The Scene Podcast

An Interview With Anna Ziegler (Photograph 51)

Episode Summary

This week on The Scene Podcast, we sit down with acclaimed playwright Anna Ziegler, whose work explores identity, memory, and the intimate collisions between the personal and political. From Photograph 51 to Actually and The Wanderers, Anna shares how her background in poetry shaped her voice, how she approaches ambiguity on stage, and why she’s drawn to characters who exist in tension with themselves. It’s a thoughtful, layered conversation that celebrates quiet power in theatrical storytelling.

Episode Notes

This week on The Scene Podcast, we sit down with acclaimed playwright Anna Ziegler, whose work explores identity, memory, and the intimate collisions between the personal and political. From Photograph 51 to Actually and The Wanderers, Anna shares how her background in poetry shaped her voice, how she approaches ambiguity on stage, and why she’s drawn to characters who exist in tension with themselves. It’s a thoughtful, layered conversation that celebrates quiet power in theatrical storytelling.

Episode Notes

Guest:Anna Ziegler – @icanbakecakes

Topics Covered:

• The evolution of Anna’s writing from poetry to playwriting
• Crafting morally complex characters
• The resonance of silence, subtext, and restraint
• The journey of Photograph 51 and portraying Rosalind Franklin
• Balancing emotional intimacy with large thematic questions
• How The Wanderers wrestles with faith, authorship, and connection

Anna Ziegler Plays :

• Photograph 51
• Actually
• The Wanderers
• A Delicate Ship
• Boy