←Recommendations of ELEVATOR GIRL

A wonder-filled dark comedy with a female lead that shows complexity and nuance. Realism and fantasy mix to create a stew of many flavors and textures. Donna Hoke is a master story teller and her dialogue is done with machine precision. I would recommend this to any producer looking for a sort story to tell that is timely and timeless. Brava.

Donna Hoke's play "Elevator Girl" introduces us to Vanessa, Peter, and Richard. Vanessa and her boyfriend, Peter, create a comic superhero called Elevator Girl as a sexual revenge fantasy. The play weaves graphic elements with realistic scenes, using an elevator as a central frame. As the story unfolds, secrets and consequences emerge, challenging the characters' beliefs and relationships. It's a cool premise and a good read.

Donna Hoke is an extraordinarily gifted playwright who comes at her subjects in unexpected ways. We recorded ELEVATOR GIRL at Play4Keeps with three very talented young actors who absolutely killed it. But first they had to talk their way through all the different issues their characters raised for them. Like the big league talent she is, Donna pitches knuckleballs that will have you swinging wildly at your assumptions and thinking long after you've finished this play about all the subtleties and nuances she delivers. We highly recommend it.

An incisive indictment of rape culture and fantasies, and a graphic take on graphic novels. Hoke is able to vacillate between comic satire and our darkest desires with ease.

I am almost rendered speechless at the amount to unpack. Hoke’s play has a brilliant premise that is intimately powerful, immediately addictive, and quite honestly, erotic (for all the good and bad that that entails). Using the world of graphic novels/comics (one filled with far too much sexual objectification itself), she’s penned a complex, layered commentary on rape culture, the glorification of sexual assault, and our obsession with it, all while giving actors/designers an amazing world to create and inhabit. This play deserves productions everywhere.

Hoke is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors to get to read from! "Elevator Girl" is another one of her works that brings in such interesting concepts and production ideas. Hoke is once again able to use a small cast to tell an incredibly relevant story about the strange side of rape culture today, and the focus on graphic illustration with projections and scene/costume design makes this play all the more fun to read, and I would love to see this on stage! Loved getting to use Hoke's work for one of my projects too!

Hoke perfectly weaves together the ongoing struggle of rape and sexual objectification in today's society into a thought provoking performance piece. The villains in this story go way beyond the ones in the comic books. The subject of comic books would also make for amazing design elements and how it would translate to the stage. I used this piece for a group project and it was incredible to be able to talk about it and the messages it projects.

In "Elevator Girl," Donna Hoke explores rape culture, gender roles, heroism, trauma recovery, and identity reclamation--obviously huge social topics--by cleverly examining a small story comprised of multi-dimensional and unique characters. This piece moves along at a brisk pace and uses strategic filling in of exposition as a potent way of furthering both character and plot. As a director, the images and tropes of the world of comic books also provides potential for some amazing design elements! I sincerely hope this highly recommended play is produced soon!

A delightfully devilish look at sexual dynamics in which the superhero paradigm is dragged out of the comic books and thrown under a harsh light of day. Terrific characterizations, with plenty of surprises along the way.

Hoke mixes the allure of superhero mythology with the very real subject of rape culture. Metaphoric and evocative, this play delves into a world where villains are often where you least expect, and heroes are not always a single person.