←

Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed by Vince Gatton

  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Reading List

Recommendations

Recommendations

  • Charles Scott Jones:
    3 Dec. 2023
    “ From the title CASSIE STRICKLAND IS NOT UNDER THE BED to the white-knuckle inducing stage direction in the last pages, this is a riveting, extremely well-crafted short horror play. It’s inspiring how Vince Gatton uses each of our childhood imaginations (the archetypal fear for what’s under the bed) to get us inside Clay’s fear and feel it along with him - while also wanting to side with skeptic Howie. There are many great lines that make this frightening story come to life. I love Howie's line about people not knowing how to act around Clay. ”
  • Jillian Blevins:
    29 Oct. 2023
    “ Someone used Clay’s gun to do a bad thing. Now he needs the gun to protect himself from the forces that want him to pay (both human and decidedly not). CASSIE STRICKLAND… is part of Gatton’s broader storyline about gun violence and its impacts; the depth of the world-building, character backstory, and blanks left to be filled in makes this parable about guilt and responsibility stand on its own, and stand out from similar ten-minute plays. ”
  • Michael C. O'Day:
    28 Oct. 2023
    “ The problem with recommending this play, and saying that it's got one of the all-time great jump scares, is that it's selling the piece short. CASSIE STRICKLAND is also a masterful depiction of American masculinity, gun culture, small-town dynamics, and survivor guilt, and to say one more word about Gatton's accomplishment is to rob it of its sinister power. (But yeah, it's got one of the all-time great jump scares.) ”
  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn:
    17 Oct. 2023
    “ I was so drawn in to this story. I needed to know WHY Clay was stuck in bed. I needed to know IF there was something under the bed. And I needed to know how to truly feel as the back story was slowly revealed. Eerie and tragic. ”
  • Nora Louise Syran:
    16 Oct. 2023
    “ Fantastic. A play that plays on imaginary childhood and very real, adult fears. I was hooked from beginning to end. Bravo, playwright. ”
  • Christopher Soucy:
    10 Jul. 2023
    “ You have to love a play that spends its time trying to talk you off the edge. And I do love this gem. It provides you ample reason to believe the fantastic and the credible at the same time. A taught thriller that feels like a panic attack, but then pays off in true horror glory. Bravo, Vince. ”
  • Christian St. Croix:
    8 Nov. 2021
    “ Many of Vince’s wickedly smart works can be described as “genre bending”, but they go way beyond that. He’ll set a genre in a room and ask of it to stay quiet until audiences are certain they’ve found it (they won’t have), then he’ll whistle for it to reveal itself. Such is the case with this amazing short. What begins as a bittersweet story about shame and grief turns into something else entirely. Another home run, Mr. Gatton. As you read this one, keep its title in mind. It’s not a lie. ”
  • Kim E. Ruyle:
    8 Nov. 2021
    “ Clay’s ankle is seemingly gripped by Cassie and his psyche is gripped by terror. The slow reveal is brilliant, and the ending is stunning. Ten minutes of pure suspense that will have the audience leaning in despite their fear. Excellent! ”
  • Daniel Prillaman:
    9 Oct. 2021
    “ You can call it whatever you want. It takes many forms. Stress. Anxiety. Paranoia. Trauma. We don't ever get a solid, concrete reason explaining Clay's fear, and we don't need it, because whether it's founded or not (is it?), it's real to him. And it is DESTABILIZING. To say more about the contents of this play would be to ruin its magic (another reason I so adore Gatton's work), but rest assured you are in the best of hands. A delightful, horror-filled exploration of the havoc our minds can wreak. ”
  • Lee R. Lawing:
    29 Aug. 2021
    “ Guilt will take its toll on a person in so many ways. Gatton gives us a great ghost story with a punch. Brief, and yet oh so powerful, this is one that needs to be seen on stage as I think there would plenty of screams coming from the audience. ”

Pages