Predictor at The Garage Theatre

Not so long ago, a woman needed her husband or father’s permission to get a pregnancy test, the test had to be taken at a doctor’s office, it took weeks to get the results, and a woman had to have a male family member present to hear the result. Today, women the world over can buy a two-pack of pregnancy tests at any market or pharmacy and get the results in 15-minutes. The person we have to thank for this extraordinary cultural shift is a woman named Margaret Crane.

The Garage Theatre proudly presents Predictor by Jennifer Blackmer, directed by Jessica Variz. This fast-paced comedy celebrates the remarkable true story of Margaret “Meg” Crane, a 26-year-old graphic designer who, while working at a pharmaceutical company in 1967, had the revolutionary idea to invent the world’s first home pregnancy test. Predictor begins as a loud TV game show and takes us on a wild ride. Six actors serve as the chorus, swiftly switching between multiple characters, as Meg faces patriarchal, religious, and political challenges trying to convince people that women should be allowed to take their future into their own hands, all while her male coworkers are shutting her out and taking credit for her invention.

“Even though the play is about an historical event, the themes within it are still reverberating today,” points out director Jessica Variz. “Given our current political climate, these issues are more urgent now than ever”.