NEW COLLABORATIONS: JODI PICOULT

Earlier this summer, work began on BREATHE: A QUINTET. Created by Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald, the piece explores how the pandemic affects five very different relationships. To learn more about the piece in progress and associated writers, click here. 



The Quintet unfolds as follows:

  1. FEVER – Alison, a Black nurse in her 20s, goes to Mexico City for a friend’s wedding, and wakes up the next morning in the bed of the best man -- Jeremy, mid-20s, She has missed her flight, the US is in lockdown, and the only person she knows is the guy she hooked up with the night before. Things get complicated when she spikes a fever, and Jeremy – a near stranger – offers his home to her. (Songwriters: Rob Rokicki and Rebecca Murillo)


  2. ACHES – Theo, 30s, a financial analyst’s assistant, is writing a Dear John letter to break up with his boyfriend, Max, 30s, who is a Broadway performer. Before he can finish, Max comes home with the news that NYC is in lockdown. As Max “MacGyvers” their resources into a romantic dinner, Theo begins to remember why he fell in love with Max in the first place. And then, Max finds the unfinished letter. (Songwriters: Dan Mertzlufft and Kate Leonard)


  3. SWELLING AND IRRITATION – Kate, 40s, a financial analyst and her husband Adam, 40s, a high-powered divorce attorney, find themselves locked in a townhouse with their three children, no nanny, no parenting skills, and no end in sight. As they argue over whose job deserves precedence and struggle with online learning (who knew kindergarten could be so brutal?) they realize that working together is the only way to master the art of Co(rona)parenting. (Songwriters: Doug Besterman and Sharon Vaughn)


  4. FATIGUE – Devon (18, Black, brother of Alison from FEVER) is arrested after protesting the murder of George Floyd. He is bailed out by his father, Shawn, who is frustrated with his son’s decision to postpone college to fight for racial justice, and to put himself at risk. Making things more complicated is the fact that Shawn is a NYC cop. (Songwriters: Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar)


  5. SHORTNESS OF BREATH – Vivian (70s) is reluctantly attending her husband Charles (70s) Zoom funeral, their marriage having long been ruined by infidelity and bitterness. As soon as Vivian logs off and begins to pack his belongings away, Charles appears as a ghost, with unfinished business that requires them to retrace the steps that led to this point. (Songwriters: Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler)

    Our piece concludes looking toward the future, with new understandings of what truly matters the most.

Ryan Foy