A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Best We Could (a family tragedy)

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 2m

A daughter’s road trip with her father becomes a theatrical journey across more than just state lines as both of their pasts rise to the surface, revealing difficult truths.

The Best We Could (a family tragedy)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
In this funny, wise, and heartbreaking debut from Emily Feldman, a daughter’s road trip with her father becomes a theatrical journey across more than just state lines. Though 36-year old Ella has nearly given up on life, she agrees to accompany her father Lou on a long-distance trip to adopt a rescue dog. Guided by a narrator called Maps and interspersed with memories and phone calls from Ella’s mother, Peg, their journey reveals hard truths as their pasts slowly rise to the surface.
History
The Best We Could (a family tragedy) premiered off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club on 7 February 2023. Directed by Daniel Aukin, the production featured Aya Cash, Brian D. Coats, Maureen Sebastian, Constance Shulman and Frank Wood.
MAPS
ELLA
PEG
LOU
MARC
  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting An interstate highway, a suburban home, national parks, restaurants and other spaces. The present.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Searingly insightful... like a personal GPS that plots the course of a family.” – The New York Times

“Provocative... [a] shocking tragedy punctuated with dark humor... a non-linear memory play framed in a meta-theatrical device inspired by Thornton Wilder’s iconic Our Town, but with a decidedly post-modern theme that addresses a hot-button issue of our time... leaves us thinking about the generational changes and gender-based differences in perception and reaction to untoward situations with colleagues in the workplace” – DC Theater Arts

★★★★ “The premise isn't fantastical. It's painfully plausible. It takes emotions and experiences we as humans champion — connection, family, integrity — and flips them on their head.” – New York Theatre Guide

“[An] absorbing, precociously humane account of an aging man's relationship with his 30-something daughter... Emily Feldman reveals her characters like pieces in a puzzle assembled over time, and their foibles are drawn with maturity and compassion.” – The New York Sun

“Searingly insightful... Cosmic questions that lurk beneath everyday routines seem to creep in from the periphery... the loudest being, is this really all there is to life? There is more to Feldman’s layered investigation of consumer capitalism, kinship and gendered power imbalances, which she brings to light throughout The Best We Could in the manner of family secrets: There’s no escaping the ones you love, or the truth.” – The New York Times

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

A Tragedy That Made Me Laugh: Emily Feldman Discusses Her Play The Best We Could
Garrett Anderson
21 May 2024

Videos

  • The Best We Could – Manhattan Theatre Club youtube thumbnail

    The Best We Could – Manhattan Theatre Club

  • The Best We Could – MTC Trailer youtube thumbnail

    The Best We Could – MTC Trailer

  • The Best We Could – Audience Response youtube thumbnail

    The Best We Could – Audience Response

  • The Best We Could – The Characters youtube thumbnail

    The Best We Could – The Characters

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Emily Feldman

Emily Feldman is a playwright living in New York City. Her play The Best We Could (a family tragedy) received its world premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2023, directed by Daniel Aukin. It received an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and The Tow Foundation Playwrights R ...

View full profile

Now Playing

Related