PREDICTOR, A New Play About The Inventor Of The Home Pregnancy Test, To Premiere In 2023

Energetic and theatrical, PREDICTOR illuminates Meg Crane's lost contributions to both science and design.

By: Dec. 05, 2022
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PREDICTOR, A New Play About The Inventor Of The Home Pregnancy Test, To Premiere In 2023

Angels Theatre Company will present the premiere of PREDICTOR, a play based on the real-life story of Margaret Crane who, in 1967, defied all odds and expectations to become the inventor of the first home pregnancy test.

Energetic and theatrical, PREDICTOR illuminates Meg Crane's lost contributions to both science and design, celebrating her persistence, her relentless positivity, and her desire to make the world a better place-- for everyone.

PREDICTOR is written by award-winning playwright Jennifer Blackmer. Blackmer is the 2015 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theatre Award winner for Emerging American Playwright, and serves as Professor of Theatre and Executive Director of the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry at Ball State University. Her plays have been produced off-Broadway and across the country, and include HUMAN TERRAIN, UNRAVELED, Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace (Joseph Jefferson award for Best Adaptation), DELICATE PARTICLE LOGIC, BORROWED BABIES, and the upcoming PREDICTOR. Jennifer's screenplay for Human Terrain won the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation award through the Tribeca Film Institute, and was also a finalist for the Sundance Film Institute Sloan Prize. Jennifer's writing has been short-listed for the Princess Grace Award and the Shakespeare's Sister Fellowship, and has been developed by Seven Devils, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Repertory Theatre, The Playwrights' Center, The Lark and Activate Midwest. https://www.jenniferblackmer.com/

The World Premire will be presented by the Angels Theatre Company (ATC) as part of its 2022-23 Season. The play will be presented February 10-19, 2023 at the Carson Theater in the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Performances begin at 7:30 PM with Matinees on Sunday February 12 and 19 beginning at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be purchased at the Lied Center box office or online at https://www.liedcenter.org/event/predictor-world-premiere

The ATC production will be directed by Timothy W Scholl, Angels Theatre Company's Executive Artistic Director, and features Liz Martelli, in her ATC debut performance, as Meg Crane. The cast also includes ATC new-commer Britta Tollefsrud and veteran ATC actors Maribel Cruz, Sasha Dobson, Mason Gustafson, Tim Mittan, and Eric Moyer.

Subsequent productions will follow with the American Lives Theatre (Indianapolis, IN) in May 2023 and Capital Stage (Sacramento, CA) in June 2023. The largely ensemble work was previously developed by the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (Chicago, IL) and The Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis, IN). All productions of PREDICTOR are producer by special arrangement with 1252 International.

"This is an exceptionally engaging and wonderful story." says Timothy Scholl,the production director. "Jen (Blackmer) is an amazing story-teller and her play is such a creative and insightful entry into Meg's story and widely unknown history of this invention" Scholl most recently directed Nancy Shank's This Mortal Life Also in February, which won the 2022 Mayor's Arts Award for Outstanding Arts Event in Lincoln

Angels Theatre Company is a professional theatre company located in Lincoln NE. With a mission to create, develop, and produce new plays, ATC presents the Salon Reading Series, Solo Tales & Ales, the First Flight Festival, and New Work Development Series each year in addition to productions of new full-length plays. Angels Theatre Company is an affiliate member of the National New Play Network (NNPN), a non-profit dedicated to the support of new plays. ATC also maintains the Playwriting Collective, an organization that provides a forum for area playwrights to review and critique new plays in development.

Recent productions invluce SEDITION by David Wiltse, LOSING THE RING IN THE RIVER by Brigid Amos, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Dale Wasserman, and WHAT THE WIND TAUGHT ME by Becky Boesen.

Information on Angels Theatre Company can be found at the Company's website, www.angelscompany.org.

American Lives Theatre tells stories that bodly cry out the truth of all that is thrilling, unjust, terrifying, joyful, absurd, brave, shameful and ultimately compassionate, which embody the elusive spirit of these united - and often divided - states. We engage, provoke, and entertain by presenting a mirror to Indianapolis, reflecting their lives and history with new and neglected work exploring the lives and experiences of all Americans.

Recent productions include GLORIA by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS by Bess Wohl, COST OF LIVING by Martyna Majok and THE LIFESPAN OF FACT by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell.

Information on American Lives Theatre can be found at the Company's website, www.americanlivestheatre.org

Capital Stage is a professional nonprofit theatre company in Sacramento whose mission is to entertain, engage and challenge its audience with bold, thought-provoking theatre. Founded in 2005, Capital Stage presents seven full-length live theatre productions each year, as well as various concerts and special events in its Midtown Sacramento home at 2215 J Street. Capital Stage also offers apprenticeships and internships to individuals seeking professional experience in theatre, performing arts classes to the public, and educational theatrical opportunities in association with CLARA, The Crocker Art Museum and McGeorge School of Law. Named by The Sacramento Bee as "One of the most respected arts organizations in the region", Capital Stage is a leader of cutting-edge quality theatre in Northern California.

Recent productions include HOLD THESE TRUTHS by Jeanne Sakata, ADMISSIONS by Joshua Harmon, THE GREAT LEAP by Lauren Yee, PASS OVER by Antoinette Nwandy and SMART PEOPLE by Lydia R. Diamond.

Information on Capital Stage can be found at the Company's website, www.capstage.org

1252 International, led by producer Brian Nitzkin, has developed several new plays and musicals that have been produced at regional theaters throughout the United States and Canada. Recent productions include FOUR CHRODS AND A GUN by John Ross Bowie (Los Angeles, Tulsa, Toronto & Chicago), Alias Grace by Jennifer Blackmer, adapted from the novel by Margaret Atwood (Chicago, Knoxille, & Cincinnatti) and HOUSE by Daniel MacIvor (Los Angeles). Other shows that 1252 has developed include musicals THE FISHER KING by Michael Brennan and Mark Leydorf (based upon the Academy Award winning film by Richard LaGravenese), US by Maggie Levin (featuring the music of Peter Gabriel), and plays MOTHER JUSTICE by Michael Dice, Jr. (based on the Vanity Fair article by Christopher Ketcham), and SWORDPLAY by Benjamin Bettenbender.




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