Carla Milarch is a thinker. Every time she is asked a question she takes a second to ponder, she makes sure she gets the whole question, and outwardly seems to be reflecting on everything she does. Milarch is the founding artistic director of Theatre Nova, a non-profit in Ann Arbor that champions new playwrights and plays.

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“There are a lot of phenomenal playwrights but to be in a room where it’s happening for the first time or one of the very first times, there is a unique thrill that comes with that,” Milarch said. “We always hope that people will walk out with an appreciation of new plays and the talent of playwrights.”

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“We as a society need art, we need the sense of community, we need the forum for new ideas and dialogue, we need that experience of sitting in a room with people that are not like us having a common experience,” she said. “We need the presence and the mindfulness that you get when you are interacting with a work of art. It is an old sentiment but we need art probably more now than ever.”