←Recommendations of Copper Angel

For many many reasons, Anna Coleman Ladd has long been one of my heroes so I was excited beyond belief to come across this marvelous play! McClain has taken this powerhouse of a woman and told her story with poetry, empathy, and realism that brings Ladd and her greatest acheivement to stunning life.

This play about Anna Coleman Ladd, who made masks for disfigured WWI veterans, is beautiful. Her story is told so succinctly, yet so movingly as well. I love how Emily McClain weaves in music and poetry to tell the story, and I especially enjoyed how nobody felt like that 'bad guy' in the play. Anna's husband doesn't understand or appreciate her work, but just when I was starting to dislike him, along came a scene in which he was trying to write letters to the mothers of dead soldiers, which broke my heart for him. What a wonderful play.

This is such a beautiful and moving play featuring a woman from history that I was delighted to get to know through this piece. What an incredible examination of one woman's contribution to healing and rebuilding in the aftermath of a devastating war.

In theory, we all know the human cost of war and we know that it is not reflected in statistics but in personal testimony and, in my opinion, great art. Through this poetic and gripping play, McClain forces us to confront the terrible realities of the First World War. We go on a harrowing journey with the protagonist, a person from a privileged background who is immersed in the horrors of the trenches but refuses to let them defeat her or the soldiers she commits to. The monologues are shattering, each one a compelling piece on its own. Powerful writing.