Slack Water

by Nelle Tankus

FULL LENGTH. Semmie, an elder trans woman, is pregnant, and she wasn’t yesterday. Demanding a natural birth or nothing, her children Pearl and Marge are forced to care for her for fear of her life. As the hospital begins to flood and the lives they've built and rebuilt are lost to sea, this strange kind of family must permanently redefine their relationships.

FULL LENGTH. Semmie, an elder trans woman, is pregnant, and she wasn’t yesterday. Demanding a natural birth or nothing, her children Pearl and Marge are forced to care for her for fear of her life. As the hospital begins to flood and the lives they've built and rebuilt are lost to sea, this strange kind of family must permanently redefine their relationships.

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Slack Water

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher: Slack Water by Nelle Tankus
    “

    A family play unlike any I have ever read. I loved the magic of this play and how it is unique from so many other narratives featuring trans* characters. Can't wait to see this play fully staged some day.

    A family play unlike any I have ever read. I loved the magic of this play and how it is unique from so many other narratives featuring trans* characters. Can't wait to see this play fully staged some day.

    ”
  • Azure D Osborne-Lee: Slack Water by Nelle Tankus
    “

    A magical play written by a vital contemporary transfeminine voice. An important exploration of the composition of queer/trans family, the act of creation as a tie that binds, and what lurks in the depths of shared emotional life. Dive into this work!

    A magical play written by a vital contemporary transfeminine voice. An important exploration of the composition of queer/trans family, the act of creation as a tie that binds, and what lurks in the depths of shared emotional life. Dive into this work!

    ”

Development History

  • Reading, Umbrella Project, 2021
  • Workshop, University of New Mexico, 2019

Awards

  • Scratchpad Series
    The Playwright's Realm
    Semi-Finalist
    2019
  • The Jerome Fellowship
    Playwrights Center
    Semi-Finalist
    2021