Drowning Ophelia
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"...witty, poetic, and psychologically true." - Theatre Storm
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"...a present-day drama that explores timeless truths." - Broad Street Review
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"This poetic and powerful production...understands that sometimes what’s in our head is more real than what’s outside of it." - Phindie
Productions:
McLean, VA, 2025
Bulgarian Tour, 2024/2025
Balkan Theater Festival, Serbia, 2024
Detroit, MI, 2024
Cheney, WA, 2023
Manitoba, CAN, 2023
Toronto, CAN, 2021
Indianapolis, IN, 2021
Nova Scotia, CAN, 2021
Southern Pines, NC, 2021
Moscow, ID, 2019
Philadelphia, PA, 2016
Scranton, PA, 2016
San Francisco, CA, 2013
McLean, VA, 2025
Bulgarian Tour, 2024/2025
Balkan Theater Festival, Serbia, 2024
Detroit, MI, 2024
Cheney, WA, 2023
Manitoba, CAN, 2023
Toronto, CAN, 2021
Indianapolis, IN, 2021
Nova Scotia, CAN, 2021
Southern Pines, NC, 2021
Moscow, ID, 2019
Philadelphia, PA, 2016
Scranton, PA, 2016
San Francisco, CA, 2013
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Jane doesn’t know what to do with the literary character who has taken up residence in her bathtub. She doesn’t want Ophelia interrupting the obsessive order of her life with obnoxious songs about death and valentines. She doesn’t want Ophelia disrupting her relationship with Edmund, the oddly charming actor who might show up for dinner in a suit…or a suit of armor. And she most definitely doesn’t want Ophelia stirring up memories of a brother she would rather forget. But Ophelia doesn’t care about what Jane wants so much as what she needs. As Jane’s past intrudes dangerously on her present, it becomes clear that Ophelia is not simply a character from "Hamlet," but a long-forgotten messenger with a question from Jane’s own troubled mind: How do you move on when reconciliation is not an option? Drowning Ophelia is a dark comedy performed in one act about the long-term consequences of childhood abuse, and a love letter to those who have suffered. There is always hope. Characters: OPHELIA, straight out of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” child-like, purposeful JANE, early twenties to mid-thirties, a bit obsessive, a tad on edge ADAM, her brother, older by eight or ten years, devastatingly likable EDMUND, an actor, equal parts charm and awkwardness |
Drowning Ophelia is published by Blue Moon Plays. You can read an excerpt on New Play Exchange or purchase a perusal copy here.
Featured Productions
Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Samokov, & Sofia,
Bulgaria 2024 & 2025
McLean, VA 2025
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Directed by Dr. Lori Lind for Shakespeare Opera Theatre Cast: Sarah Daniels as Ophelia Jessa Whitley-Hill as Jane Justin Meyer as Adam Karina Hilleard as Edmund Photos courtesy of Shakespeare Opera Theatre |
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Caribrod, Serbia 2024
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Directed by Anastasia Dimitrova for the Balkan Theater Festival with original choreography by Djordjia Niamova and vocal direction by Maria-Viktoria Mitova Cast: Neda Aleksov as Ophelia Anastasia Dimitrova as Jane Georgi Petkov as Adam Stefan Gyurov as Edmund Photos by Finn Perelstein |
Detroit, MI 2024
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Directed by Iyla Stebbins for Wayne State University Cast: Natalie Duffy as Ophelia Madi Burt as Jane Reid McCoy as Adam Moogie Fawaz as Edmund Understudies: Aurelio Delgado, Anette Orellana Photos by Brandon Graves |
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Toronto, CAN 2021
A twenty-minute adaptation with original choreography by Kimia Karachi.
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Directed by Kimia Karachi for The University of Toronto Cast: Zia Parcon as Ophelia Ohryong Kwon as Jane Nezar El-Rayes as Adam Photos by Jae Yang Photography |
Indianapolis, IN 2021
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Directed by Grant Williams for The University of Indianapolis
Cast: Audrey Panyard as Ophelia Senaite Tekle as Jane Refik Dogruyol as Adam Nicholas Finch as Edmund Photos by Kielynn Tally Used by permission of the University of Indianapolis Department of Theatre Winner of 7 National Awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, including The Citizen Award, "which recognizes programs in higher education using theatrical production to promote long-term societal impact through an artistic lens, to encourage empathetic exploration of the complex cultural and physical world, and to advocate for justice on campus and throughout the world."
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Nova Scotia, CAN 2021
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Directed by Robert Seale for Acadia University Cast: Lauren Amirault as Ophelia Claire Chateauneuf as Jane Mike Butler as Adam Myles Bradley as Edmund |
Southern Pines, NC 2021
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Directed by Finch Rose for Pinecrest Players Theatre Cast: Finch Rose as Ophelia Ava Wellener as Jane David Martinez as Adam Kate Dela Rocha as Edmund |
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Moscow, ID 2019 |
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Directed by Carly McMinn for The University of Idaho Cast: Alexa Lamers as Ophelia Katharine Sonas as Jane Joseph Winder as Adam Rhys Colson as Edmund Photos by Chian-ann Lu |
Philadelphia, PA 2016
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Directed by Daniel Roberts for Eager Risk Theatre & Ensemble Atria Cast: Lindsay Andreanszky as Ophelia Victoria Rae Sook as Jane Levi Morger as Adam Erik Endsley as Edmund Photos by RKD Photograpy |
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Scranton, PA 2016
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Directed by Jonathan Strayer for Gaslight Theatre Company
Cast: Jessica McDonough as Ophelia Alicia Nordstrom as Jane Timothy McDermott as Adam Jeremy J. Kemmerer as Edmund Photos by Brad Barry |
San Francisco, CA 2013
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Directed by Ellery Schaar for Repurposed Theatre Cast: Kirsten Dwyer as Ophelia Katharine Otis as Jane Ryan Hayes as Adam Will Trichon as Edmund Photos by Ted Davis and Robbie Sweeney |
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"Abused"
An MFA Design Thesis by Allyson Conover
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Drowning Ophelia was selected by Allyson (Kochanek) Conovor, a student of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts MFA program, as one of two plays used in her final Wigs & Makeup Thesis Project, "Abused." From Allyson: "I believe art lives and breathes when it is given purpose and meaning. As artists, we have a unique opportunity to say what we want in whichever creative way we can dream of. For my thesis, I wanted to use my platform to bring awareness to abuse. Far too many silent victims go throughout life stifled and broken because there is not enough empathy towards them and their situations. I chose Shakespeare's The Winter’s Tale and Rachel Luann Strayer’s Drowning Ophelia because in each show there is a victim and an abuser. If you or someone you know has suffered from abuse of any kind whether it be emotional, physical, verbal, or psychological, I want you to know I empathize with you and have attempted to encapsulate these feelings and emotions through my art." You can see more of Allyson's work here. |