←Recommendations of All Eight

If you know nothing about the sport of rowing or its part in the history of female athletics, the relationships in this play definitely take the helm. If you do know what it is to row a boat down a river at 5am for sport, then this play taps into all the nuanced experiences and emotions. Camp takes a close look at all of the complicated power dynamics of male dominated arenas when the males are not present, and when the men have allegedly lost power. I would love to see this play onstage, especially at (D-1) universities.

As someone who was not blessed with any innate athletic ability, I know as little about sports as humanly possible, but I love any time a play can put me in a very specific world that feels real and lived-in, and this play definitely accomplishes that. I don't think you have to know much about crew to appreciate the character dynamics and the mix of camaraderie and competition among the rowers.

I heard someone describe it as "the first Title IX play" at its reading in New York and it certainly fits the bill: ALL EIGHT is a nuanced, equal parts horrific and funny exploration of the experiences of young women in collegiate sports. While it tackles the Big Subject of sexual harrasment, it keeps the focus squarely on the women (we never see the coach or other men), and it never lets us off the hook: heroes can be selfish, victims can be complicit, and winning the race always comes at a price.

Channeling the spirit of The Wolves, this play is a terrific peek inside the world of competitive collegiate female athletics. (The themes and individual stories almost certainly transcend rowing and bleed into multiple collegiate athletic dynamics). Lilly Camp has done an outstanding job creating nine distinct characters, with nine distinct journeys -- no small feat. Brava!