take me down to the levee

by Riley Elton McCarthy

Southern twins Wynona and Waylon have always had it rough. Against the backdrop of the North Carolinian bible belt, Wynona’s inherited their late father’s gun shop after a tragic accident took his life, and Waylon, the town pariah, can’t seem to shake the trauma of a year without their father. Then there’s the levee, which has also inexplicably gone dry. When the preacher’s son takes a fancy to Waylon, the town...

Southern twins Wynona and Waylon have always had it rough. Against the backdrop of the North Carolinian bible belt, Wynona’s inherited their late father’s gun shop after a tragic accident took his life, and Waylon, the town pariah, can’t seem to shake the trauma of a year without their father. Then there’s the levee, which has also inexplicably gone dry. When the preacher’s son takes a fancy to Waylon, the town is stricken with more than just a religious reckoning… not when there are multiple inexplicable disappearances and deaths all tracing back to that levee. The fate of their small town rests in the hands of Wynona… or does it?

DRAFT 1: 07/22/22

Runtime: 90 minutes, no intermission.

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take me down to the levee

Recommended by

  • William Meurer: take me down to the levee by Riley Elton McCarthy
    “

    Had the pleasure of seeing this live at the Tank in NYC, and it was truly one of my favorite theatrical events of that year. Horror and the stage have a very tepid history with one another, but Riley has found a way to bring them together in a way that you cant help but fear for the safety of the characters.
    Riley's use of vampires to explore the plays theme's of queer, religious, and familial trauma are done both with tremendous nuance and outlandish comedy.
    A fantastic play that I am very glad to have seen!

    Had the pleasure of seeing this live at the Tank in NYC, and it was truly one of my favorite theatrical events of that year. Horror and the stage have a very tepid history with one another, but Riley has found a way to bring them together in a way that you cant help but fear for the safety of the characters.
    Riley's use of vampires to explore the plays theme's of queer, religious, and familial trauma are done both with tremendous nuance and outlandish comedy.
    A fantastic play that I am very glad to have seen!

    ”
  • Jan Rosenberg: take me down to the levee by Riley Elton McCarthy
    “

    Gothic horror with a comedic twist. Riley's characters are so alive (or in this case, undead) it's scary. I loved the horrific backdrop of the homophobic and transphobic bible belt, the hypocrisy of gun politics, and the scrutiny of evil. Most surprising was how laugh out loud funny this was.

    Gothic horror with a comedic twist. Riley's characters are so alive (or in this case, undead) it's scary. I loved the horrific backdrop of the homophobic and transphobic bible belt, the hypocrisy of gun politics, and the scrutiny of evil. Most surprising was how laugh out loud funny this was.

    ”
  • Andy Boyd: take me down to the levee by Riley Elton McCarthy
    “

    A queer Southern gothic vampire rom-com? Need I say more? Okay, I will.

    Riley's play is so fun and fascinating. This play was the August reading for Play Date at Pete's, and the (admittedly small) house was packed, everyone on the edge of their seats. I described this play afterwards as John Waters meets John Carpenter, and I still stand by that assessment.

    ps: It's very funny Riley has tagged this play for all ages.

    A queer Southern gothic vampire rom-com? Need I say more? Okay, I will.

    Riley's play is so fun and fascinating. This play was the August reading for Play Date at Pete's, and the (admittedly small) house was packed, everyone on the edge of their seats. I described this play afterwards as John Waters meets John Carpenter, and I still stand by that assessment.

    ps: It's very funny Riley has tagged this play for all ages.

    ”

Development History

  • Reading, Playdate at Pete's, 2022