In Search of The Mothman by Amber Palmer

In Search of The Mothman follows two young sisters trapped in a life transition after an unexpected tragedy strikes their hometown. Emily is just trying to make it through her senior year and get into music school, while Jordan moves across the country to Point Pleasant, West Virginia under the joke of "searching for The Mothman". Through honesty and humor, the sisters try to work through their trauma...
In Search of The Mothman follows two young sisters trapped in a life transition after an unexpected tragedy strikes their hometown. Emily is just trying to make it through her senior year and get into music school, while Jordan moves across the country to Point Pleasant, West Virginia under the joke of "searching for The Mothman". Through honesty and humor, the sisters try to work through their trauma and grapple with what lives they want to lead in the aftermath. A play about coming together and pulling away in tragedy, the confines of community expectations and whether we can truly know the people we love.
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In Search of The Mothman

Recommended by

  • Jan Rosenberg:
    11 Feb. 2023
    “ Came for Mothman, stayed for this dark, funny, and touching relationship between two sisters dealing with their own grief and guilt. Made me think about how we so badly want to save others (sometimes when it's already too late) when we don't even realize we need to save ourselves first. Loved the alignment to the bridge tragedy that happened in Point Pleasant decades ago. And I loved the normalization poly relationships. ”
  • Shelby Seeley:
    20 Dec. 2022
    “ Highly recommend this intimate two hander with a strong, realistic sister relationship at the center. Compelling throughout as we discover why Jordan moved and see how the sister’s relationship changes. ”
  • Nick Malakhow:
    26 Jul. 2021
    “ This is a lovely, poignant, and humanly funny two-hander with two excellently rendered characters at its center. While the mystery about what drove Jordan to leave her hometown kept me engaged throughout, the heart of this piece was watching Jordan and Emily's relationship expand and contract in these neat, subtle ways as they battled grief, mental health struggles, and self-doubt. To use an urban legend like the Mothman as an extended metaphor for the aching, searching, evolving entity that is grief was a wonderful choice! Bonus points for the normalcy of queerness and open relationships. ”
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Character Information

Jordan: 23, Female. White.
Emily: 17, Female. White.

  • Jordan
    early 20s (23),
    White
    ,
    Female (cis or trans) or nonbinary person comfortable playing female
    Preferably able to play the oboe.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Emily
    Late Teens (17),
    White
    ,
    Female (cis or trans) or nonbinary person comfortable playing female
    Preferably able to play the bassoon.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    American Stage
    ,
    2021