Still Waters

10 minute play. Gabrielle is haunted by nightmares after the drowning death of her young daughter. Her husband Raoul is equally distraught - but he's also ripped apart by the fact that Gabrielle dreams their daughter is a monster coming to get her. It's a fight between two broken, hurting people lashing out to try and handle their pain. There is a brief appearance by the ghost of their daughter at the end - a...

10 minute play. Gabrielle is haunted by nightmares after the drowning death of her young daughter. Her husband Raoul is equally distraught - but he's also ripped apart by the fact that Gabrielle dreams their daughter is a monster coming to get her. It's a fight between two broken, hurting people lashing out to try and handle their pain. There is a brief appearance by the ghost of their daughter at the end - a non-speaking part, playable by almost any age actor, but useful for a child's first role.
The play premieres in May 2018 in Australia.
Content Warning - please read the description for themes.

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Still Waters

Recommended by

  • Andrew Martineau: Still Waters

    Can the recurring dreams of a child following an accidental tragic loss heal the wounds between grieving parents or perpetuate that grief? This short play offers no easy answers, but Arthur Jolly creates the emotional hurt in such a dramatic way to reveal how that the mother’s nightmares haunt the couple and might possibly tear their relationship apart for good. Spellbinding work.

    Can the recurring dreams of a child following an accidental tragic loss heal the wounds between grieving parents or perpetuate that grief? This short play offers no easy answers, but Arthur Jolly creates the emotional hurt in such a dramatic way to reveal how that the mother’s nightmares haunt the couple and might possibly tear their relationship apart for good. Spellbinding work.

  • Ky Weeks: Still Waters

    Grief, regret, resentment, and trauma fill every line of this tight drama. The characters here are so broken by pain yet hold onto that same pain even as it destroys them, as it's the only thing they have left of what they lost, and the only thing left that connects them. The final image of the play is haunting and scary, but the true horror is in what's inside Gabrielle and Raoul. Vivid and heartrending.

    Grief, regret, resentment, and trauma fill every line of this tight drama. The characters here are so broken by pain yet hold onto that same pain even as it destroys them, as it's the only thing they have left of what they lost, and the only thing left that connects them. The final image of the play is haunting and scary, but the true horror is in what's inside Gabrielle and Raoul. Vivid and heartrending.

  • Stuart Hoffman: Still Waters

    A creepy and powerful 2 (or 3) hander. Playwright Jolly packs a lot into this tight supernatural story of grieve and forgiveness.

    A creepy and powerful 2 (or 3) hander. Playwright Jolly packs a lot into this tight supernatural story of grieve and forgiveness.

View all 12 recommendations

Character Information

The third role - that of the little girl/ghost, is non-speaking, and might work as a first-ever stage appearance, but could also be achieved through projection or some other stagecraft technique making this a two-hander.
  • GABRIELLE
    Troubled, grieving.
    Character Age
    20s-30s
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • RAOUL
    Troubled, grieving, resentful.
    Character Age
    20s-30s
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • LITTLE GIRL
    The ghost of their drowned child. Non-speaking role.
    Character Age
    4-8
    Character Gender Identity
    Female

Production History

  • Type High School, Organization EJ KIng High School, Sasebo, Japan, Year 2019
  • Type High School, Organization Far East Drama & Performing Arts Festival, Seoul, Korea, Year 2019
  • Type Professional, Organization Dionysus Theatre, Victoria, Australia, Year 2018