Hannah Williams
director. intimacy professional.
In the Middle of Nowhere
by Bret Murphy
Parkway Playhouse, 2022
Director: Hannah Williams
Stage Manager: Tegan Anders
Costume Designer: Dakota Whitehead
Light Designer: Abby Auman
Set Designer: Carew Henry
Production Photos: Cheyenne Dancy
Cynthia Scott is a retired art professor who escapes to the Black Mountains of North Carolina after leaving her partner in Atlanta. She purchases a run-down trailer and two acres of land with the idea of waiting for death in isolation and guilt. Despite her desire to be left alone, she eventually forms relationships with a young man recently released from prison, a "Meals on Wheels" volunteer and a true "mountain woman." These relationships help provide a contrast to her feelings of shame and self-harm. The question is, "Will she accept forgiveness?"
- New Play Exchange
From Hannah: This show was a beautiful exploration of what it is to be human. Deeply flawed, aware of our short-comings, and relentlessly seeking someone out there who will see us as we are and offer forgiveness. For this process, it was important to me that humanity was intentionally built into the work. We allowed ourselves time to really sit with the characters and think through their choices. I would joke, "This is a play about people sitting at a kitchen table!" and to a point, that was true, but the joy of working on this piece came when the colors and nuances were found within those kitchen table conversations.
