Blackhollow

Play (2026)
by Weylin Symes
World Premiere
Don Fulton New Works Project
Directed by Weylin Symes and Daniel Begin
Greater Boston Stage Company
October 23 – November 8, 2026

Scenic Designer: Katy Monthei; Lighting Designer: Corey Whittemore; Costume Designer: Deirdre Gerrard; Sound Designer: David Remedios; Properties Designer: Emily Allinson; Dialect Coach: Lee Nishri-Howitt; Dramaturg: Jonathan Santoro; Director of Production: Meghan Ward; Production Stage Manager: Shauwna Dias Grillo; Production Assistant: Kit Verweij; Scenic Builder: Misfit Toys Theatrical LLC

With Anna Slate (Nurse Lucy Cull and eleven other roles)

It is 1837 and things are not well at Blackhollow asylum, somewhere outside of London. Nurse Lucy Cull (Anna Slate’s primary role, but she does all of the others as well) has been working there under the horrible Matron Trammell, who seems to make every moment worse than the one before. Trammell engages Lucy to take part in a so-called “experiment” undertaken in the recesses of Blackhollow by purported scientist Superintendent Ashburn. This experiment involves injecting Nurse Cull with a potion of mercury and arsenic and then performing some sort of fluid interchange between Lucy and one of the patients named Ida. This presumably therapeutic (or is it?) transfusion occurs repeatedly with fascinating and psychologically transforming effects upon Lucy. At various points, he hallucinates, and it is not quite clear where, under the influence of the drug and the transfusion, Ida ends and Lucy begins.

Needless to say, this is rather hard upon Lucy who feels the oppression from both Trammell and Ashburn. Additional troubles mount. A character named Butcher is involved in some manipulation of machinery and Lucy is involved in a serious accident that compromises him considerably. As well, there is a Dr. Craven who brings no good to Lucy (see Spoilers section below).

A major source of solace to Lucy is her roommate Clara, with whom Lucy sweetly confides. But things on every front become complicated and the denouement is, as expected, perfectly gothic. (See Spoilers for more.)

This is a well-written gothic horror adventure, and credit goes to Greater Boston Stage Company’s artistic director Weylin Symes for having the energy and drive to write his own Halloween season thriller. Apparently he had been considering mounting a version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and got the inspiration to craft his own nineteenth century chiller, which has resulted in this interesting addition to the seasonal creepfest repertoire. It does feature a female protagonist who has to navigate the horrors of a male dominated system, and certainly brings new attention to practices and claims of pseudo-science. (Note to author: perhaps a sequel with hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin and bleach?). But what makes this show particularly interesting is that it affords a serious actress with considerable versatility to play all twelve parts.

And that is where this show shines so remarkably. Anna Slate, who commands all of these roles while giving significant ballast to her main role of Lucy Cull, does incredible justice to them, with a deftness of accent and gesture that brings them all to life with characterological distinctiveness and vividness. There is potentially a lot one could be confused by with a single actor trying to carry all of this off, but Slate does it with such perfection that the plot comes across quite clearly and all of the characters stand on their own two feet. Symes’ script, certainly, and perhaps intentionally, leaves certain things in the dark, which does make for a little haziness at points, but this has nothing to do with Slate’s expert rendering of the characters and events.

Special credit must go, as well, to noted Boston area dialect coach Lee Nishri-Howitt who has helped enable Slate’s ability to come across as authentic in twelve different dimensions. There is nothing worse onstage than a fake accent, and there is no hint of one, among those twelve, in this set of portrayals. Kudos to both Slate and Nishri-Howitt for pulling this off.

As well, the stage design by Katy Monthei, sound design by David Remedios, and lighting design by Corey Whittemore, are all superb, making this a stirring production overall. The main body of the set is curiously and effectively lifted above the stage and the action occurs both within it – as Cull’s and Clara’s bedroom – and below it, as the laboratory in which Cull gets transfused. It’s a very effective design ploy, and amplified by the great lighting and the array of sound supports, the result is highly dramatic.

Overall: a good thriller script with a nineteenth century feminist twist, and a stellar performance by Anna Slate in twelve different roles, supported very ably by excellent stagecraft.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)