Mildred Whiskey

by David MacGregor

A dramedy. In a run-down neighborhood bar, four people gather on Thanksgiving Eve, the busiest bar night of the year. However, thanks to a hellacious fog blanketing the city, they are the only ones there. Sue, the divorced bar owner, inherited the place from her father and it's her only connection to her past; Mike, the cook with aspirations of being a great chef, is trying to stabilize himself after a traumatic...

A dramedy. In a run-down neighborhood bar, four people gather on Thanksgiving Eve, the busiest bar night of the year. However, thanks to a hellacious fog blanketing the city, they are the only ones there. Sue, the divorced bar owner, inherited the place from her father and it's her only connection to her past; Mike, the cook with aspirations of being a great chef, is trying to stabilize himself after a traumatic combat experience; Bree, the bartender, is a walking encyclopedia ostracized from their very religious family due to being nonbinary; and Jimmy is an ex-factory worker jettisoned by the corporation to which he had devoted his life once he became expendable. There is an Icelandic word, "huldufólk," which means "hidden people." This is the story of four hidden people who find one another.

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Mildred Whiskey

Recommended by

  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend: Mildred Whiskey by David MacGregor
    “

    I really enjoyed how all four characters in this play have more going on underneath than they seem to - and in ways I, in several instances, did not predict at all. The dialogue sparkles in this sweet found-family Thanksgiving tale.

    I really enjoyed how all four characters in this play have more going on underneath than they seem to - and in ways I, in several instances, did not predict at all. The dialogue sparkles in this sweet found-family Thanksgiving tale.

    ”
  • The Depot for New Play Readings: Mildred Whiskey by David MacGregor
    “

    In David MacGregor’s “Mildred Whiskey,” four people gather in an old neighborhood bar on the night before Thanksgiving. Their interactions are fast and funny, like a situation comedy, but as the fog outside thickens and the night wears on, the four tell stories about profound rejections in their lives, and the weight of these memories leads them to ask what makes life worth living. MacGregor’s answer is a deeply humane protest against greed, overweening ambition, and technologies that promise to connect us but don’t. A funny, serious, luminous play with a perfect ending. Highly recommended.

    In David MacGregor’s “Mildred Whiskey,” four people gather in an old neighborhood bar on the night before Thanksgiving. Their interactions are fast and funny, like a situation comedy, but as the fog outside thickens and the night wears on, the four tell stories about profound rejections in their lives, and the weight of these memories leads them to ask what makes life worth living. MacGregor’s answer is a deeply humane protest against greed, overweening ambition, and technologies that promise to connect us but don’t. A funny, serious, luminous play with a perfect ending. Highly recommended.

    ”
SUE - Bar owner in her late 30s-40s.
BREE - Bar employee in their 20s.
MIKE - Bar employee in his 20s.
JIMMY - Customer in his late 50s-60s.

Offstage Voices

JIMMY'S BOSS
SUE'S EX-HUSBAND
MIKE'S FATHER
BREE'S MOTHER

Development History

  • Reading, The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 2024

Awards

  • Playwrights First - Best New Play Award
    Playwrights First
    Winner
    2025