An Unbuilt Life

When Agatha Ganner discovers a mystery in her husband’s art collection, she engages Scott, a young graduate student, to research it for her. But when the research uncovers crimes of the past, Agatha must make a decision: right the wrong, and possibly ruin the lives of herself, Scott, and other innocent people; or leave the past alone. Is doing the right thing always the right thing to do? Run time: 2 hours...

When Agatha Ganner discovers a mystery in her husband’s art collection, she engages Scott, a young graduate student, to research it for her. But when the research uncovers crimes of the past, Agatha must make a decision: right the wrong, and possibly ruin the lives of herself, Scott, and other innocent people; or leave the past alone. Is doing the right thing always the right thing to do? Run time: 2 hours, with intermission.

On an individual level, this play deals with integrity: choosing to create a new life based on difficult choices. On a social level, it is about the ethics of reparations. What is owed by those of us who may be innocent, but who unknowingly benefited from the injustices of the past? How do we make reparations without creating new victims?

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An Unbuilt Life

Recommended by

  • Amy Crider: An Unbuilt Life

    This is a rich and intriguing play.

    This is a rich and intriguing play.

Female, 67; Male, 60; Male, 26
The lead character is a 67-year-old woman of German Jewish descent; the two male characters, 60 and 26, are open casting.

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Chicago Dramatists, Year 2023
  • Type Reading, Organization Chicago Dramatists, Year 2021

Production History

Awards

  • Helen Hayes Award Recommendation
    Theatre Washington
    2024