Theatre 4the People (Isaac Byrne and Joshua Rose, Producers) will present the World Premiere of Sperm Donor Wanted (or, The Unnamed Baby Play) by T.J. Young (2017 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Award Winner for No. 6; 2018 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Distinguished Achievement Award for Lyon’s Den), directed by Haley Rice (Assistant Director The Normal Heart with Broadway for Arts Education) at the Chain Theatre (312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018), April 11-28.

After several attempts at having another child, wives Lisa and Bex turn to the internet for help. They find their help in a gay couple, Aaron and Charles. As we are pulled back through the events that got them to where they are, the lives of these four become more entwined and complicated than they had ever planned on. They lay their story bare, sharing their deepest fears about parenthood, the secret betrayals of their relationships, and say the things they never got to say. 

Sperm Donor Wanted (or, The Unnamed Baby Play) was a finalist for the 2023 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award. 

Performances are scheduled on Thursday, April 11 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 12 at 8pm, Saturday, April 13 at 8pm, Sunday, April 14 at 3pm, Thursday, April 18 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 19 at 8pm, Saturday, April 20 at 8pm, Sunday, April 21 at 3pm, Thursday, April 25 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 26 at 8pm, Saturday, April 27 at 8pm, and Sunday, April 28 at 3pm. The performance will run approximately 120 minutes. The theater is wheelchair accessible.

he cast will feature real life couple Brianna Cala (The IV League; The North Witch) and Sophia Grasso (Autopsy of a Night at a Bar at The Tank; Dead Meat with Normal Ave) as Lisa and Bex alongside David J. Baldwin (Oedipus Rex with The Bard Music Festival; The Boston Tea Party Opera at the New York International Fringe Festival) as Charles and Javere Green (BFA in acting from Shenandoah University) as Aaron. Lighting and Scenic Design is by Joshua Rose Designs (The Other Mozart). 

TJ Young (Playwright) is a Texas-born playwright and dramaturg based in Pittsburgh, where he serves as co-representative for the Dramatists Guild - Pittsburgh region. His plays include WE FLY, The Inseparables (Pittsburgh Public Theatre Commission), Isle of Noises (James Madison University Commission), No. 6 (2017 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Award Winner – KCACTF, Indiana Rep), Lyon’s Den (2018 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Distinguished Achievement awardee), Ruby’s Baby Blue (2016 John Cauble Short Play Award Regional Finalist- KCACTF), Hell is Empty (2017 John Cauble Short Play Award Regional Finalist - KCACTF), and Sperm Donor Wanted (2023 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award Finalist). He is the recipient of the 2017 Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship. He was the 2019 Spotlight Artist of Throughline Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, PA. He received his MFA in Dramatic Writing from Texas State University. He is also the NPP Chair for Region 2 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, where he also aids with the Playwriting Intensive and teaches workshops both at the regional and national levels. He is currently an Associate Professor of Dramaturgy at Carnegie Mellon University.

Haley Rice (Director) is a NYC-based writer, director, and producer. She was the Assistant Director for the benefit reading of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart produced by Broadway for Arts Education. She directed the staged reading of Ryan Tofil's Part One, Writers' Block Showcase Scratch That, and assistant-directed Isle of Shoals 2022 production of Romeo & Juliet. She curates the New Works Series, a reading series dedicated to helping writers develop their new pieces and find community. Proud to be asked by the late Ted Wold to direct his 2021 production of Sunday on the Rocks. Co-Founder of Messy Stars Productions. @the_tales_of_hales