A Tradwife Play Is in the Works

Writer-actor Kelly Pekar has written Trad, which will get an NYC industry presentation in May.

February 20, 2026 By Logan Culwell-Block

Writer-actor Kelly Pekar wants to bring the incendiary tradwife movement to the stage with a new play, Trad, which has set an NYC industry presentation for May 8. Hannah Ryan is directing with special cultural consulting by Tia Levings, author of A Well-Trained Wife and featured in the documentary Shiny Happy People.

Tradwife is the word created around mostly social media content that is glorifying 1950s-style gender roles, eschewing modern feminism and financial independence to encourage women to become homemakers. Many women have found fame as tradwife influencers with endless content of them cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children, usually in a rustic, bucolic setting.

Pekar's play will be set in 2052, following a tradwife TikTok influencer suddenly faced with new challenges after the sudden death of her husband. Casting is to be announced.

Industry members wishing to attend the May reading can email [email protected].