Hook the Holy Hollow
This
three-act surrealistic play opens as Penny, a homely young Mormon woman, is
prepared for a date by her mother.
Although Penny behaves quite chastely and innocently on this, one of her
first dates, the young man she has accompanied castigates her for her wanton
licentiousness and reports her to their local Mormon bishop for
discipline. As the play moves further
toward satire, Penny faces questioning by an unseen bishop, and promises to remain
obedient to church regulations. The
first act follows Penny’s further dating difficulties and her frustrated
attempts to express her newly budding sexuality, ending in her desperate call
to an escort agency.
The second act of the play shows Penny’s dating difficulties being
compounded by forays into prostitution which she must keep secret, and by an
unexpected pregnancy that is discovered by her family. Penny experiences persecution from her
righteous brother, while her parents desperately try to get Penny married off
(while disallowing dating) to prevent scandal.
Yet, Penny’s new husband believes that Penny must master marital sex as
she might memorize vocabulary, and Penny finds herself compelled to escape his
tyrannical grasp. Throughout it all,
visual and aural effects help illustrate the “horror show” in Penny’s head.
With divorce even more scandalous than Penny’s pregnancy or her husband’s abuse, Penny and her parents work in the third act of the play to restore an image of propriety to Penny’s life. The bishops demand that Penny write letters to them describing her sex life and the penitence she is undertaking to achieve forgiveness. As the birth of Penny’s baby nears, she sinks into deep depression and no longer finds solace in her church. Penny’s mother fights to keep her from returning to the escort agency, finally getting Penny absorbed in useless craftwork developed by the church to fill women’s time. But it is up to Penny to make the mental journey toward acceptance or rejection of her role as a woman in contemporary Mormon society.
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Play Structure: |
3 Acts: Act I, 10 scenes; Act II, 12 scenes; Act III, 8 scenes |
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Cast size: |
4 |
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Gender: |
2 female, 2 male |
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Period: |
1990 |
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Location: |
Any west coast town with a substantial
concentration of Mormons. |
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Set: |
An empty stage with sparse
utilitarian furniture, such as folding chairs. |
Production History
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Hook the Holy Hollow received its premiere production by The
Experimental Theatre Project (White Cat Productions) at the Chamber Theater
in |
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Penny |
Maya Ray |
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|
Elisa Hays |
|
Patrick |
Tom McIntire |
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Petal |
Jessica DiSalvo |
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Paul |
Andrew Loviska |
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Gordon/Doctor |
Sulo Turner |
|
Grant |
David Nance |
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Godfrey |
James DuRuz |
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Bishop/TV Show host |
J. Spyder Isaacson |
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Costume Designer |
Alison Park-Douglas |
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Costumes/Masks |
Amy Christie |
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Set Designer |
Katie Lawrence |
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Props Designer |
Julie Campbell |
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Lighting Designer |
Jason Thiroux |
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Sound Designer |
Andrew Hamilton |
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Media Designer |
Sulo Turner |
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Light Operator |
Noah Benezra |
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Sound Operator |
Alejandro Gutierrez |
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Sound Assistant |
Ryan Smith |
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Stage Manager |
Ashley Ellsworth |
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Asst Stage Manager |
Julie Campbell |
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Fight Choreographer |
Aaron Orensky |
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Makeup Consultant |
Elizabeth Finan |
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House Manager |
Amy Hartwell |