Milk and Gall

by Mathilde Dratwa

It’s Election Night 2016, Vera becomes a new mother, and...it’s about to be one f*cked up year.

It’s Election Night 2016, Vera becomes a new mother, and...it’s about to be one f*cked up year.

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Milk and Gall

Recommended by

  • Ian Donley: Milk and Gall by Mathilde Dratwa
    “

    MILK AND GALL is a surrealist and haunting play about the state of motherhood during a tumultuous time in our country. We follow a new mother as her fears cause her to spiral and isolate from the people who love her the most. With that said, there's also a sense of hope by the end of it. Dratwa takes the audience on a journey on what it means to confront your fears head-on (even when your baby is a shapeshifter). There are many elements that would spark any director's interest to tackle.

    MILK AND GALL is a surrealist and haunting play about the state of motherhood during a tumultuous time in our country. We follow a new mother as her fears cause her to spiral and isolate from the people who love her the most. With that said, there's also a sense of hope by the end of it. Dratwa takes the audience on a journey on what it means to confront your fears head-on (even when your baby is a shapeshifter). There are many elements that would spark any director's interest to tackle.

    ”
  • James Binz: Milk and Gall by Mathilde Dratwa
    “

    Mathilde captures the paranoia of the moment for many people in the USA. Not just a political diatribe, she has fashioned a wonderful story with layers of complexities and nuance. The characters are natural and surreal , the dialogue is (as usual for Dratwa) spot on. And the story is important and entertaining and thought provoking all at the same time. This is a very realistic slice of life for the aftermath of the 2016 election. Brava!

    Mathilde captures the paranoia of the moment for many people in the USA. Not just a political diatribe, she has fashioned a wonderful story with layers of complexities and nuance. The characters are natural and surreal , the dialogue is (as usual for Dratwa) spot on. And the story is important and entertaining and thought provoking all at the same time. This is a very realistic slice of life for the aftermath of the 2016 election. Brava!

    ”
  • Paul K Smith: Milk and Gall by Mathilde Dratwa
    “

    ***** Nonpareil! *****

    ***** Nonpareil! *****

    ”
View all 9 recommendations

Character Information

  • Vera
    a liberal Jewish woman who is in labor at the start of the play, gives birth, and therefore subsequently has the body of somebody who has just given birth - including a c-section scar on her abdomen. She is almost always with her shape-shifting baby.
    35
    White,
    Jewish
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Michael
    Vera's husband. Midwestern. Deeply loves his wife. Almost always holds a cup of coffee.
    Also plays: MUELLER (a stereotypical TV detective from a daytime procedural).
    30s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Barbara
    Vera's mother. A lesbian. High-energy, a doer.
    Also plays: HILLARY CLINTON, ELAINE (Michael's mom, watches Fox News, from Wisconsin, speaks with an accent), DOCTOR
    60s
    White,
    Jewish
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      60s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Amira
    Vera's best friend. A first-generation Syrian-American. Her friends call her Ami for short, pronounced ah-MEE.
    30s
    Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Alexa
    Initially a hands-free, voice-controlled device, later a flesh-and-blood mom. Judgemental. Black.
    Also plays: ANESTHESIOLOGIST, NURSE, NANNY (speaks with a Caribbean accent), LACTATION CONSULTANT, MOM 1, MOM 2, MOM 3.
    30s
    African American/Black
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman

Development History

  • Reading, LAByrinth Theater Company, 2019
  • Reading, Great Plains Theater Conference, 2018

Production History

  • Professional, Theatre503, 2021

Awards

  • Jane Chambers Award
    ATHE
    Finalist
    2018
  • International Playwriting Award
    theater503
    Finalist
    2018