←Recommendations of Absentia

I had the privilege to see this play develop from a first draft to a production. Each time I revisit the world of Absentia, I realize a new level on which Matthews is operating. By focusing on a young Black woman, the narrative subverts the standard abduction stories that focus on White women. The story also explores the role of storytelling in Southern African-American culture, the definition of motherhood, and how trauma reverberates throughout a family. Using Robyn the Rabbit and shadow play, Matthews crafts psychological suspense, further drawing the audience into Esther's story. I cannot recommend this play enough.

Olivia Matthews does an amazing job with this play! It really shows us how easy something horrible could happen the second you let your guard down. I need to see a live production of this play ASAP!

This play was a mental minefield. It was amazing how I couldn't be sure what was real and what wasn't. I loved the amazing use of an unreliable narrator and really enjoyed reading this play!

This play was very engaging throughout each situation and connection to characters. I was surprised in the fact of how easily I could understand the main character with in their actions and emotions, when I have never been in a situation like that myself. Olivia Matthews clearly has a powerful writing style and I will be on the look out to read some more of her work.

This play is a wonderful roller-coaster ride, full of heart warming scenarios and real connections to characters. The play was really engaging and it is built on a terrifying premise that shows the cruelty of humans. But it also shows the love and care we show to the one's we love with our hearts.

Absentia is a play that will keep the reader engaged and consumed in it's story from beginning to end. Esther losing her beloved Robyn to losing herself, Absentia jerks the reader on a roller coaster of emotion as Esther struggles to set herself free from the prison she has been trapped in for years. This play tells an extortionary story that is only amplified by the design possibilities. This play is perfect for anyone who is looking to be shaken to their core as they join Esther on her journey to find what she has lost.

A beautifully rendered and highly theatrical play! I love the way Matthews weaves back and forth through time during the story, and I'm excited about the way the more expressionistic/fabulistic parts of the story could be executed with design elements. Each character is extremely well-defined and nuanced, and the conversations about identity, family (defined in many ways), and trauma are thorough, upfront, and done with care and an economy of words. This piece definitely begs to be on its feet, and I'd love to see what a production team would do with it!

ABSENTIA is a powerful play about love, loss, and the nature of motherhood. Matthews creates a rich world filled with nuanced characters that I am eager to learn more about as the play progresses. I hope that this play gets produced immediately, because I can't wait to see ABSENTIA brought to life on stage.