Hypothetical Baby returns to the stage in Toronto as a
Nightwood Theatre production in association with The Howland Company.
See the show at Factory Theatre from February 23 to March 8, 2025.
Hypothetical Baby
"One of the country’s most original actors."
- The Globe and Mail
"One of the country’s most original actors."
- The Globe and Mail
Hypothetical Baby returns to the stage in Toronto as a Nightwood Theatre production in association with The Howland Company.
See the show at Factory Theatre from February 23 to March 8, 2025.
You may have listened to Aborsh, my podcast about abortion in Canada. Well, the podcast grew from this play. I describe the podcast as the journalistic exploration of the subject, and Hypothetical Baby is its diary entry counterpart.
An unintended pregnancy, followed by an unhelpful doctor's appointment, leads to a Christmas Eve abortion and one woman’s reckoning with the practical and existential considerations in deciding to become a parent… or not. Set against the backdrop of late-stage capitalism and a looming climate crisis, Hypothetical Baby grapples with the personal and societal factors that shape our reproductive lives and the intricate relationship between choice, change, and loss. From the creator of the award-winning Aborsh podcast, Rachel Cairns mixes data and drama in this autobiographical work to publicly talk about abortion the way we do privately — with neurotic vulnerability, unflinching honesty, and frank irreverence.
about the show
An unintended pregnancy, followed by an unhelpful doctor's appointment, leads to a Christmas Eve abortion and one woman’s reckoning with the practical and existential considerations in deciding to become a parent… or not. Hypothetical Baby is a time-travelling exploration that grapples with the personal and societal factors that shape our reproductive lives and the intricate relationship between choice, change, and loss. From the creator of the award-winning Aborsh podcast, Rachel Cairns mixes data and drama in this autobiographical work to publicly talk about abortion the way we do privately — with neurotic vulnerability, unflinching honesty, and frank irreverence.
praise for Hypothetical Baby
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“Sharp and witty writing, and a nuanced exploration of wider social issues.”
- She Does The City
(Artist of the Month) -
"I think I’ve been hearing the slogan 'A woman’s right to choose' all my life, and I’ve never dissented from it, but I’ve never thought very hard about what 'choice' was being implied. Rachel Cairns takes us there in all its complexity."
- Opera Ramblings
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Rachel Cairns, Hypothetical Baby
(Photo by Dahlia Katz) -
"Cairns is a gifted writer with a personal, timely story to tell about the affordability crisis, Sylvia Plath, and, yes, her own abortion. It’s a powerful end-of-year watch that’s well worth seeing."
- Intermission Magazine
(Honourable Mention, Best of 2023) -
Rachel Cairns, Hypothetical Baby
(Photo by Dahlia Katz) -
"...as intimate and emotional as it is politically relevant."
- Our Theatre Voice
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Rachel Cairns, Hypothetical Baby
(Photo by Dahlia Katz) -
“Powerful—eloquent and riveting—filled with laughs and tears in equal measure.”
- A View from the Box
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"A deeply personal and intellectually rigorous exploration of the many issues surrounding the choice to have a baby or not, and all the existential, societal, and ethical questions surrounding it."
- Slotkin Letter
