Borrowed Babies

 

A world premiere, a Hoosier playwright, and a little piece of fascinating but overlooked history. Borrowed Babies has all the makings of a great play. American Lives Theatre’s (ALT) current production is on stage at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre right now. ALT produced playwright Jennifer Blackmer’s Predictor in 2023. That show demonstrated Blackmer could highlight a piece of history while breathing life into it and developing rich characters.

Borrowed Babies follows in the same vein. With stellar casting, including veteran actors Jen Johansen and Lauren Briggeman, as well as other supporting cast members, the plot delves into an unbelievably real program in the 1950s where women “borrowed” babies from orphanages and other organizations to practice homemaking skills.

To be successful, a show like this has to do more than just relay the history. It has to pull the audience in and get them to care about what is happening. Between Bridget Haight’s direction, Blackmen’s writing, and the excellent cast, the show succeeds on all levels. It flips between 1952, when a group of college students moves into a home to learn domestic skills, and 1982, when a woman named Wendy searches for answers about her past. Paully Crumpacker’s lighting design helps the audience understand the shift in time, even as the scenes blend together.  

Each cast member pulls their weight beautifully, but this was Jen Johansen’s show. She balances moments of warmth with a practiced steely reserve as she navigates the impossible life she’s been given. Train women for their roles running a household, all the while denying herself the same life in order to have a career. She’s pitied by her students for her lack of a family, but also condescended to by women in the 1980s who see her values as antiquated. She cares deeply, but her frustration is palpable.

The play dances through so many complicated issues that women continue to face. Career or home, you can do it all! But you can’t actually because the system is set up to make you feel as though you are failing, no matter what option you choose. Blackmer doesn’t offer answers, but instead, wisely, offers multiple, nuanced points of view.

ALT has earned a well-deserved reputation for bringing work to the stage that sparks conversation and debate. This was a perfect example of that. The debate about the characters and ways expectations of women have changed and stayed the same over the decades continued long after the final bow. 

Don't Miss the Show
For more information about American Lives Theatre, visit americanlivestheatre.org. For tickets visit: phoenixtheatre.org/buy-tickets

Performances: The show runs until Feb. 22 at the Phoenix Theatre, 705 N. Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Photos Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light