I adore "Mary, Mary quite contrary." And thank goodness she was. Haas captures the strength of this woman as well as the pull of the stormy tide of time and belief in a few short scenes. Brava.

FOSSIL LADY gives us fiery dialogue exchanges and meaningful reflection as we are introduced to a fascinating woman of science, Mary Anning. Claudie Hass beautifully showcases Mary's intelligence and knowledge alongside her battle against the patriarchal society that excludes and demeans women in social context and scientific discovery. A lovely play with strong female characters, science, and faith that would be excellent in a variety of settings, including colleges and educational festivals.

Today Mary Anning is a still unsung-but-growing hero in the paleontological community, in her lifetime, specifically as she was early in her work, she was viewed as a laborer if they acknowledged her at all. The short and powerful FOSSIL LADY, by Claudia Haas, set after Mary and her father's discovery of the first ichthyosaur but before her discovery of the first complete plesiosaur, demonstrates the dismissal that the patriarchal scientific communities had for her. It shows the fight she had to go through to recoup her time and resources while protecting her discoveries, to be considered an equal.