FORCEFULLY DENIED by Rachael Carnes

5-Minute Play: A documentary-theatre play, sourced from Supreme Court Nomination Hearing Testimony, by Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford, and a statement by Senator Susan Collins, October 5, 2018, Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution, inked in 1787, and the step-by-step instructions of a sexual assault evidence collection kit (SAECK), that comes in a sealed package, with an expiration date.
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FORCEFULLY DENIED

Recommended by

  • Jean Koppen:
    19 Aug. 2022
    “ Carnes masterfully juxtaposes the removed political rhetoric with the victim's heartfelt struggle and the physical reality of assault to visceral effect. This play is moving, powerful and extraordinarily relevant. It is about this event and these people, but also about our culture and current reality. This will haunt me. ”
  • Scott Sickles:
    19 Dec. 2021
    “ This is why I rarely watch the news. I just get so f***ing angry. And the senior senator from Maine is one of the people who makes me angriest.

    This play hit me hard! The reminders of Blasey-Ford’s courage in coming forward are magnified by the dramatization of a nurse administering a rape kit. “Rape kit” makes it sounds so one and done, but there’s a whole process that everyone should know about. Everyone should know all of this: what it’s like and what it’s not.

    Carnes has given us an important play. ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    10 Jul. 2020
    “ A powerful piece in response to the Kavanaugh hearings that resonates with everyone who is sick and tired of the policy towards sexual assault in this country. Well done. ”
View all 7 recommendations

Character Information

SUSAN COLLINS — When people in Washington want to solve a problem, they turn to the senior United States Senator from Maine.

DR. CHRISTINE BLASEY-FORD — A professor of psychology, and a researcher, who specializes in developing statistic models. A middle-aged woman, and her teenage self.

KATHLEEN — A forensic nurse. Woman.

  • SUSAN
    Adult,
    Any
    ,
    woman
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • KATHLEEN
    Adult,
    Any
    ,
    woman
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • CHRISTINE
    Adult,
    Any (but probably white)
    ,
    woman
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Sacred Fools Theatre, Los Angeles
    ,
    2020
  • Professional
    ,
    Sacred Fools Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
    ,
    2019