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

  • Emma Goldman-Sherman:
    11 Oct. 2019
    “ A beautiful thrill of a play - futuristic/sci-fi - but also very human! I love that it centers a female queer relationship and is extremely theatrical with a storytelling stork. Goldfinger's ability to show how a world and its systems can change human thought and behavior is so important for today and beyond. ”
  • Thomas Sylvester:
    8 Oct. 2019
    “ Babel was a fantastic play for the LBGTQ community. It does a great job commenting on the struggles that a same couple have when trying to have a child. I also liked how the character transformed throughout the play, specifically the two main characters and the way the pregnancy affected their relationship. Also I liked the use of the Stork and how he evolved into an important character for the play. ”
  • Robin Rice:
    7 Aug. 2019
    “ Everything makes sense in the technological Babel that is the future world of this play. Frightening sense. The choices presented to the characters couldn't be more fateful. In a world where babies who are less than "perfect" are sent to live in an underground village, the choice to end a pregnancy or to value life despite the powers-that-be couldn't be more difficult. In Goldfinger's skillful play the story's impact is immediate and chilling. Her world is imaginary, but the link to today is very real. Think long and hard before you press that button in the voting booth! ”
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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
Winner
,
Smith Prize for Political Theatre
,
2017