Possession

by Catherine Castellani

Ava Strand unexpectedly inherits a dilapidated townhouse on Albany, NY’s South End and gets sucked
into a past she's trying to erase—an aunt she barely knew, a lover she abandoned without a word, a
town she fled. A closet full of a 19th century dresses introduces her to a past she never had. What
begins creatively—a woman devising a social life that omits smart phones and television in favor of
conversation and...

Ava Strand unexpectedly inherits a dilapidated townhouse on Albany, NY’s South End and gets sucked
into a past she's trying to erase—an aunt she barely knew, a lover she abandoned without a word, a
town she fled. A closet full of a 19th century dresses introduces her to a past she never had. What
begins creatively—a woman devising a social life that omits smart phones and television in favor of
conversation and the piano--veers into the viciously destructive as it attracts a white supremacist
crowd who appreciate the throw-back for all the wrong reasons.

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Possession

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  • Doug DeVita: Possession by Catherine Castellani
    “

    Who hasn't occasionally longed to escape to a more genteel era, a time before the incessant buzz of a 24/7 life? That's what Catherine Castellani's heroine, Miss Ava Strand, longs for and briefly achieves... but at what cost?

    Looking at the the racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc... of the past like a modern day Tennessee Williams, Castellani creates a world of disquieting fantasy and tension with stylish skill. Like Ava, we get caught up in her dreamworld early on, then recoil, watching helplessly and horrified as Ava refuses to acknowledge what her delusions have wrought. A chilling, superb...

    Who hasn't occasionally longed to escape to a more genteel era, a time before the incessant buzz of a 24/7 life? That's what Catherine Castellani's heroine, Miss Ava Strand, longs for and briefly achieves... but at what cost?

    Looking at the the racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc... of the past like a modern day Tennessee Williams, Castellani creates a world of disquieting fantasy and tension with stylish skill. Like Ava, we get caught up in her dreamworld early on, then recoil, watching helplessly and horrified as Ava refuses to acknowledge what her delusions have wrought. A chilling, superb work.

    read more
    ”
  • Cheryl Bear: Possession by Catherine Castellani
    “

    A warning of the danger of fear, the inability to go somewhere new and the unwillingness to let go of an existence that isn't good for us. Powerful and well done.

    A warning of the danger of fear, the inability to go somewhere new and the unwillingness to let go of an existence that isn't good for us. Powerful and well done.

    ”
  • e.k. doolin: Possession by Catherine Castellani
    “

    Oh this play had some lasting images for me - I absolutely love the premise and visualizing it as a production. It is also a terrifying journey from the fantasy of an idealized past, to an all too real and violent present.

    Oh this play had some lasting images for me - I absolutely love the premise and visualizing it as a production. It is also a terrifying journey from the fantasy of an idealized past, to an all too real and violent present.

    ”
View all 5 recommendations