Borrowed Babies – Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light Photography. Used with permission.
Borrowed Babies – Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light Photography. Used with permission.
During the ninety minutes I spent watching Borrowed Babies, the newest production of American Lives Theatre, I was totally absorbed in one of the most intriguing dramas I have ever witnessed. Written by Ball State University Professor Jennifer Blackmer, the play is receiving its world premiere at the Frank & Katrina Basile Theatre at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre through February 22. I attended the preview on Feb. 5.
The production was handily directed by Bridget Haight, who previously led Blackmer’s play Predictor for American Lives Theatre in 2023. That play recently found success Off-Broadway. The cast was anchored by Jen Johansen, one of Indianapolis’s most gifted actors. Her impressive body of work has stood out to me as a long-time critic. Johansen led an ensemble of promising young talent, all of whom contributed to the production’s compelling nature.
Borrowed Babies – Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light Photography. Used with permission.
The true story behind the well-constructed play is the use of “practice babies” from orphanages. The infants were used in university Home Economics Practice Homes by college students during the 50s.
The timeline for the fictional play is 1952-1982 and focuses on Professor Judy London (Johansen) at the beginning of her career, who founded the practice babies program at her university. Eventually, and to her profound dismay, she experiences its demise at the end of her career.
The play opens with the preoccupied academic closing down the house with the help of a bubbly student assistant (Rachel Ivie) as they toil to pack up office items Wendy (Laura Briggeman), a former practice baby who resided at the home in 1952, arrives. Now married and expecting a child, and having grown up in foster homes, she seeks information about her infancy and, most importantly, why she was never adopted as a baby. Eventually, there is a time shift in the play, and a flashback occurs when four students from the 50s appear. They include the characters of Betty (Dorian Underwood), Bernie (Sarah Powell), Louise Carmia Iman), and Vera (Hannah Luciana).
For the remainder of the play, the action continues to switch between the two timelines with Johansen seamlessly adjusting her nuanced characterization to fit the periods. In doing so, Johansen marvelously turned in a complex performance as the stern, no-nonsense educator who also conveys a hidden sadness and vulnerability from her past. Nowhere are those particular traits more evident than in the play’s heartrending conclusion.
Borrowed Babies – Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light Photography. Used with permission.
Adding to the rich luster of the production were the substantial contributions of the masterful production team consisting of Costume/Props Designer Kristen Renee Boyd, Lighting Designer Paully Crumpacker, Set Designer Nick Kilgore, and Sound Designer/Composer Mina Keohane. They created a world that thoroughly enhanced the storytelling.
With its themes of mid 50s motherhood, feminism, childcare, and evolving roles of women, Borrowed Babies offered a fascinating look at kittle known chapter in history. Although TV sitcoms from that era depicted a carefree and even innocuous lifestyle, the actual circumstances were more constrained; social norms-imposed limitations on both mothers and children.
For tickets and information about Borrowed Babies visit phoenixtheatre.org
