What to Expect

by Nabra Nelson

In the year 2080, the new normal involves taboos on pregnancy, car ownership, red meat, and suburban homes. It involves travel restrictions, a mixed-race majority, ongoing climate disasters, and constant uncertainty. But other than that, everything is the old normal. Except for Hoda’s experimental pregnancy. As Hoda gets ever-closer to her dream life – a home safe in Canada, away from Seattle’s floods and...

In the year 2080, the new normal involves taboos on pregnancy, car ownership, red meat, and suburban homes. It involves travel restrictions, a mixed-race majority, ongoing climate disasters, and constant uncertainty. But other than that, everything is the old normal. Except for Hoda’s experimental pregnancy. As Hoda gets ever-closer to her dream life – a home safe in Canada, away from Seattle’s floods and wildfires, and a nuclear family to settle down with – things don’t seem to be going as planned. As she waits for her husband Ahmed to adopt a child from Egypt to round out their family, she starts getting pains that her Doctor can’t explain, and she meets an intriguing new friend named JeeYoung. The clock ticks as the Big One approaches to wash away Hoda’s plans, but she is determined to fly away in time.

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What to Expect

Recommended by

  • Red Theater: What to Expect by Nabra Nelson
    “

    Quick, funny, and unabashedly weird, this play asks us what sensations are the most important to preserve as humanity gets deeper into survival mode. It questions what motivates us on a primal level - to bear pain, to have a family, to feel safe. As our circumstances for life get increasingly dire, what is the most valuable to us in the day-to-day?

    Quick, funny, and unabashedly weird, this play asks us what sensations are the most important to preserve as humanity gets deeper into survival mode. It questions what motivates us on a primal level - to bear pain, to have a family, to feel safe. As our circumstances for life get increasingly dire, what is the most valuable to us in the day-to-day?

    ”
  • Blyss Cleveland: What to Expect by Nabra Nelson
    “

    "What to Expect" is a fantastic and imaginative play set in an apocalyptic future where people desire to cling to the past despite existing in a time when human life is more precarious than ever. The language throughout the script is so rich, a fact that's reflected even in the title. The action moves toward a shocking ending. I would love to see this on stage!

    "What to Expect" is a fantastic and imaginative play set in an apocalyptic future where people desire to cling to the past despite existing in a time when human life is more precarious than ever. The language throughout the script is so rich, a fact that's reflected even in the title. The action moves toward a shocking ending. I would love to see this on stage!

    ”
  • Daniel Bird Tobin: What to Expect by Nabra Nelson
    “

    This play builds an entire world that feels alive and terrifyingly real. It's filled with visceral images and leaves you with a sea of questions.

    This play builds an entire world that feels alive and terrifyingly real. It's filled with visceral images and leaves you with a sea of questions.

    ”
View all 7 recommendations
HODA – Egyptian-American, 20s-30s, mixed race.
AHMED – Egyptian-American, 20s-30s, mixed race.
JEEYOUNG (doubles as the DOCTOR) – Korean-American, 20s-50s, mixed race.

Development History

  • Workshop, Macha Theatre Works, 2023
  • Reading, Golden Thread Productions, 2022