New play pits the power of money against the power of nature

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Illustrating the world’s struggle with huge income inequalities, island playwright Trista Baldwin has written a new play, asking the question, “what can money buy when money is unlimited — and at what human cost?”

Baldwin’s play, “The Surrogates,” is up next in Vashon Repertory Theatre’s incubator play-reading series, at 7 p.m. Monday, April 18, in the lobby of Vashon Center for the Arts.

In the play, a hedge-fund manager must navigate the tricky situation of vetting a person to serve as the surrogate mother to the child of his powerful boss and his wife. At the same time, the manager’s own wife is struggling to keep her high-risk pregnancy. Enter Angela, a clever young woman chosen to carry the child, who up-ends the whole plan with some surprises of her own. Who are the real surrogates?

VRT’s reading of “The Surrogates”will be directed by Anita Montgomery, UW Theatre instructor and literary manager for ACT Theatre in Seattle. Playwright Baldwin will host a talkback immediately following the reading so theater lovers in attendance can offer valuable audience feedback.

The reading is part of VRT’s ongoing series of staged readings of new scripts by local and Pacific Northwest playwrights on the third Monday of each month. Baldwin has curated the series, which so far has included Kat Eggleston’s “Droelin,” Bryan Willis’“Kichichi In The Woods of Present Memory,” Y York’s “Late in the Game,” and “The Unnamed,” by TD Mitchell.

Last in the series, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 23, will be “Working for Crumbs,” a comedy by Kate Danley, directed by Christopher Kehoe.

All readings are pay-what-you-will at the door, with a $10 suggested donation. All patrons must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination and wear masks during the reading.

Find out more at vashoncenterforthearts.org, vashonrepertorytheatre.org, and tristabaldwin.com.