Intermezzo 5.
Scene 11.
Scene 12.
Acknowledgments.
Carl Djerassi:
Carl Djerassi, born in Vienna but educated in the US, is a writer
and professor of chemistry at Stanford University. Author of over
1200 scientific publications and seven monographs, he is one of the
few American scientists to have been awarded both the National
Medal of Science (in 1973, for the first synthesis of a steroid
oral contraceptive--"the Pill") and the National Medal of
Technology (in 1991, for promoting new approaches to insect
control). A member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as many foreign
academies, Djerassi has received 18 honorary doctorates together
with numerous other honors, such as the first Wolf Prize in
Chemistry, the first Award for the Industrial Application of
Science from the National Academy of Sciences, and the American
Chemical Society's highest award, the Priestley Medal.
For the past decade, he has turned to fiction writing, mostly in
the genre of "science-in-fiction," whereby he illustrates, in the
guise of realistic fiction, the human side of scientists and the
personal conflicts faced by scientists in their quest for
scientific knowledge, personal recognition, and financial rewards.
In addition to novels (Cantor's Dilemma; The Bourbaki Gambit; Marx,
deceased; Menachem's Seed; NO), short stories (The Futurist and
Other Stories), and autobiography (The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and
Degas' Horse), he has recently embarked on a trilogy of plays which
he describes in his web site as "science-in-theatre"-with an
emphasis on contemporary cutting-edge research in the biomedical
sciences. "AN IMMACULATE MISCONCEPTION," first performed in
abbreviated form at the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and
subsequently (1999) as a full, 2-act play in London (New End
Theatre),
San Francisco (Eureka Theatre) and Vienna (under the title
UNBEFLECKT at the Jugendstiltheater), focuses on the ethical issues
inherent in recent spectacular advances in the treatment of male
infertility through single sperm injection (the ICSI technique). A
radio adaptation was broadcast over the BBC World Service as "Play
of the Week." He is also the founder of the Djerassi Resident
Artists Program near Woodside, California, which provides
residencies and studio space for artists in the visual arts,
literature, choreography and performing arts, and music. Over 1000
artists have passed through that program since its inception in
1982.
(There is a Web site about Carl Djerassi's writing at
http://www.djerassi.com)
Roald Hoffmann:
Roald Hoffmann, born in Zloczow, Poland but educated in the US, is
the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters at Cornell
University. One of America's most distinguished chemists, he was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. A member of the US National
Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
as well as many foreign academies, Hoffmann has received 26
honorary doctorates together with numerous other honors such as the
National Medal of Science. Hoffmann is the only person ever to
receive the American Chemical Society's top awards in three sub-
disciplines: organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and chemical
education.
For the past dozen years, Hoffmann has simultaneously pursued a
literary career. He is the author of three books of poetry, "The
Metamict State" (1987), "Gaps and Verges" (1990), and "Memory
Effects" (1999). His three non-fiction books deal with the overall
theme of the creative and humanistic sparks of chemistry: An
art/science/literature collaboration with artist Vivian Torrence,
"Chemistry Imagined" (1993); "The Same and Not the Same" (1995);
and "Old Wine, New Flasks: Reflections on Science and Jewish
Tradition," in collaboration with Shira Leibowitz Schmidt. Hoffmann
is also is the presenter of a television course, "The World of
Chemistry", which has aired on many PBS Stations and abroad.
Part of a feature story on Carl Djerassi: "It is 50 years since Carl Djerassi invented the contraceptive pill... and changed human behaviour for good. He has not stood still since... His latest work... a play called... "Oxygen"... examines the nature of achievement and accolades." (The Economist Technology Quarterly, June 23, 2001) Part of the information regarding the ACS meeting on the editor's page: "If you are one of those lucky chemists going to San Diego, be sure to... see on of the performances of the world premiere of "Oxygen"... If you're not coming,... you might want to read the play, which is being published by Wiley-VCH." (Chemical and Engineering News, March 5, 2001) "...the mere existence of the play is to be applauded, and the authors congratulated." (Education in Chemistry, November 2001) "The play works very well." (The Lancet, 17 November 2001) "Oxygen is an important stage in the move towards a more inclusive form of education and plays testimony to the power of theatre to open up the possibility of an interdisciplinary way of viewing the world." (Irish Times, 23 November 2001) As the play's cover notes declare, 'the ethical issues around priority and discovery at the heart of this play are as timely today as they were in 1777'...Harold Varmus, Nobel Prize in Medicine, comments ‘With wit, scholarship, and stage craftsmanship, Oxygen shows us how much scientists have learned about the world and how little they have changed.'" (Advanced Materials & Processes, July 2001) "The book of the play is stylishly produced.... If you have not seen the play, I thoroughly commend the book to you." (Interdisciplinary Science Review, Vol.27, No.1, 2002) "...We give Oxygen, an enjoyable, engrossing, and above all provocative and thought-provoking play and enthusiastic two thumbs up."(The Chemical Educator, Vol.8, No.2, 2003)
Ask a Question About this Product More... |