Recommended by Rachael Carnes

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    I had the pleasure of seeing the world premiere of SAPIENCE at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland. Burbano's lush and humane script deftly weaves together a tapestry of emotion and connection - across species - with a delicate, intimate clarity and pervading curiosity. A gorgeous incubator for shared understanding, SAPIENCE draws on big topics and asks powerful questions while staying true to its smart, relatable and kind-hearted center. Brava.

    I had the pleasure of seeing the world premiere of SAPIENCE at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland. Burbano's lush and humane script deftly weaves together a tapestry of emotion and connection - across species - with a delicate, intimate clarity and pervading curiosity. A gorgeous incubator for shared understanding, SAPIENCE draws on big topics and asks powerful questions while staying true to its smart, relatable and kind-hearted center. Brava.

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    Harrowing, truthful and deeply-felt, Feeny-Williams pulls no punches in her exploration of a horrifying slice of history that sears itself into generations of trauma, for its victims, and their descendants. Walking a razors' edge, the characters charged with actioning unspeakable pain share the pulse of their complicity with institutional abuse, caging us inside a taut nightmare of bureaucratized dehumanization. This would make a wonderful audio narration at the new National Centre for Research and Remembrance in Dublin.

    Harrowing, truthful and deeply-felt, Feeny-Williams pulls no punches in her exploration of a horrifying slice of history that sears itself into generations of trauma, for its victims, and their descendants. Walking a razors' edge, the characters charged with actioning unspeakable pain share the pulse of their complicity with institutional abuse, caging us inside a taut nightmare of bureaucratized dehumanization. This would make a wonderful audio narration at the new National Centre for Research and Remembrance in Dublin.

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    A beautiful portrayal of inner faith, and how sometimes we need to build up boundaries in order to feel genuinely unconditional support - all on a page. Bravo, Steve Martin, King of the mini play!

    A beautiful portrayal of inner faith, and how sometimes we need to build up boundaries in order to feel genuinely unconditional support - all on a page. Bravo, Steve Martin, King of the mini play!

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    I fell in love with this brilliant short play from the jump. This is how history should be told: Make it live, give it complexity and humor, knit it to now. Rose brings her penchant for warmth and empathy - and character chutzpah - to every word. This would be a gem in any festival.

    I fell in love with this brilliant short play from the jump. This is how history should be told: Make it live, give it complexity and humor, knit it to now. Rose brings her penchant for warmth and empathy - and character chutzpah - to every word. This would be a gem in any festival.

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    Tightly crafted, evocative, and empathetic, this monologue is all-too relevant, inviting conversation and awareness, through expressive character, compelling voice, and through content that delivers a punch.

    Tightly crafted, evocative, and empathetic, this monologue is all-too relevant, inviting conversation and awareness, through expressive character, compelling voice, and through content that delivers a punch.

  • Rachael Carnes: CONVINCING by Monica Cross
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    My in-laws bought a new stove that sends them a text when the oven's preheated. That's the brave new world we live in, and Cross's play scratches into the 'what if's?' of these new... relationships?... between machine and humans with wit and wisdom. This would be a lot of fun to act and direct - and asks big questions: What's real? What's not? And why does it matter?

    My in-laws bought a new stove that sends them a text when the oven's preheated. That's the brave new world we live in, and Cross's play scratches into the 'what if's?' of these new... relationships?... between machine and humans with wit and wisdom. This would be a lot of fun to act and direct - and asks big questions: What's real? What's not? And why does it matter?

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  • Rachael Carnes: A Certain Pedigree by Rachel Feeny-Williams
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    Pure delight. From bouncy dialogue to the vision of costumes replete with ears and tails, I'm in. Who wouldn't want to act in, direct and/or see a Dog Play?! This is the 10-er we needed, like a coming of age trip to the dog park. Charming, relatable, and perfect for all ages. So fun.

    Pure delight. From bouncy dialogue to the vision of costumes replete with ears and tails, I'm in. Who wouldn't want to act in, direct and/or see a Dog Play?! This is the 10-er we needed, like a coming of age trip to the dog park. Charming, relatable, and perfect for all ages. So fun.

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  • Rachael Carnes: Portals by Anastasia Wild
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    A brilliant exploration of an improbably imaginative moment - the discovery of a spacetime portal - and the ensuing existential question it provokes. Wild's dialogue draws the reader in, and the portal lends itself to an exquisite physicality, as the two characters navigate the space. This would be a field day for a creative team to plumb for all its potential.

    A brilliant exploration of an improbably imaginative moment - the discovery of a spacetime portal - and the ensuing existential question it provokes. Wild's dialogue draws the reader in, and the portal lends itself to an exquisite physicality, as the two characters navigate the space. This would be a field day for a creative team to plumb for all its potential.

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  • Rachael Carnes: The Uninvited by Christopher Plumridge
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    Heartbreaking and honest, this monologue offers so much for an actor to explore, as the character unzips their public costume, peels off their forward-facing mask, and reveals what we can never really know: What someone's experiencing on the inside.

    Heartbreaking and honest, this monologue offers so much for an actor to explore, as the character unzips their public costume, peels off their forward-facing mask, and reveals what we can never really know: What someone's experiencing on the inside.

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  • Rachael Carnes: Smile, Baby by Claudia Haas
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    A perfect turnaround, short and loaded with meaning. Haas gets at the everyday annoyance/terror of verbal assault and creates a fantasia of comeuppance. This would be wonderful to see onstage!

    A perfect turnaround, short and loaded with meaning. Haas gets at the everyday annoyance/terror of verbal assault and creates a fantasia of comeuppance. This would be wonderful to see onstage!

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