102683/Z/13/Z: Research and development of Labyrinth Theatre's new theatre production about the scientist and geneticist George Price (1922-1975) in partnership with Camden People's Theatre

Project Summary:This project will research and develop a new production exploring the remarkable life and work of geneticist George Price (1922-1975). It's a collaboration between acclaimed Labyrinth Theatre and Camden People's Theatre, staged within yards of where Price lived, worked and died. It will establish the artistic basis of a future production at CPT in 2014, before touring to theatres, universities and science contexts. We invite an audience to meet Price. Why? Because Price's life and work was u nique and thought-provoking, and of urgent relevance to modern evolutionary theory, having profound implications for the way we understand ourselves. Price, a socially awkward outsider, taught himself the basics of evolutionary biology and formulated an equation widely acknowledged as the mathematical explanation for the evolution of altruism - something science had been trying to do since Darwin. Three years later in January'75, Price was discovered in a Euston squat having slit his throat. Labyrinth will weigh up the question: was Price mentally ill, or consumed by a spiritual desire to disprove his own theory, that man is only kind to his own kin? Watching Price wrestle with his thoughts will allow an audience to examine their own understanding of kindness within today's austere times. This research and development allows Labyrinth and CPT space and time to develop this complex and compelling story. Through collaboratively pooling artistic, medical and scientific expert ise, we'll discover the most coherent and engaging ways to present Price's extraordinary story.

Grant Holder:Miss Laura Farnworth

Organisation:Miscellaneous London

Financial Year:2013/2014