Babel by Jacqueline Goldfinger

What would you do if you had the power to build your own baby? And a best friend who is a talking Stork? In this version of a near future society, prospective parents learn within the first weeks of conception which genetic traits their child will have, and what behaviors they are likely to exhibit. Based on these test results, the parent(s) are either issued a PRE certification which legally guarantees the...
What would you do if you had the power to build your own baby? And a best friend who is a talking Stork? In this version of a near future society, prospective parents learn within the first weeks of conception which genetic traits their child will have, and what behaviors they are likely to exhibit. Based on these test results, the parent(s) are either issued a PRE certification which legally guarantees the baby will be a "good" person or not. Without the certification, the child will be limited in what it is allowed to do. Two couples collide over what to do with their PRE certification test results. With rapid advances in reproductive technology, modern eugenics is science’s Wild West. What will we do to “civilize” it and ourselves? How far will we go when playing God? If you like Booker’s “Black Mirror,” Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go,” or Haley’s “The Nether,” but wish they had a few more laughs, then this play is for you.
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Babel

Recommended by

  • Jessie Salsbury:
    26 Jan. 2020
    “ Had the joy and honor of seeing this opening night at the Unicorn on 1.25.2020. This is a wonderful, wild play full of tons of surprises. A perfect commentary on society today and how far we go to be in control, and how we deem others as ‘undesirable.’ There’s nothing else like it. Read it and produce it everywhere!! ”
  • Jennifer O'Grady:
    22 Jan. 2020
    “ Expertly written and important play with a gripping and increasingly harrowing story I'll be thinking about for a long time. Highly recommend! ”
  • Emily McClain:
    23 Dec. 2019
    “ Politics and science collide in a terrifyingly realistic manner in this dark comedy. Goldfinger creates a completely believable premise of a future where in utero genetic testing is allowed to determine the course of a person's life. Told with complete sincerity, none of these characters are campy or sci-fi tropes. They are relatable in their struggles to bring life into a world that is increasingly hostile and a universal human desire to have the best possible life for our children. Moving, complicated, and really gripping to read. Excellent work! ”
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This play is set in a future where genetic testing has become so fine tuned that most -isms (racism, sexism, etc) have been generally replaced with genetic discrimination. Therefore, the casting is very flexible.

Development History

Production History

Awards

Nominee
,
Blackburn Prize
,
2019
Nominee
,
Weissberger Award
,
2019
Selection
,
The Kilroy's List
,
2019
Selection
,
Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts
,
2017
Winner
,
Smith Prize for Political Theatre
,
2017