Down in the Holler

by Val Dunn

Deep in a holler of the Shenandoah Valley, Juniper prepares to spend a perfect life in a perfect cabin with her perfect partner, Blake. Until Maeve appears. Telling tall tales and crooning high lonesomes, Maeve beguiles Juniper return to Gin - a past self who once lived and loved in this here house. As Juniper attempts to exorcise her pursuit of passion and maintain the stable life she's created with Blake, Down...

Deep in a holler of the Shenandoah Valley, Juniper prepares to spend a perfect life in a perfect cabin with her perfect partner, Blake. Until Maeve appears. Telling tall tales and crooning high lonesomes, Maeve beguiles Juniper return to Gin - a past self who once lived and loved in this here house. As Juniper attempts to exorcise her pursuit of passion and maintain the stable life she's created with Blake, Down in the Holler witnesses a collision of class and queerness, ultimately asking how we reconcile who we were and who we thought we would become.

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Down in the Holler

Recommended by

  • Nora Pearson: Down in the Holler by Val Dunn
    “

    I haven't been able to stop thinking about this play since I read it in 2021. It's haunting, erotic, and tense, and really wonderfully balances realism with the (surreal, ghostly) experience of being haunted and drawn in by an intense relationship from your past. I truly hope I get to see this performed someday!

    I haven't been able to stop thinking about this play since I read it in 2021. It's haunting, erotic, and tense, and really wonderfully balances realism with the (surreal, ghostly) experience of being haunted and drawn in by an intense relationship from your past. I truly hope I get to see this performed someday!

    ”
  • Shaun Leisher: Down in the Holler by Val Dunn
    “

    I am absolutely wild about this play. It's a hot, steamy ghost story about letting go. Can't wait to see a production that really leans into the stage magic that is possible here.

    I am absolutely wild about this play. It's a hot, steamy ghost story about letting go. Can't wait to see a production that really leans into the stage magic that is possible here.

    ”
  • Kari Barclay: Down in the Holler by Val Dunn
    “

    I saw a reading of this at MirrorBox's Out the Box series, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Down in the Holler has a rich theatrical language, dialogue that crackles, and rural queer representation that make for a powerful performance event. A theater would be lucky to produce this.

    I saw a reading of this at MirrorBox's Out the Box series, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Down in the Holler has a rich theatrical language, dialogue that crackles, and rural queer representation that make for a powerful performance event. A theater would be lucky to produce this.

    ”
View all 7 recommendations

Character Information

If you have the opportunity to cast lesbian and/or queer actors that would be ideal.
  • Maeve
    a romantic; volatile and beguiling; a local
    an indiscernible age anywhere from 20 to 30
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Juniper
    an artist who has worked hard to reinvent herself
    early thirties
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Blake
    environmental lawyer; the dyke you need but rarely find; a very capable Taurus
    late thirties
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Gin
    Juniper's memory of who she used to be; scrappy, caring; doesn't always pronounce the g's on the ends of ing words
    early twenties
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading, Mirrobox Theatre , 2021
  • Reading, Juniper Productions , 2018
  • Reading, Play Penn, 2018
  • Workshop, Writers on the Rocks, 2017
  • Workshop, The Foundry (a Philadelphia Playwrights Lab), 2017

Production History

  • Professional, Trustus Theatre, 2023

Awards

  • Jane Chambers Award for Excellence in Feminist Playwriting
    ATHE
    Runner Up
    2020
  • Bay Area Playwrights Festival
    Playwrights Foundation
    Semi-Finalist
    2018
  • Trustus Playwrights Festival
    Trustus Theatre
    Winner
    2020