LACKING EXPERIENCE may be an apt name for this honest play given Ella's pilgrimage across the frets, but it wouldn't describe Palmer herself one bit. While the dialogue that this wordsmith uses to digest what young relationships are, can be, cuts deeply, it is interwoven perfectly with golden music that drives Ella forward when words just won't do. A masterful exploration into our presence in the now as ourselves, our connection to the people who helped put us there, and all the personal reconciliation between.

LACKING EXPERIENCE flirts with your nostalgia, as it explores growing up queer in the world today. It satisfies the soul, like any great bassline. The instrumentation and actor accompanied underscoring heighten the naturalistic scenes and pluck at your heartstrings. Amber brings identity, desire, and musicality in one practice room and give them space to harmonize in this nuanced coming of age story. LACKING EXPERIENCE takes you on a sonic journey that will leave you repeating lines and humming the band’s melodies well into the night.

A gorgeous, honest play about friendship, family, love, and self. This play transports you back to high school, but Palmer, within the teenaged anxiety, expertly weaves grounded, self-awareness that gives a refreshing look at high-schoolers instead of patronizing them on their journey to adulthood. I am so grateful to see a play that depicts women and LGBTQ characters in a story that is about so much more than just coming out.