Set in current-day Chicago, “Hypotheticals” is about a beautiful but misanthropic woman who kisses a stranger in an elevator on her way to psychotherapy. When the stranger turns out to be her new therapist, they’re forced into a professional relationship where the intimate environment is as fertile for romantic tension as it is for personal growth—until the revelation of a mutual secret threatens to bind them together or tear them apart.
In an age where up to 20% of the world’s population is neurodivergent, “Hypotheticals” shatters stereotypes about neurodiversity and Autism, arguing that neurodivergent brains are not faulty and that there’s no wrong way to be human. I am submitting to Detroit Rep because of your interest in plays that explore contemporary issues with a comedic lens.
“This show was entertaining, funny and thought-provoking. It was a story about neurodiversity, but it was more than that; it explored love, lust, identity, trauma and the beauty of the complexities of life. Kith and Kin’s mission is to explore gray areas through its productions, and this show did exactly that. It explored a messy, complex relationship that was far from perfect and showed that there’s something spectacular to be found in the grayness of it all…[A] hilarious and thought-provoking romantic comedy.”
— Milwaukee Magazine
“Moving and poignant.”
— World Premiere Wisconsin
"The electrical exhilaration of romance is one of the easiest special effects to put on the live stage, but it’s allowed on the local small stage so very, very infrequently. A romance like Hypotheticals is frustratingly rare. It makes a show like Nguyen’s all the more precious."
— The Small Stage
"I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a play. The characters were endearing, the stakes were high, the plot twists literally made me gasp. And not only was I thoroughly entertained for two hours; it's given me something to think about in the weeks since. This is an important piece of theatre."
— Stuart S., Waco audience member
"Too often we forget that diversity means lots of different things. We check the box of having a multiracial cast and think we're doing the work. But HYPOTHETICALS reminds us that diversity must necessarily encompass neurodiversity as well. Where are our neurodiverse actors performing our neurodiverse plays? That's something that I'd love to see more of, and this play was an incredible start."
— Breshena C., Waco audience member
"Rebecca Nguyen has managed to craft something truly special. My goal when selecting plays to produce is always for people to have the opportunity to see themselves on stage that rarely have the chance to do so. And wow, HYPOTHETICALS did not disappoint. The number of neurodiverse audience members that spoke to me afterwards was astounding. And the joy that surrounded them as they told me the ways in which they deeply related to these characters was tangible. That's what theatre is all about. Yes, we want to entertain. But we want people to see themselves inside the story. And in this play, Rebecca has given that gift to people that have not yet received it in such a whole and heartwarming way."
— Trent Clifford, Producer, Wild Imaginings Theatre Company
"A strong female lead that's funny and sexy is a rare thing, as women are often taught that the latter is merely a way to compensate for the former. But Blaise is unapologetically herself, reminding us that romance is for everyone, not just those who society has deemed commercially worthy."
— Reanna F., 'Blaise' in the Wild Imaginings production
