alien(E) Industry Reading

alien(E) by Ella Talerico follows Elaine, a seventy year old woman sitting on a beach who is obsessed with protecting a nest of unhatched sea turtle eggs from harm. She runs into Darling, a mysterious girl who unearths memories of Elaine's past. As Darling's presence conjures Elaine's most traumatic memories, Elaine sees her younger self and her husband, Joe, struggle through childbirth, parenthood, mental health, and fears of the future. Through the prismatic lens of 1960s Floridian beach and space-race culture, alien(E) is a vivid, intimate portrayal of a woman’s complex relationship to motherhood and mental health that asks us where our memories go when we're trying to forget. It was the recipient of the Marilyn Swartz Seven Prize in Playwrighting, 2025. 

The reading is co-produced by 46 Minutes Collective and Tin Can Contingency, directed by Ella Talerico, and features Caroline Humphrey, Joyce Cohen, Angelina Papa, Vi To, and Levi Srebalus.