PREDICTOR
By Jennifer Blackmer; Directed by Alex Keegan
AMT THEATER | 354 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036
DECEMBER 10 - JANUARY 18, 2026
Photo Credit: Valerie Terranova Photography
It’s hard to believe the world my mother lived in could put a man on the moon, but refused to allow women to test whether or not they were pregnant in the comfort of their own home. Married women were meant to let nature take its course, so this kind of test could only be wanted for immoral purposes. The story of Margaret Crane and her invention will make your blood boil. You will recognize how far we’ve come, and how far many would like to drag us back.
Predictor takes place in the mind of Margaret Crane in the split seconds she has to decide whether or not to sign away her rights to her invention for $1.00 to the company she worked for who wouldn’t even make her an employee. The play takes us through fact and fantasy, from game show to boardroom over the years it took for Crane’s idea to become a reality. Caitlin Kinnunen leads the ensemble as Crane with a small voice and a desire to not make waves in a man’s world until she is too frustrated by the dishonesty of the man in charge of the product, just as she was frustrated with the game show who credited her invention to someone else in her fantasy.
The magic in this production is its specificity. Every moment is meticulously thought through by everyone involved. While the ensemble jumps from character to character, no matter how long they inhabit that particular skin you can see their fully thought out lives and backstories. Just like the simplicity of Crane’s designed prototype, the design team is just as economical. They make the most out of limited space to allow for more playing space, and to make transitions seamless.
Keegan’s direction defines the world while not constricting the artists. I feel like everyone got the opportunity to play and only keep the best of their creations: John Leonard Thompson as the boss who truly means well, Nick Piacente as Ira Sturtevant the ad executive who would go on to be Margaret’s partner for over 40 years, Jes Washington as Crane’s activist roommate, Lauren Molina as Crane’s coworker, April Ortiz as Mother Superior, and Eric Tabach as the primary villain who would rather sideline the project than see a woman succeed. Washington and Molina’s turns as women who might be pregnant in very different circumstances are equally heartbreaking and thought-provoking.
Blackmer’s play fights predictability. It’s a story happening in the 60s and early 70s, when many women didn’t have legal access to birth control or even private pregnancy tests. It would be 1993 before the last state in the US outlawed marital rape. As such, there’s nothing shocking about Crane being sidelined by more powerful men. Blackmer highlights important facts without making the audience feel they’re getting a history lesson. It’s her structuring of the play that keeps the story fresh and engaging.
While some may consider the holidays as an odd time to run a production about home pregnancy tests, please consider a woman who had no idea how she got pregnant but became the most famous mother in history. We need the current generation to know that Margaret Crane’s history is becoming precariously close to our present. While Margaret Crane has a place in history, she is currently 86 years old and very much part of the present.
Scenic/Props Design.............................................................................................Cat Raynor
Costume Design................................................................................................Alicia Austin
Lighting Design.....................................................................................................Zach Blane
Sound Design & Original Music..................................................................Uptown Works
Associate Director............................................................................................Sarah Shapiro
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Review by Nicole Jesson.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on December 14, 2025. All rights reserved.