Good Egg
Play Description
Responsible Meg has always taken care of her bipolar younger brother Matt. But when she decides to get pregnant — and have her embryos screened for bipolar disorder — is she taking the idea of “being responsible” too far? A funny and surprising play about bioethics, siblings, and the limits of unconditional love.
Production Info
Cast: 2 total (1 female, 1 male)Full Length Drama (about 90 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Contemporary Costumes
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
- Productions
Press Quotes
“… Instead of slipping into pedantic debate, the play successfully broaches these topics through subtle theatrical devices … [GOOD EGG] has a powerful message that addresses important social themes that need much attention.” —The Happiest Medium
“In a heated moment, Matt says to Meg that ‘ … when you have everything you want, sometimes you don’t like anything you get.’ Those words are powerful in a myriad of ways, all pointing to the value of restraint. Just because you have the power and every reason to do something, that doesn’t mean you should. [the play] hits this sentiment right on the nose.” —Stage and Cinema
“… a brilliant monologue that Fortenberry nails [is] the playwright’s attempt to share not only the human side of bipolar disorder, but also the scientific realities and questions about the illness … Fortenberry tells her story through the clever technique of juxtaposition and foil, which helps the audience feel both sympathy and repulsion for the chaotic but artistically passionate Matt as well as the dependable but perfectionistic Meg.” —Not As Crazy As You Think
“GOOD EGG thus effectively lays out the moral dilemmas involved in choosing whether or not to screen for hereditary disorders and diseases, as well as believably presenting a bipolar character who has a chance to describe the internal processes of the brain during high and low points … The science-driven arguments are refreshingly poignant … Particularly captivating is Matt’s monologue about his [bipolar] disorder.” —Theatre Is Easy
“Playwright Dorothy Fortenberry doesn’t try to teach us a lesson here. Is Matt’s illness an inner demon? From the perspective of those who must live with him — of Meg — of course, it appears that way. But, as he says later on, ‘Maybe I don’t want to be sane. Maybe sane is overrated.'” —BlogCritic
Author(s)
Dorothy FortenberryDorothy Fortenberry is a Los Angeles–based playwright and television writer. Her plays include PARTNERS, MOMMUNE, CAITLIN AND THE SWAN, GOOD EGG, and the play with music STATUS UPDATE. Dorothy's work has been developed at Arena Stage, Ars Nova, Geva Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among others, and produced by Center Rep, Chalk Rep, Live Wire, Red Fern Theatre, and The Management. She is a winner of the 2011 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, and a two-time Finalist for the O'Neill Conference (for her plays STATUS UPDATE and MOMMUNE). Residencies include the MacDowell Colony, the Djerassi Program, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and Page 73. Dorothy is a member of the Playwrights Union, a founding company member of Tilted Field, and in the 2013 Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop. She received an EST/Sloan commission and is currently working on a commission from Yale Rep. MFA, Yale School of Drama.
Special Notes
If original stage producers credits appear in bold below, all licensees are required to include them in the following form on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and in all advertising in which the full cast appears in size of type not less than ten percent (10%) of the size of the title of the Play:
World premiere by The Red Fern Theater Company, New York
In addition, the following must appear within all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play:
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypub.com
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