←Recommendations of Eight Ways to Plead with a God

One of my favorite outdoor adventurer genre plays and a brilliant ensemble piece! Vaish deftly crafts eight distinct yet intertwined character arcs as the cast treks up steep and treacherous mountain slopes. Vaish also brings to life a timely journey as all eight characters begin their climb with the same western extractive mindsets that we are all so used to seeing in mountaineering movies and media, and brings us to a necessary alternative viewpoint by the play's conclusion.

A brilliant ensemble piece. Loved the moments where each character get to wrestle with their beliefs. A true testament to what humans are capable of when they really want something. Loved the moments when the actors improvise. This play must be a blast for actors. It feels like a piece that could be really elaborate scenery-wise or really simple. This would be a great challenge for a set and projection designer. Would love to see this produced. A really strong script.

I saw this piece at Valdez Theatre Conference and was blown away by the characters and world Kanika Vaish has created. The stage direction to "move a mountain" may effectively demonstrate to how epic the plot of this play is and the influence of that into the design is incredible. I can't wait to see this in full production!

This play beautifully explores spirituality, love, growth, and much more. I was hooked from the opening scene at the airport. I would love to see this piece staged.

WATCHED AT VALDEZ THEATRE CONFERENCE
An Epic work in the truest sense of the word, Vaish’s wholly original play is a lush reckoning with faith, ambition, and the need to be remembered for, or by, something. Featuring eight fully human characters, and a tone of exuberant theatricality, it’s a journey more than worth the trek for any company ambitious enough to stage it. Harrowing and uplifting in equal measure.