←Recommendations of The Thought Doesn't Count

I saw a reading of this play at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and connected with how realistic and modern the dialogue and situation felt . Emily manages to bring humor into a subject that is not often talked about publicly, and that feels like a smart move in order to really hit the audience emotionally with the real crux of the play, while also giving them a lot of room to laugh. I definitely look forward to getting acquainted with more of her work!

This is another really accomplished piece I caught at the Midwest Dramatists Conference, and I'm still struck by how Emily Hageman creates smart, sophisticated people who seem to know everything except how to deal with their loss. The wife and husband in this short play are witty, intelligent -- and hurting. You'll feel their love, their confusion, and their pain. And I believe you, like me, will be glad you did.

I saw a reading of this play at the 2018 Midwest Dramatists Conference and was so impressed and moved by it. The play is painful, beautiful, funny, full of truth. Hageman creates living, breathing characters going through a crisis, artfully giving them both space and intimacy, and it just all felt very real. Really lovely work.

How I love Emily Hageman's work. Hard to believe anyone can write a play with a sock monkey and make it anything more than a joke, but Hageman has used the prompt to write a beautiful play about a couple's unspoken grief. So much happens in just a few pages thanks to the skill of the playwright. Audiences will be moved and absorbed by this play, as I was.

A very lovely and very human scene that breaks the heart. The feeling of loss is honest and visceral and the feeling of love between two would-be parents is equally palpable. A great read.

Heartbreaking. Hilarious. Human. Honest.

This is one of the best ten-minute plays I have had the good luck to experience. Read it right now.

A lovely play and a beautiful examination of grief, Emily Hageman has created a world so packed with humor and sorrow that it seems more than just a ten-minute play. This is a fully realized look into the lives of those struggling with something the world tries to never talk about. And Hageman answers that silence with a humor, grace, and love that overshadows the pain of loss. I cannot recommend this play enough.

This absolutely lovely 10-minute play nails how couples use humor and farce to deflect and engage with nigh-unspeakable pain. Honest, hilarious, and tear-jerking, you'll be amazed how much beauty and life can be captured in such a brief piece of theater. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful and very real play. It portrays loss through a funny, warm, and authentic lens. The characters are achingly and delightfully real. Hageman deftly handles the hills and valleys of a relationship unsettled by a miscarriage with honesty while avoiding falling into maudlin melodrama.

A touching and truly honest examination of two people dealing with loss. It is done with grace and humor that makes it a powerful moment.