←Recommendations of Soldier Poet

A powerful look into the reality of war and what it takes to survive let alone truly become a hero. Well done.

"Soldier Poet" provides a taut, gut-wrenching and surprisingly human look at what is worth fighting for. Each character is individually unique and the imagery throughout the play rattled around in my head for days(I'll never hear the words "chlorine gas" the same again). Darcy Parker Bruce is a gifted wordsmith whose name belongs in the same breath as Paula Vogel, Sarah Ruhl and Suzan-Lori Parks. I'd love to see this play on it's feet.

A gripping examination of the psychology of war, and what it means for someone to be a hero. It is about the importance of continuing to fight for what is right, even if it isn't what you're told to do, and even if it seems hopeless. It's about fighting to your very last breath.

In the words of Samir: "I think it’s poetic to fight until your last breath. And even more poetic to live."

Darcy has such a gift with words, wisdom, and gut wrenching feeling - what a powerful and heart-pounding play! Would love to see this come alive on stage!

"Soldier Poet" is nearly biblical in its scope. Yet, with a tight focus on two soldiers and nurse, the playwright has distilled the enormity of the conflict into the immediacy of 4 actors. The audience is locked in purgatory with the characters, who wrestle to bring some small good into a city that is tearing itself apart. Remarkably, the play never succumbs to bleakness. Terse dialogue suddenly sprouts into lyrical composition and the absurdity of the situation births biblical imagery. This is a play that I will think about for a long time to come.

The tension in this play is on a different level. Stakes are so high for these two American soldiers and the Syrian women they meet in war ravaged Aleppo. It's a play about something big but told in such a poetic and intimate way. Darcy Parker Bruce has created a gorgeous play that forces audiences to see the horrors of war and wrestle with the ethical situations soldiers are forced into.

Transported from the beginning, Soldier Poet explores not only the obvious exterior in which it is set, but delves deeply into the interior, the relationships, the humanity: the heart of any good story/play. Laced with wit, humor, intensity, compassion, and a certain type of lyricism and poetical nature, I was blessed to hear Soldier Poet in the form of a NYC staged reading in June of 2018. As topical as it is, it is also timeless, and beats to a beauty-full heart, similar to the heart of its author, Darcy Parker Bruce.

A wonderful and timely piece of drama that captures the current state of tension and turmoil on foreign land while asking us questions about how we feel towards those we have lost on our own soil. A play about family values and the importance of life, what choices will we make when the date of others may be in our hands. Keep up the good work Darcy

A gripping, poetic evocation of the Syria war. Darcy Parker Bruce's characters are always wonderfully real and human, and there's a lyricism here that will absolutely break your heart. (I'd quote some of my favorite lines but I want you to experience them firsthand!) I love all Darcy's plays I've read or seen so far but this one is definitely my favorite, huge stakes and she pulls them off brilliantly. There's a moral seriousness and depth to Soldier Poet you really don't find very often. Highly recommended.

Soldier Poet is a fluid, heartfelt play full of vibrant imagery and stage picture. It examines heroism, love, and risk taking from the bombed streets of Aleppo and the point of view of two sisters and two American soldiers. A thoughtful, emotional drama.