Rust On Bone

by Bianca Sams

Trapped by a stranger in her office, psychologist Dr. Devra Mendoza must use all of her training to maneuver her way through a game of cat and mouse with life and death consequences. Rust on Bone, looks at the personal cost of war, societal stigmas of therapy, and the ripple effects of trauma and mental illness.

Trapped by a stranger in her office, psychologist Dr. Devra Mendoza must use all of her training to maneuver her way through a game of cat and mouse with life and death consequences. Rust on Bone, looks at the personal cost of war, societal stigmas of therapy, and the ripple effects of trauma and mental illness.

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Rust On Bone

Recommended by

  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend: Rust On Bone by Bianca Sams
    “

    Oh wow, the first 53 pages of this play will suck you in! I wish the rest were available to read - or even better, I wish I could see a production! This play deals with trauma and how it doesn't go away when the traumatic moment has past. The story is told non-linearly, to great effect. What a powerful piece!

    Oh wow, the first 53 pages of this play will suck you in! I wish the rest were available to read - or even better, I wish I could see a production! This play deals with trauma and how it doesn't go away when the traumatic moment has past. The story is told non-linearly, to great effect. What a powerful piece!

    ”
  • Nick Malakhow: Rust On Bone by Bianca Sams
    “

    What a ride it was to read the first 50 pages or so which are available here to download! Sams' use of shifting chronology and memory and sound heightens the theatricality and tension of this already taut narrative. Devra is an amazing and layered protagonist, and the reveals come elegantly and naturally while still being surprising. I appreciated how this both worked as a compelling psychological thriller and a nuanced and complex exploration of mental health, PTSD, and the resources sorely lacking or underdeveloped or under-priortized for veterans. Definitely dying to know how it ends!

    What a ride it was to read the first 50 pages or so which are available here to download! Sams' use of shifting chronology and memory and sound heightens the theatricality and tension of this already taut narrative. Devra is an amazing and layered protagonist, and the reveals come elegantly and naturally while still being surprising. I appreciated how this both worked as a compelling psychological thriller and a nuanced and complex exploration of mental health, PTSD, and the resources sorely lacking or underdeveloped or under-priortized for veterans. Definitely dying to know how it ends!

    ”
  • Scott Sickles: Rust On Bone by Bianca Sams
    “

    Powerful, complex, intense, and thought provoking, Rust on Bone uses its protagonist's method of immersive trauma counseling to take the audience through the subjective experiences of its characters' PTSD in this study of fear, race, and the subjectivity of truth. Whose memory can we trust? Can we trust our own? At what point are we safe from the experiences that nearly kill us? Are we ever? A haunting piece.

    Powerful, complex, intense, and thought provoking, Rust on Bone uses its protagonist's method of immersive trauma counseling to take the audience through the subjective experiences of its characters' PTSD in this study of fear, race, and the subjectivity of truth. Whose memory can we trust? Can we trust our own? At what point are we safe from the experiences that nearly kill us? Are we ever? A haunting piece.

    ”
View all 4 recommendations
There is the possibility of Sue being double cast with Agnes, but not necessary by any means. And my preference is for them to be two different actors, and Sue be an actor of Color.

Development History

  • Reading, Available Light Theatre - Ohio, 2015
  • Reading, Babes With Blades Theater - Chicago - Fighting Words Series, 2015
  • Reading, Ohio State University - Cost of War Confernce, 2015
  • Workshop, Ohio University - Seabury Quinn Festival, 2014
  • Reading, NYC - Chuck Smith- Director, 2014