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To Tread Among Serpents by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos

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Recommendations

  • Daniel Prillaman:
    6 Feb. 2024
    “ Like water evaporating from the ground in the Alabama heat, this play rises steadily from the pages straight into your mind. McBurnette-Andronicos' worldbuilding is so strong and atmospheric that I had to literally check, then remind myself several times, that the characters depicted were not, in fact, real people. They feel SO real and full of history. An incredible descent into humanity's obsession with spectacle, violence, religion, sex, and everything in-between, I'm astonished by this play, and you will be too. ”
  • George Sapio:
    15 Aug. 2022
    “ An outstanding play. Tense, suspenseful, incisive and chilling characterization. Nothing is obvious and the plot turns with devastating effect. Do NOT get involved. ”
  • Doug DeVita:
    31 Mar. 2021
    “ Purple prose and yellow journalism are used to deliciously lurid effect in this endlessly fascinating southern gothic mystery/thriller. McBurnette-Andronicos builds the tension slowly and surely, every now and then throwing in a curve ball to keep us off balance, and ultimately delivers a completely satisfying, sensationally entertaining piece of period Americana, except this sure as hell ain’t Mayberry. I loved every colorful word. ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    4 Feb. 2021
    “ A powerful look into how the media uncovers the truth and then sensationalizes and distorts it for self interest. How does this form of justice look? Excellent. ”
  • Molly Wagner:
    8 Oct. 2020
    “ Captivating, thrilling, and filled with suspense TO TREAD AMONG SERPENTS is a fascinating examination of our obsession with true crime and the stories that we are most interested in believing rather than what could be taken as truth. The characters are specific and compelling and the setting of the piece is so distinct it almost becomes it's own character. ”
  • Maximillian Gill:
    19 Feb. 2020
    “ Gloriously steeped in the milieu of southern Gothic and crime. The details, references, and language are so specific and evocative that you can just smell the Spanish moss (not that I would know what it smells like). McBurnette-Andronicos has created an incredible character in Violet, someone so off-kilter yet charming you could easily follow her down any dark path. The language of the dialogue is beautiful and rhythmic, some of the soliloquies read like prose poems. More great lines than I can mention, but here’s a favorite: “A civilization’s only as fast as its slowest mailman.” Marvelous! ”
  • Everett Robert:
    11 Jul. 2018
    “ To Tread Among Serpents is a play that should be produced right now, by theaters across the country. A haunting tale that is a pot boiler while also turning the light on those that would profit from horrific tales of true crime that the public feeds on. Less, in my mind, southern Gothic and more Southern Noir, this powerful play weaves a story of religion, small town life, corruption and the destruction of the innocent (and who is innocent) where the snake handling worship is both an inciting factor and metaphor. A must read, a must SEE. ”
  • Dave Osmundsen:
    20 Nov. 2017
    “ An intriguing and atmospheric Southern Gothic story about a gruesome crime in a small Southern community. But beyond that, it tells of how we use and twist the truth to our own advantage. Bleak, but very believable. Two strong female characters at the center, and some opportunities for chilling theatricality. ”
  • Robert Lynn:
    23 Oct. 2017
    “ "To Tread Among Serpents" drops the audience into another place and time, with the deeply drawn characters and attention to detail you would expect from a McBurnette-Andronicos play. A brilliant expose of corruption--not just of the players in the system, but of all people who hide their true intentions for their personal gain. The question of why the killer did it expands into Why are any of them REALLY doing what they are doing? ”
  • Jenny Seidelman:
    12 May. 2017
    “ From the moment it starts, the reader is immersed in the richly-drawn world of "To Tread Among Serpents", McBurnette-Andronicos' unique tread through the Southern Gothic genre. As the smartly-appointed protagonist, reporter JC Cohen, begins to pull at the threads of the play's central mystery, and central mystery-woman Violet, it's hard not to look away as everything unexpectedly unravels. Fans of "In Cold Blood" and other Americana-true-crime type stories will enjoy this breezy, engrossing piece. The play features intriguing characters and sharp dialogue. Highly recommended! ”

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