←Recommendations of Heart Land

Emily Hageman has a gift for dialog, and here she directs it at a beginning therapist learning that the real world has some surprises for her, and a student just beginning to recover from a school incident that may have been violent (we never learn what in particular). There are some heartbreaking scenes and a sudden turn where the lead character walks away from something good. In short, life is messy. "Heart Land" leaves you wanting more — in theater, not a bad thing at all!

Emily Hageman describes this play as still in development, but it's already full of beautiful moments that perfectly capture the unique pain of an adult looking to a teenager for connection, and a teenager looking to an adult for the same. Could there be an intersection with greater doubt on each corner? Her characters feel like they’re waiting for the light to change without fully believing it ever will. And when it looks as if it could, their brief arrivals at the comfort and insight they seek send them hurrying in the opposite direction.

A lovely and painful play, with some seriously warm, fresh, painful dialogue. The journey of growth is sweet and devastating, showcasing Hageman's thorough knowledge of the dynamics between characters who are trying really hard to just know themselves. And where we expect certain big moments to be going, we end up somewhere else instead, and the landing is so hard but just feels spot-on.

A tenderly written and beautifully observed small piece about recovery, connection, and modern relationships. This play says some profound things about what it means to be a teacher, an adult, a support system, and a teenager. All of the characters are delightfully flawed and realistically guarded. Like "Joan's Arc," Hageman uses a large and traumatic event as the pressure-cooker in which we see the characters' humanity emerge. By centering her story around the aftermath rather than the a procedural about the event itself, Hageman centers voices that need to be heard and successfully avoids exploiting victims and their trauma.

You hope for a lot of things as the play unfolds. As in life, you don’t always get what you hope for but the play succeeds in making each character’s journey a possibility of renewal and growth. We have all been in Marty’s shoes. We have history that complicates us, doubts that plague us and skills that reassure us. What fascinated me was knowing that Marty’s journey doesn’t end when the play does. A meaningful play about what we find and lose along the way.

That sound you hear is those of us who have thoroughly enjoyed Hageman's shorter works rejoicing at the arrival of her first full-length. All of her signature superpowers- heartfelt characters and deep dives into tough subject matter, plus irresistible, adorable wit - are out in full force. Here she shines the spotlight on Marty, a young therapist who tries to move past her own traumas to help high school students sort through their own experiences. Hageman has a master's touch when it comes to exploring interesting characters/ scenarios, and this is no exception. Hageman at any length is a marvel.