In a Clearing

Mark is a newly recovering alcoholic living in his hometown of Carp Lake, Wisconsin. He's recently grown close to Pam, a childhood friend who is back home following a family tragedy. As Mark copes with a life of sobriety, he begins having flashbacks to an event that threaten the life he is trying to rebuild. This play shares an intense but often humorous look at addiction recovery and loss, especially in the rural midwest.
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In a Clearing

Recommended by

  • Paul Donnelly:
    5 Aug. 2022
    There is so much hard-earned truth at the heart of this moving study of addiction and loss and the need for independence. The four characters who comprise the cast are complex and vividly drawn, but full and compelling portraits are also drawn of many of the people in their lives. There is a rich sense of the entire community that deepens the narrative. The central relationship between Mark and Pam is depicted with humor and depth, authentically charting the vagaries of mutual attraction at just the wrong time. There is so much to celebrate about this accomplished piece.
  • Nick Malakhow:
    17 Jun. 2022
    A trim, well-paced, character-driven play that explores recovery, grief, the push-pull of home, family, and what happens when all of those things intersect in a complex fashion. I appreciated how each character was flawed while also having their own personal moments of redemption. Saari also provided an insightful window into the town, its culture, and its tensions with the particular cross section of characters selected--an impressive feat to render the town with such detail with just four humans! Lastly, I appreciated the humor/drama balance here. I'd love to see it on its feet in production.
  • Andrew Gall:
    8 Sep. 2021
    This is a deeply felt character-driven play. It is peopled with characters that are at once familiar and yet surprising and revelatory in where the play takes you. Without veering into sentimentality or caricature, this play examines the interwoven bitter and beautiful truths of ordinary people who make extraordinary discoveries about themselves. Highly recommended.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Last Frontier Theatre Conference
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    Workshop Stage
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    Playwrights Center
    ,
    2016
  • Reading
    ,
    Wisconsin Wrights New Play Festival-Forward Theater Company
    ,
    2015

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    The Magnetic Theatre Company, Asheville, NC
    ,
    2018

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Princess Grace Fellowship Award
,
Princess Grace Foundation
,
2023
Semi-Finalist
,
Playwriting Award
,
Hidden River Arts
,
2020
Semi-Finalist
,
NAP Series
,
Normal Ave (NYC)
,
2019
Semi-Finalist
,
National Playwriting Conference
,
Eugene O'Neill Center
,
2018
Finalist
,
ATHE Award for Excellence in Playwriting
,
Association for Theatre in Higher Education
,
2017
Semi-Finalist
,
Cimientos
,
IATI Theatre
,
2017
Selection
,
Wisconsin Wrights New Play Festival
,
Forward Theater Company
,
2015