The Matriarchs

by Liba Vaynberg

The Matriarchs are anything but. Six squabbling teenage girls at a Talmud lesson negotiate snacks and sex as they grow up and out of orthodoxy and meet the world with their questions. Loosely based on the underwritten women of the Torah and interviews with women wondering about fertility.

Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Winner
Created with Civilians’ R&D
Princess Grace finalist
Blue Ink...

The Matriarchs are anything but. Six squabbling teenage girls at a Talmud lesson negotiate snacks and sex as they grow up and out of orthodoxy and meet the world with their questions. Loosely based on the underwritten women of the Torah and interviews with women wondering about fertility.

Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Winner
Created with Civilians’ R&D
Princess Grace finalist
Blue Ink finalist
Theater J Abramson Prize finalist
Premiere Stages semi finalist

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The Matriarchs

Recommended by

  • Collin Van Son: The Matriarchs

    Attending a reading of The Matriarchs at the 2023 National Playwrights Conference, I got the sense that a young Liba Vaynberg must have practiced stenography, or possibly worn some sort of recording device—I see no other way that Liba the playwright could have captured the rhythms of adolescence so faithfully. Not since the Peanuts has a group of young theologians been rendered with this level of humor and wisdom. You’ll never listen to John Denver the same way again.

    Attending a reading of The Matriarchs at the 2023 National Playwrights Conference, I got the sense that a young Liba Vaynberg must have practiced stenography, or possibly worn some sort of recording device—I see no other way that Liba the playwright could have captured the rhythms of adolescence so faithfully. Not since the Peanuts has a group of young theologians been rendered with this level of humor and wisdom. You’ll never listen to John Denver the same way again.

  • Danielle Frimer: The Matriarchs

    "The Matriarchs" is a stunning portrait of girls, womxn, mothers, and friends from a brilliant mind; a story made all the more universal because of its hyper specificity. Come for the girls arguing about Halachic law as it pertains to pimple popping, stay for the gorgeously observed nuances of growing up whilst female. I eagerly await seeing this play on stages soon.

    "The Matriarchs" is a stunning portrait of girls, womxn, mothers, and friends from a brilliant mind; a story made all the more universal because of its hyper specificity. Come for the girls arguing about Halachic law as it pertains to pimple popping, stay for the gorgeously observed nuances of growing up whilst female. I eagerly await seeing this play on stages soon.

  • jose sebastian alberdi: The Matriarchs

    Liba Vaynberg's The Matriachs is brilliant. This play unfolds like one of those too-short nights spent (lovingly) arguing with your friends about the mysteries and complexities of human life and existence. I got to see two readings of the play at O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and both times left the theatre a little smiley, a little in awe, and a little heartbroken thinking about what it means to be a human, a parent, a child, and a friend in a world that feels more uncertain by the hour. I'd love to see this play produced ASAP!

    Liba Vaynberg's The Matriachs is brilliant. This play unfolds like one of those too-short nights spent (lovingly) arguing with your friends about the mysteries and complexities of human life and existence. I got to see two readings of the play at O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and both times left the theatre a little smiley, a little in awe, and a little heartbroken thinking about what it means to be a human, a parent, a child, and a friend in a world that feels more uncertain by the hour. I'd love to see this play produced ASAP!

View all 7 recommendations

Character Information

  • Sara
    traditional, passionate, seemingly barren
    Character Age
    20s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Ashkenazi Jewish
  • Rivkah (later Rebecca)
    a meticulous revolutionary, queer
    Character Age
    20s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Ashkenazi Jewish
  • Leah
    gloomy but funny, Rachel’s fraternal twin.
    Character Age
    20s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any / Jewish
  • Rachel
    bright but has a death wish, Leah’s fraternal twin.
    Character Age
    20s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any / Jewish
  • Tzipporah
    an anxious faithful romantic
    Character Age
    20s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Black or Biracial w/Black and Jewish
  • Miriam
    quiet prophet, always in conversation with either God or her mother
    Character Age
    20s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any / Jewish
  • The Voice
    Heard, but never seen. Maybe a slight New England accent. Brisk, wise.
    Character Age
    40s-60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race
    Character Gender Identity
    Almost any gender except cis male

Development History

  • Type Residency, Organization Civilians R&D Group, Year 2022
  • Type Reading, Organization Civilians & TheaterLab, dir. Dina Vovsi, Year 2022

Awards

  • Blue Ink Award
    American Blues Theater
    Finalist
    2023
  • Abramson Prize
    Theater J
    Finalist
    2022