The play, which officially opens April 4 and runs through April 22, is part of the theatre's 9th annual First Light Festival, which presents productions and readings of new work commissioned by the EST/Sloan Project for plays about science and technology.

Press notes describe the play as such: "In order to save their study, a group of scientists invite a team of filmmakers to document their work, but will the results do more harm than good?"

Carlos Armesto, the co-director of the EST/Sloan Project, directs a cast that includes Joseph Adams (A View From the Bridge on Broadway) Linda Powell (On Golden Pond on Broadway), James Rana, PJ Sosko, Geeta Citygirl, Nitya Vidyasagar and Richard B. Watson.

The production includes puppet design by Emily Decola, scenic design by Ryan Kravetz, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Evan Purcell, sound design by Graham Johnson and original music by Katie Down.

Zellnik has written the plays Ariel Sharon Stands at the Temple Mount and Dreams of Theodor Herzl, Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom, Killing Hand and A Litany of Sorrows, and his musicals include First in Flight (TheaterworksUSA), Yank! (2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival) and City of Dreams. The Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project is "designed to stimulate artists to create new theatrical works exploring the worlds of science and technology and to challenge the existing stereotypes of scientists and engineers in popular culture," according to press notes. The project presents its commissions at various stages — from first readings to fully mounted productions — in the First Light Festival.

Ensemble Studio Theatre is located at 549 West 52nd Street. For tickets and more information call (212) 352-3101 or visit www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org.