Babel by Jacqueline Goldfinger

BABEL is a dark comedy set in the near future about two couples who are having trouble getting pregnant, the lengths they go to in order to have a baby, and the morally questionable technology involved. If you like Booker’s “Black Mirror,” Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go,” or Haley’s “The Nether,” then this play is for you. It requires four characters (3F,1M) and a flexile set.
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Babel

Recommended by

  • National New Play Network:
    9 Mar. 2021
    “ Babel by Jacqueline Goldfinger is receiving a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. The partnering NNPN Member Theaters are Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City, MO), Theatre Exile (Philadelphia, PA), and two more to be announced. ”
  • Ross Tedford Kendall:
    16 Nov. 2020
    “ A fantastic play that hits so many points square. Babel is so plausible in its conceit, that acts taken in the name of the greater good cause so much pain and trouble, and yet the characters are still conflicted on whether those acts were worth it. This conflict drives the story to a fantastic conclusion. The dialog is great, the characters ring as real humans. This entire play is a masterpiece. ”
  • Maximillian Gill:
    10 Apr. 2020
    “ Like the best speculative fiction, Goldfinger's play examines how a world founded on different principles affects people on the most human levels and extrapolates forward from our current reality. Here we have a utopia that is revealed to conceal the elements of a dystopia. We learn the darker side through the process of understanding the concerns of a set of characters whom we can't help but form strong bonds with thanks to Goldfinger's assured dialogue. Questions of nature vs. nurture are examined and late-act reveals force us to re-evaluate the characters and the plausible world they inhabit. Impressive 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
Winner
,
Smith Prize for Political Theatre
,
2017
Selection
,
Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts
,
2017