←Recommendations of PERMISSION

There are conversations that parents have with children where the child realizes that their parent may not be just the dictator of the house but also a person whose experiences and fears guide so much of their seemingly illogical decisions regarding their children. Rachael Carnes creates that moment when a daughter sees her mother in a way that one is never quite prepared for but will nevertheless have at some point. It's a coming of age story that rings so true and, tragically, is relevant today and will probably be relevant tomorrow. A fine play with heart and purpose.

Another example of why Rachael Carnes is at the top of her game when it comes to short, social issue plays. SHe cuts past all the gaga to get to the heart and the reality that thee characters face. In Permission, she tackles the all important concerns of sexual assault and how generations deal with this. Emma and Alice are full drawn out, realistic characters who are love each other and are at odds with each other at the same time. A great, highly recommended play.

An eye opening play that shows a moving and realistic depiction of mother and daughter at odds with each other and themselves. The play dives into issues with social norms, gender roles, and the difficultly in accessing the root of our fears. Most importantly, it doesn't sugar coat nor does it end with a pretty ribbon.

Carnes writes a play where the two players are between a rock and a hard place, an infuriating impasse; when a mother is so scared for her child, she won't even let her do the things which empower her. It's a tough gig. What's interesting is we're left with choosing who to side with, even though both are correct, and both are missing a point. This is high drama. Breathless and suffocating, inspired and illuminating.

I attended the reading at Clutch productions and loved this play. The relationship was so real and compelling The voices of both mother and daughter were so believable..It built slowly to a surprise revelation in a way that was dramatic and sensitive. . I had tears in my eyes at the end. A must for any program on the topic of MeToo.

Powerful and gut-wrenching. Carnes infuses this ten minute play with such feroicity and pain that I want to stand up and change the world right now and rid it of all the stupid jerk men who are alive and breathing. Another winner from one of the master storytellers

This is a conversation happening everywhere. And while it may seem that these conversations are new to this generation, Carnes gently inserts a narrative suggesting these conversations should have started many generations ago. The play moves urgently to a new place bring bringing new understanding to mother and daughter. And to audiences.

From the first word, you are in the room with this mother and daughter. This is a real conversation happening in dining rooms today. The fear. The desire for there to be no need to fear. Carnes says all this in five minutes.

A necessary play for #metoo theatre. Perfectly structured, a great example of a ten minute play. Produce this play!

WOW. Super powerful and super important, and super sad that a play like this feels so necessary. Would be a powerhouse addition to any festival, and a good jumping off point for conversations with any teenager. A particular strength of Carnes' play is the role reversal, however subtle, where Emma must suddenly take care of her mother. Carnes does here for the word "permission" what Jordan Elizabeth Henry does for the term "sistering" in her play of the same name, and it is an example of playwriting at its finest and most relevant. Simply put, produce this play. Please. Please.