←Recommendations of HELPER

Oh my god! This piece wrenches at your heart in different ways as it progresses. As someone who's looked after many dogs, I think Bailey is a wonderful portrayal of a human's best friend as they express their wonder and curiosity about their day and the person they look after but it doesn't just stop there. Without giving away too much of how the story unfolds, Rachael has created a wonderfully believable character that will probably have you looking at your dog a different way! She's then taken that character and wrapped it in a rollercoaster emotional journey. Fabulous!

This play gave me whiplash with how quickly it turned from adorable to heartbreaking. Carnes has such a strong command over her language and somehow manages to create a character that is undeniably human despite being a dog. This play doesn't read as corny, like some plays that include humans playing animals. It feels incredibly real. Bailey doesn't shy away from humanlike interactions with their person, and that is what makes this play shine. Carnes understands Bailey's humanlike empathy, and combining that with their pure heart creates a character that is heartwarming, lovable, and so very real.

A beautifully done piece that shows the enormous impact pets have on our lives. They do everything they can to emotionally support us, but in the end we have to do it for ourselves. A message in the necessity of self care for us and those we love. A great statement on mental health and connection to loved ones. Well done.

Extremely clever piece showing the impact of depression/mental health issues from a completely new perspective. Entertaining, humorous, but poignant.

Pets are our confidantes, our nursemaids, our loyal friends. HELPER expresses the inner thoughts of a kindhearted dog who is concerned about their human. This monologue will touch the hearts of pet owners and encourage people to reach out to their loved ones. HELPER reminds us that extending a hand - or a paw - can save someone's life.

What a touching slice of life. Depression, suicide and mental health challenges tend to impact the ones we love, but I'd never before considered how they could impact our furry friends. Carnes masterful control of language fully immersed me in her world. I was taken along for the ride and rewarded. What a lovely piece.

A monologue from a dog's perspective. You read that right. Captures what we love about our canine pals, their unconditional love and devotion, their power to change not only our day from sucky to great, but also save ourselves from despair or worse. They certainly can make us better humans. This would be a wonderful challenge for an actor -- on all fours.

Carnes' monologue play about a relatively tiny creature trying to make a big impact reminds me of one of my favorite poems, "Why We Don't Die" by Robert Bly. This piece, honestly, helps me focus on what ultimately distracts me and therefore by chance keeps me going, which is never my goals or big questions or grander meanings; no - it's the way a thing on the floor has a funny shape, a kiss on the forehead, a twitch of the thumb that then suddenly touches something wet or cold, the nonplussed head-cock of my dog. See? Look at her.