Awards

• Winner of American Theatre Critic Association's New Play Award 2022
• Winner of LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play 2020-21

Overview

'I'm still going to like, do charity, probably even more than I do now.' Clare has it all. She's a noblewoman living her best life in medieval Italy, trying out hairstyles, and sharing the latest gossip with her sister and maids. Everything is on track for her to marry some super-rich nobleman and live super-richly ever after. But on the streets of Assisi, she meets Francis, who's sharing some of the wildest ideas Clare has ever heard. And when she listens to what he has to say, her eyes are opened to a whole new way of living. Chiara Atik's play Poor Clare is a hilarious and off-beat comedy about wealth, sacrifice, and the cost of doing good. Premiered at the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles in 2020, it won the 2022 American Theatre Critic Association's New Play Award and the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, and was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. It received its European premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre, London, in 2025, directed by Blanche McIntyre and starring Arsema Thomas and Freddy Carter. 'Lean, clever writing with short, sharp scenes as the play travels towards its serious preoccupations with wealth, poverty and inequality... resonates loudly for today' — Guardian 'Inspired… fizzy and dazzlingly delightful dialogue… astute and alarming' — Broadway World 'Combines sharp humour and a vibrant modern-day vernacular to address weighty issues of social justice and imbalance with a sense of fun and wry wit. It asks its audience some important and deeply thought-provoking questions, crucially without preaching or descending into a lecture... Atik's fast-paced script is astute and often very funny... both timely and timeless' — WhatsOnStage 'Full of hilarious one-liners and ironic contrasts' — Evening Standard 'Superbly subversive satire that drips with acerbic humour' — The Stage 'Improbably funny and audacious... very entertaining' — Time Out 'Genuinely funny, deeply moving and fearlessly discomforting... a dazzling debut' — Arts Desk American Theatre Critic Association's New Play Award LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play

Full Product Details

9781839044892

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Reviews

'Inspired… fizzy and dazzlingly delightful dialogue… astute and alarming' * Broadway World *

'Lean, clever writing with short, sharp scenes as the play travels towards its serious preoccupations with wealth, poverty and inequality... resonates loudly for today' * Guardian * 'Inspired… fizzy and dazzlingly delightful dialogue… astute and alarming' * Broadway World * 'Combines sharp humour and a vibrant modern-day vernacular to address weighty issues of social justice and imbalance with a sense of fun and wry wit. It asks its audience some important and deeply thought-provoking questions, crucially without preaching or descending into a lecture... Atik's fast-paced script is astute and often very funny... both timely and timeless' * WhatsOnStage * 'Full of hilarious one-liners and ironic contrasts' * Evening Standard * 'Superbly subversive satire that drips with acerbic humour' * The Stage * 'Improbably funny and audacious... very entertaining' * Time Out * 'Genuinely funny, deeply moving and fearlessly discomforting... a dazzling debut' * Arts Desk * 'Whip-smart... a bold and funny exploration of privilege, purpose, and radical change, told through a lens that's as modern as it is medieval... a play that feels both historic and urgently current... peppered with laugh-out-loud one-liners and biting social commentary... a funny and astute piece of theatre' * All That Dazzles * 'Very funny and relatable... challenging and pertinent... asks profound questions and entertains at the same time' * Reviews Hub *

Author Information

Chiara Atik is an American playwright and screenwriter. Her play Poor Clare was the recipient of the 2022 American Theatre Critics Association's New Play Award, the LA Drama Critics Circle winner for Best New Play, and a Susan Smith Blackburn Award finalist. Other plays include Five Times in One Night, Bump, and the comedy Women, a modern re-telling of Little Women, which won the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Author photo by Yuri Hasegawa

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