←Recommendations of Fossil Lady

Claudia Haas writes inspired and amazing plays about real people and imagined, sometimes combining both to entertain and educate along the way. In FOSSIL LADY we meet the historical Mary Anning and explore her incredible talent and frustration as the first female paleontologist in the early 1800s. I feel the emotional and physical beats of this play so deeply throughout and am grateful to be introduced to this amazing woman by a writer I admire.

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.

A fascinating and moving story of a woman with great dreams and abilities being crushed under a patriarchal system. Timeless and well done.

What a powerful short play that leaves us wanting more! The dialogue convincingly transports us back to 19th century England and we want so much for Mary Anning to break through the sexism and taboos to succeed. I would love to see this play expanded to a longer one-act! .

A play about "The Dinosaur in the room". An interesting way of dealing with the issues of sexism and misogyny in 19th Century England!

This play is simply magical. In just a few short pages, Haas transports us to 19th century England, where Mary has an active scientific mind, which the prevailing culture tries to crush. Yet despite that oppression, she prevails. I would love to see this produced.

Wonderful, moving short play about fossil collector Mary Anning. Would love to see this produced.

A truly captivating and immersive exploration of Mary Anning and the difficulties she faced. Though the piece takes place in the past its themes are extremely relevant in contemporary society.