←Recommendations of Gun Story

"Gun Story" by Karen Saari is an incredibly powerful play that fearlessly delves into the topic of gun violence while exploring the dynamics between two parents. Saari captures the raw authenticity of their emotional journey, from the shared struggles of raising teenagers to the shocking revelation of a gun-related "joke" that threatens their newfound connection. With a perfect balance of humor and vulnerability, the play prompts deep reflection on the consequences of our actions and words. "Gun Story" is a compelling and thought-provoking choice for any festival, inviting audiences to engage in meaningful conversations

Words have power. Even in jest, words can do damage. Karen Saari presents an all too real interaction in an eloquent way. At one time there were things that were understood as a joke, but that doesn’t excuse them even when everyone was supposedly in on the joke. I hate to admit that I was on the delivery end of this brand of humor as an overprotective dad. Never gun related, but a similar gist. We grow from who we were. This is a wonderful short play addressing an awakening of awareness.

The world of teenagers is always a complicated one, coupling that with the terrifying world of gun violence and its easy to see why the tension mounts between these two parents. Karen does a great job of keeping the audience guessing regarding the characters connection before mounting tension with a brilliant pace once the truth is discovered. Brilliantly constructed.

I saw a reading of this play at the 2022 William Inge Theatre Festival. The playwright does a masterful job layering humor on top of drama and drama on top of humor. You really get a good sense of who these characters are quickly. Their interaction here, which goes from strangers to friendly acquaintances to ... <I won't spoil it, but it's complex and rooted in family and rich backstory!> ... is handled brilliantly in just 10 minutes. Nice work!

Karen quickly draws you into the routine and unexpected lives of two parents. She masterfully unravels Lloyd’s belief system in a smooth arc. I saw this at the 2022 Inge festival in Independence KS where it was very well received.

What a great intersection of gun violence and autism. The archaic, toxic, masculine father devices need to be gone. Saari does a beautiful job of offering that argument with humor, connection, and grace.

Gun violence. Autism. Parenting. Teen angst. Karen Saari cooks up so much in this riveting short play and expertly brings it all together in a stunning and satisfying meal. While Lloyd may be the kind of man we wish we could avoid, we have all had to deal with the Lloyds of the world. Mae teaches him a thing or two about compassion and points him, we hope, down the road to redemption. These very real characters and their very real situation stay with us long after the last moments of the play.

I saw this at the 2022 Inge festival in Independence KS. This play sharply created characters that bonded over their children, only to realize one parent had inadvertently been incredibly damaging to the other’s child. It is difficult to pull of a twist of tone in a 10 minute play and this one did it beautifully.

I had the great pleasure of seeing a reading of Gun Story at the 22nd Annual William Inge Playlab Festival in Kansas. Playwright Karen Saari has expertly crafted a short play that takes us from peals of laughter to stunned silence. Her characters are relatable, flawed, and seeking commonality. Gun Story is about so much more than the title implies. Would love to see a full production.

Karen Saari gets all the details right in a nuanced play about a misunderstanding that suddenly is about so much more. This play, full of meaning and insight is wonderfully crafted and has a big payoff.