←Recommendations of Great Hollow

"Great Hollow" by Jillian Blevins offers an intimate portrayal of family dynamics, guilt, and the haunting specter of tragedy. Set in a dilapidated beach house on a stormy night, the play delves into the unresolved emotions of three characters, each grappling with their own demons. For me, the strength of the play lies in its character development and exploration of complex relationships. Very well done!

I heard this on Ugly Radio. It's a great exploration of a ghost story/family drama with super atmospheric elements and the feeling that so much is happening underneath. The characters feel completely real which is not always the case with a ghost. Well done!

I'm a huge fan of comedy and horror, especially that amazing mix in-between. And in GREAT HOLLOW by Jillian Blevins, there's even more to uncover, with each layer both entertaining and surprising. The writing here is crisp, giving a strong rhythm to the words, and the ways in which characters answer each other both directly and indirectly is masterfully done. The satisfying ending also leaves me with ideas about what comes next, and I'm enjoying the characters long after the last page.

Jillian does a wonderful job of building the atmosphere for this piece right from the opening stage description! From there you are invited into Clara's home, a young woman with a fixation for horror movies but when Kendra and Mike arrive you start to learn there is more about Clara and her story than meets the eye. I won't say any more but its a wonderful piece that twists and turns brilliantly, all its missing now is a production!

The opposite of the horror movie it playfully satirizes in the opening, GREAT HOLLOW is a subtle and potent ghost story that washes over you. I love a work where form and content feed off one another - and Clara’s long speech simulates ocean waves. Once you’ve read it, you won’t stop thinking of Blevins’ fine unsettling play - for its complex haunting tone, the sorrow, the humor, the connection to a forgotten life, for remembering what runs deep. And there's a lobster pot catching a ceiling drip on a stormy night.

And just when you think you know what’s going on, Blevins sends you a curve ball and you start having new epiphanies. Isn’t that what a good ghost story will do? Send you up paths unknown? Witty, unexpected pleasures and don’t be surprised if you’re watching Poltergeist later (such a good choice) while eating pistachio nuts.

This play is genius! In most ghost stories, the ghosts feel ethereal or lost. Blevins' ghost is different. She's just chillin'. And I love that for her. The vibes are immaculate. It's a really well-rounded haunting in a seaside cabin during a thunderstorm...and something about that feels safe. I love love love this play!

In some ghost stories, the ghosts feel very far away from us - they're unremembered waifs hailing from a bygone generation. This play is proof that not every great ghost story needs a weeping specter in a Victorian gown. Instead, we get a suite of well-drawn characters with clear motivations - both living and dead. It's fascinating to watch the story unfold as we recognize how every thread is related. The piece is both profoundly sad and profoundly hopeful, leaving the reader with messages about breaking cycles and choosing not to be haunted by someone else's ghosts.

I love a ghost story, and really love a ghost story that lets characters *live*: they breathe, joke, complain, act out...and watch TV. Great Hollow gives us sassy, prickly, witty characters, fun theatrical language for its haunting effects, a satisfyingly heartbreaking family drama, and a lovable unseen character -- plus a particular bit of stage business toward the end that offers a lovely grace note to the entire encounter. (It also features one of my favorite movies of all time - one Jillian Blevins clearly appreciates for all the levels that make it tick.) A winner.

As a horror lover, I'm certainly biased towards ghost stories. But Blevins' short play reaches a level that so many do not, where we feel the tenderness of a life lost, and the warmth left behind in the haunting. Full of fantastic roles all around, Clara's story is fun, spooky, and poignant beyond your wildest imagination. Simply put, read this, then stage it. You'll regret it if you don't.