Karen Saari

Marie comes home to plan her addicted mother Lorraine’s funeral. "Rain" left a surprising final wish for Marie and her cousin Caleb, a meth user, to fulfill together. Marie struggles with her anger and loss in a tense, and often funny, play that deals with the opiate crisis in Michigan's northwoods.

Three young women accept a dare and embark on a canoe trek on frigid waters. Dangerous conditions prevail and force them to reveal and face the choices they've made and the trappings of life in their confining hometown.

CO-WRITTEN with JENNIFER HEDSTROM. A musical reimagining of Nellie Bly's time undercover at Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum. In 1887 Nellie Bly infiltrated the notorious asylum and forged connections with several inmates, who were not insane at all. The stunt catapulted her journalistic career. This musical retelling examines the impact her stay had on Nellie's own psyche, considering trauma from her childhood. Originally written on commission for Music Theater of Madison. Contact playwright/co-lyricist for score perusal. Book & co-lyrics by Karen Saari. Music and co-lyrics by Jennifer Hedstrom.

Charles’ third wife has just informed him she’s leaving. As he reels from the news and the reason she gives, he spends a weekend with his best friend Jack and their college friend Betsy, an up and coming author. Betsy, a former Wiccan, reveals a secret from their college days that could be the reason for Charles’ failed relationships.

Can Betsy help Charles win back his wife? Maybe, with the help of a Finnish coven.

Mark is a newly recovering alcoholic living in his hometown of Carp Lake, Wisconsin. He's recently grown close to Pam, a childhood friend who is back home following a family tragedy. As Mark copes with a life of sobriety, he begins having flashbacks to an event that threaten the life he is trying to rebuild. This play shares an intense but often humorous look at addiction recovery and loss, especially in the rural midwest.

June is a once successful radio personality who has returned to her northern Michigan hometown after a series of personal and on-air disasters. Living with her mom, she grudgingly takes a job as a morning show host at the town's radio station, shabbily run by the overworked Wilbert. June is also forced to collaborate with her high school tormentor, Melanie. As June struggles to start over, she may need make peace with more of her past--and herself--than she expected.

A group of teenage girls realize something is not quite right about their friend's recent behavior. But have they figured it out too late?

(10-minute play) Lorna is a young single mother who needs a job. When she applies for a retail gig at a Disney-like corporation, she is screened by an automated interviewer who is an android/princess with an agenda of her own. A class-based battle of wits ensues in this one-act comedy.

(10-15 minute play) Two parents of high school athletes meet and discover they have a connection through their kids. An offhand joke triggers a surprising reaction in this story related to the gun debate.

Rain, a lonely widow, has a growing addiction to painkillers and forms a close bond with her kind
but unstable nephew Caleb. Caleb, fighting his own demons, tries to help her cope with
her growing dependency and her grief. They both risk falling prey to the trappings of the
drug trade in their hometown. This play, punctuated with humor, shares a look at the
opiate crisis in rural America, particularly Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Companion piece to 'Rain on Fire.

(10-minute play) Tammy is perfectly happy with her poor life choices and selfish ways until a guy claiming to be Jesus tells her she needs to save her born-again-Christian sister. NOT a religious play, but a satire on religion.

(15-minute play) Two people find a happy respite in a very sad place. A play about connection and making the best of things.

(10-minute play) Spend a day in the life of a robot, a clown and their co-workers in an otherwise mundane office environment. This stew of oddballs will make you laugh and maybe even cheer as they prove that when we have to, anyone can find love and anyone can get along.

(Monologue, 3-5 min) A woman shares a bittersweet love story.

(Monlogue, 3-5 mins) A slightly dark but humorous look at quitting smoking. Told from an unusual perspective.

(Monologue, 3 mins) A high school principal fights their own appreciation for a good practical joke.