All the Emilies in All the Universes

by Ian August

FULL LENGTH: Emilie struggles with the devastating loss of her stillborn child in four distinct parallel timelines. But when an unexpected bend in the space / time continuum brings these four grieving Emilies together, they realize that infinite possible realities means that somewhere, somewhen, their lost son was born alive. Emilie, Emilie, Emilie, and Emilie vow to travel through infinite dimensions, risking...

FULL LENGTH: Emilie struggles with the devastating loss of her stillborn child in four distinct parallel timelines. But when an unexpected bend in the space / time continuum brings these four grieving Emilies together, they realize that infinite possible realities means that somewhere, somewhen, their lost son was born alive. Emilie, Emilie, Emilie, and Emilie vow to travel through infinite dimensions, risking permanent erasure from the multiverse, to find the baby boy they thought they’d lost forever. All the Emilies in All the Universes is a play about coping with grief, the act of pursuing self-acceptance, and finding the truth hidden in yourself in the ever-expanding multiverse around you.

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All the Emilies in All the Universes

Recommended by

  • Katarzyna Kathy Müller: All the Emilies in All the Universes by Ian August
    “

    Holy sh*t. This was amazing. It broke my brain and opened my heart.

    Holy sh*t. This was amazing. It broke my brain and opened my heart.

    ”
  • Kate Mickere: All the Emilies in All the Universes by Ian August
    “

    All of the Emilies had me crying at a READING and I don't think that's ever happened before. This play uses the multiverse to beautifully explore all of the facets of a woman's grief. (It's WandaVision without all of that annoying Marvel backstory.) It's also funny and charming. God is an Ina Garten like TV food personality who whips up entire universes in her mixing bowl. What a delight!

    All of the Emilies had me crying at a READING and I don't think that's ever happened before. This play uses the multiverse to beautifully explore all of the facets of a woman's grief. (It's WandaVision without all of that annoying Marvel backstory.) It's also funny and charming. God is an Ina Garten like TV food personality who whips up entire universes in her mixing bowl. What a delight!

    ”
  • Patrick Vermillion: All the Emilies in All the Universes by Ian August
    “

    This is a brilliantly abstract piece that explores grief in a completely unique way I've never seen before. Ian is so gentle with his characters, whom he imbues with complex emotions and rich detail. Yes, there are many Emilies, but Ian discovers something brilliant in the small, minuscule details that differentiate each of them. I found myself attached and endeared to all of them - just as the play guided me to it's powerful and poignant conclusion. An idiosyncratic piece that feels wholly new - something that could only come from Ian's brilliant mind.

    This is a brilliantly abstract piece that explores grief in a completely unique way I've never seen before. Ian is so gentle with his characters, whom he imbues with complex emotions and rich detail. Yes, there are many Emilies, but Ian discovers something brilliant in the small, minuscule details that differentiate each of them. I found myself attached and endeared to all of them - just as the play guided me to it's powerful and poignant conclusion. An idiosyncratic piece that feels wholly new - something that could only come from Ian's brilliant mind.

    ”
View all 8 recommendations
EMILIE– 40’s, F, an accomplished fiction writer
JEFF – 40’s, M, Natalie’s husband
THE PRESENTER – ageless, Femme (cis, trans, or femme presenting enby), popular baking show host, mostly in voice over, possibly also God.


EMILIE is portrayed by four actresses in four different possible timelines: RED, YELLOW, BLUE, and BLACK. The actresses should be approximately in the same age range, but do not need to resemble one another. In fact, more diversity is better.

Development History

  • Reading, Great Plains Theatre Commons, 2024
  • Reading, PlayPenn New Play Conference, 2022