Goodnight Embryos

[Full Length Drama]
[Produced by Void Theatre Co. in 2024 Piccolo Spoleto Festival; Runner Up, Todd McNerney Playwriting Award]
Em and Belle, a lesbian couple, are the happy new parents of a son named Rory. Belle harvested her eggs and carried the baby, with a friend providing the sperm. However, the procedure resulted in six embryos, and the couple must now decide what to do with the remaining five. Belle wants...

[Full Length Drama]
[Produced by Void Theatre Co. in 2024 Piccolo Spoleto Festival; Runner Up, Todd McNerney Playwriting Award]
Em and Belle, a lesbian couple, are the happy new parents of a son named Rory. Belle harvested her eggs and carried the baby, with a friend providing the sperm. However, the procedure resulted in six embryos, and the couple must now decide what to do with the remaining five. Belle wants another child, but Em demurs. Do they donate the embryos to another couple or to science, or let them be destroyed? The play visits them once a year for a decade, as they grapple with this decision again and again, their relationship at stake each time.

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Goodnight Embryos

Recommended by

  • Dave Osmundsen: Goodnight Embryos

    McGranaghan beautifully and delicately illustrates a complex and nuanced portrait of motherhood. A playwright who clearly loves her characters, Belle and Em are imbued with depth and individuality, and their relationship feels compellingly honest. We sense the deep love these two women have as they endure one of the most trying situations any couple can face. One sequence in particular gutted me with its shocking rawness and theatricality. Wonderful work!

    McGranaghan beautifully and delicately illustrates a complex and nuanced portrait of motherhood. A playwright who clearly loves her characters, Belle and Em are imbued with depth and individuality, and their relationship feels compellingly honest. We sense the deep love these two women have as they endure one of the most trying situations any couple can face. One sequence in particular gutted me with its shocking rawness and theatricality. Wonderful work!

  • Donna Hoke: Goodnight Embryos

    As someone who faced Em and Belle's situation, it was refreshing to see the choice examined in both a thoughtful and entertaining way. So many people probably never consider this, and this play epitomizes what theater is for.

    As someone who faced Em and Belle's situation, it was refreshing to see the choice examined in both a thoughtful and entertaining way. So many people probably never consider this, and this play epitomizes what theater is for.

  • Aly Kantor: Goodnight Embryos

    This play brought to light an issue I have never thought about or considered, and it did so through compelling dialogue delivered by two clear, motivated characters. It could not have been an easy subject to tackle, so I appreciated the specific, human-centered narrative as an entry point. The stakes grow higher with each passing year as both women find themselves grasping desperately for the right ending to their story (and the story of their embryos). The piece is emotional and really unpacks why debates about life and personhood are complex - no matter how socially liberal you are.

    This play brought to light an issue I have never thought about or considered, and it did so through compelling dialogue delivered by two clear, motivated characters. It could not have been an easy subject to tackle, so I appreciated the specific, human-centered narrative as an entry point. The stakes grow higher with each passing year as both women find themselves grasping desperately for the right ending to their story (and the story of their embryos). The piece is emotional and really unpacks why debates about life and personhood are complex - no matter how socially liberal you are.

View all 6 recommendations

Awards

  • Todd McNerney Playwriting Award
    College of Charleston
    Runner Up
    2020