FERTILE GROUND by Jennifer O'Grady

Semifinalist for the O'Neill Conference, Princess Grace Award/New Dramatists Fellowship and Panndora's Box

(Full length) Novelist Leigh wants a baby but struggles with unexplained miscarriages. Her younger sister Olivia, a parent and psychologist on the tenure track, is having trouble finishing her study of maternal filicide due to one of her subjects, whose motivations are disturbingly...
Semifinalist for the O'Neill Conference, Princess Grace Award/New Dramatists Fellowship and Panndora's Box

(Full length) Novelist Leigh wants a baby but struggles with unexplained miscarriages. Her younger sister Olivia, a parent and psychologist on the tenure track, is having trouble finishing her study of maternal filicide due to one of her subjects, whose motivations are disturbingly unclear. Leigh's husband Max wants to be done with fertility treatments so that he and Leigh can move on. As Olivia and Max begin leaning on each other for support, Leigh begins writing a novel about filicide, and fact and fiction begin to collide and will have devastating consequences. A new play about motherhood including its darker side.
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FERTILE GROUND

Recommended by

  • Nora Louise Syran:
    18 Apr. 2024
    “ As a mother, a sister, a wife and writer, this play was so intensely relatable. But one does not have to be a woman or hopeful mother to understand the hold that grief, desire, depression, and longing have on us. I was immersed immediately from the start and the story does not let go. It is haunting and yet hopeful; naturalistic in its dialogue and yet darkly poetic. "Whenever there’s unconditional love, they take advantage." Brava, playwright. ”
  • Rich Rubin:
    16 Apr. 2024
    “ An absolutely riveting drama about the tangled web of family, and the profound level of harm often inflicted by those who are closest to us. Jennifer O'Grady takes us on a narrative ride that provides surprises at every turn, yet -- by the end -- makes total sense. Brilliant! ”
  • Philip Middleton Williams:
    16 Apr. 2024
    “ Upon hearing this play presented as a part of the Playwrights Thriving Reading Series, my first thoughts went to the classic Greek tragedy of Medea and the degrees that one might go to when pushed to their limit. But Jennifer O'Grady's play is more subtle and lulls the audience into thinking they're going to be seeing a drama of a family dealing with loss and disappointment. And then we are drawn in, not by startling horror, but the realization of the inevitable outcome of betrayal and self-inflicted retribution. A powerful and compelling story. ”
View all 11 recommendations

Character Information

4 actors; some doubling

  • Leigh
    Early 40s,
    a woman
    A novelist struggling with infertility
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Olivia
    Late 30s,
    a woman
    Leigh's sister. A psychologist and parent
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Max
    Early 40s,
    a man
    Leigh's husband. A graphic designer
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Willa
    20s or 30s,
    a woman
    An incarcerated woman
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Guard
    40s,
    a man
    Played by the actor who plays MAX
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Playwrights Thriving
    ,
    2024

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Princess Grace Award in Playwriting/Fellowship at New Dramatists
,
2022
Semi-Finalist
,
Panndora's Box New Works Festival
,
Panndora Productions
,
2022
Finalist
,
Bechdel Group Reading Workshop
,
2022