Tall Tales

by River Timms

(FULL LENGTH, HORROR/DRAMA, 1.5-2 hours)
[Also! Ending spoilers for ‘burnout.’ in the synopsis for ‘Tall Tales.’]

"What do you want from me?! What did I do?!"

Alabama is equally haunted by Christ and ghosts, and this is a play about both.

After losing his job and breaking up with his boyfriend, Noah is forced to return to his hometown in rural Alabama. He meets his childhood friends to find that his old...

(FULL LENGTH, HORROR/DRAMA, 1.5-2 hours)
[Also! Ending spoilers for ‘burnout.’ in the synopsis for ‘Tall Tales.’]

"What do you want from me?! What did I do?!"

Alabama is equally haunted by Christ and ghosts, and this is a play about both.

After losing his job and breaking up with his boyfriend, Noah is forced to return to his hometown in rural Alabama. He meets his childhood friends to find that his old world has changed dramatically in the eight years that he’s been gone; his tiny town is dying as the city nearby expands, most of his friends are stuck in dead-end jobs that they never wanted, and his first ex-boyfriend has returned to church and is now engaged to a woman. As Noah tries to find his new place in what he tried to leave behind, murders begin to occur, scandals are brought to light, and tragedy strikes in this slow-burn horror play about being othered in the Deep South.

"At once it is a deeply personal introspection of growing up in a sternly religious and judgmental evangelical community in Alabama while it is also a larger-than-life, suspenseful seasonal tale of monsters, murders, and mayhem... there is some smart and snappy dialogue, more than a little humor and some revelations that are off-putting and disquieting." -Jeffery Ellis, Broadway World

“I ALSO enjoyed ‘Night In the Woods.’” -our stage manager’s boyfriend

'Tall Tales' is the sequel to my play 'burnout.' and part two of a two-part series which I lovingly call 'Noah's Arc.' You need not read 'burnout.' to understand this play; they are both whole narratives that recontextualize each other when read as a set.

CW: homophobic slurs

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Tall Tales

Recommended by

  • Jolie Frazer-Madge: Tall Tales by River Timms
    “

    Southern Gothic is such a forgotten about genre/aesthetic in modern playwriting, and this play is an absolute masterclass in it! It really spoke to me as a queer person from the South.

    Southern Gothic is such a forgotten about genre/aesthetic in modern playwriting, and this play is an absolute masterclass in it! It really spoke to me as a queer person from the South.

    ”
  • Julia Toney: Tall Tales by River Timms
    “

    As a queer person from the South, I feel so seen by Tall Tales. There's something so heartbreaking about being alienated and hated for a fundamental part of yourself by an institution that touts community above all. I adore the horror/supernatural aspects of this play, as they seem to synthesize with the true feelings of being hunted/ousted by your community. I love the examination of returning home to a place that seems familiar yet haunted - having no sense of home is such a discombobulating sensation.

    As a queer person from the South, I feel so seen by Tall Tales. There's something so heartbreaking about being alienated and hated for a fundamental part of yourself by an institution that touts community above all. I adore the horror/supernatural aspects of this play, as they seem to synthesize with the true feelings of being hunted/ousted by your community. I love the examination of returning home to a place that seems familiar yet haunted - having no sense of home is such a discombobulating sensation.

    ”
  • Matthew McLachlan: Tall Tales by River Timms
    “

    Great storytelling with a lot of heart and clear characters. A fun supernatural/ spiritual element that kept me guessing. A fun read. Maybe not as fun if you're from a tiny Christian town where everyone judges you -raises hand- but still very fun and very well written.

    Great storytelling with a lot of heart and clear characters. A fun supernatural/ spiritual element that kept me guessing. A fun read. Maybe not as fun if you're from a tiny Christian town where everyone judges you -raises hand- but still very fun and very well written.

    ”
View all 18 recommendations

Character Information

4 Male, 1 Female, 1-2 Gender Neutral
  • Noah
    Headstrong and proud and gay. A college graduate that recently broke up with his boyfriend and finds himself back in his hometown in Alabama.
    Late 20s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Cynthia
    Owner of a bar in town. She used to babysit Noah and his friends when they were younger. Country fried and bubbly and optimistic.
    Early 30s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Jimmy
    A bit soft-spoken, a bit more passive than the others in the group. Born in Colorado and moved to Alabama at a young age. Struggles with anxiety problems.
    Late 20s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Micah
    A stoner with a purpose, he works hard at his dream job of running a cafe. Can be hard-headed, but has a heart of gold.
    Mid 20s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Dustin
    A good ol' boy if there ever was one. Noah's ex-boyfriend. Usually boisterous and foolhardy, he's been acting very differently than himself lately.
    Mid 20s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • The Elder
    A monster that has tasted blood and craves more.
  • Chorus
    Fractured voices of the past shouting their version of the truth. Dialogue is grafted from audio of evangelical sermons OR pre-recorded lines from an actor. Sound/VO part only.
    Any Age
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+

Development History

  • Workshop, Pipeline Collective, 2019

Production History