Synopsis

A garden of a small country house in the middle of summer. The scene shifts between various locations, including an Eastern European airport, government offices, and a London fertility clinic.

Tess Warner, a successful journalist, and her friends Nina and Hugh grapple with the challenges of creating families in their forties. As Nina and Hugh embark on a complicated international adoption process in Eastern Europe, Tess becomes increasingly obsessed with having a child through IVF treatments. Their stories intertwine with those of their friends, including Robert, Tess’s actor husband, and April, a classics professor, as they all confront the realities of aging, career changes, and shifting social expectations.

Timberlake Wertenbaker’s The Break of Day is a complex exploration of feminism, parenthood, and societal change at the turn of the millennium. Through its interconnected narratives and diverse cast of characters, the play delves into themes of biological clocks, adoption ethics, and the legacy of communism in Eastern Europe. Wertenbaker’s sharp dialogue and non-linear structure create a thought-provoking examination of how personal desires intersect with broader social and political shifts, challenging audience’s assumptions about family, fulfillment, and the price of progress