I was notified this morning that RIPPED will be included in Bristol Valley Theater‘s 2018 New Works Initiative happening this summer! That means that RIPPED will get a staged reading in early to mid June, with professional actors and a professional director.
This is just after I got the best rejection of my life yesterday, which was for RIPPED as well- and I'm not being sarcastic, it was an amazing rejection letter. It included wonderful statements like:
"Though we’re unable to produce this play this season, I greatly admired its remarkable sensitivity and its potential to start a genuine audience conversation about consent. Lucy’s story is messy and complicated in the way that real life is, but I appreciated that there’s nonetheless a moral clarity to the play in its nuanced depiction of sexual assault and rape culture and its avoidance of victim-blaming.”
And:
"On a craft level, the choice to structure the play in a non-linear way and have us track the chronology via Lucy’s dress is well-executed. I wish you the best of luck in finding a production soon.”
AND it ended with an invitation to submit again next year (they only takes invited submissions!). Let me tell you, other theaters are really going to need to step up their rejection letter game after that one.
RIPPED has had some bumps in its road for sure, and I imagine there will still be more to come, but I'm thrilled to hear that my intentions are coming through clearly, and that my craft is hitting its mark. It's my little play that could. I'll be posting more about the New Works Initiative as we get closer, so be sure to check back!