FERTILE GROUND

by Jennifer O'Grady

2022 Semifinalist for the O'Neill Conference, Princess Grace Award/New Dramatists Fellowship and Panndora's Box

(Full length) 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...

2022 Semifinalist for the O'Neill Conference, Princess Grace Award/New Dramatists Fellowship and Panndora's Box

(Full length) 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 leavning 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 play about motherhood including its darker side.

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FERTILE GROUND

Recommended by

  • Brynn Hambley: FERTILE GROUND

    A chilling almost-thriller that shows how deep people's capacity for selfishness can go. It's incredibly complex, but also doesn't excuse any of the character's awful actions. I felt on the edge of my seat as I read, wondering just how far the characters would go to either get what they wanted or deal (very poorly) with their circumstances. A brilliant play that I also think would work very well as a film!

    A chilling almost-thriller that shows how deep people's capacity for selfishness can go. It's incredibly complex, but also doesn't excuse any of the character's awful actions. I felt on the edge of my seat as I read, wondering just how far the characters would go to either get what they wanted or deal (very poorly) with their circumstances. A brilliant play that I also think would work very well as a film!

  • Nora Louise Syran: FERTILE GROUND

    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.

    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: FERTILE GROUND

    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!

    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!

View all 12 recommendations

Character Information

4 actors; some doubling
  • Max
    Leigh's husband. A graphic designer
    Character Age
    Early 40s
    Character Gender Identity
    a man
  • Willa
    An incarcerated woman
    Character Age
    20s or 30s
    Character Gender Identity
    a woman
  • Guard
    Played by the actor who plays MAX
    Character Age
    40s
    Character Gender Identity
    a man
  • Leigh
    A novelist struggling with infertility
    Character Age
    Early 40s
    Character Gender Identity
    a woman
  • Olivia
    Leigh's sister. A psychologist and parent
    Character Age
    Late 30s
    Character Gender Identity
    a woman

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Playwrights Thriving, Year 2024

Awards

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