Playwriting
Abigail has written 5 full-length plays: The Greenhouse, Blood Orange, Camp Cattywampus, Possession, and Anointed with Gasoline. She has also written 1 one-act play: “Teeth.”
Her work is both funny and dramatic. It often engages with complex topics of lesbian desire, mental illness, death and violence, and catharsis. She has written extensively about grief and healing.
HONEYSUCKLE
HONEYSUCKLE
Honeysuckle is a play, currently in development, written by Abigail Duclos.
Honeysuckle is set in an apocalypse bunker in North Carolina. The near future.
Two months into Mila’s quarantine in her Evangelical father’s apocalypse bunker, her ex-best friend, Estelle, appears, begging to be saved. The girls, along with Mila’s increasingly controlling boyfriend, try to learn how to survive together during the end times. Honeysuckle is a full-length horror play that explores the body and all its horrors, queer desire at the end of the world, and the inevitable weirdness of being stuck with your best friend from middle-school in a 6 ft. x 6 ft. room.
Two scenes from Honeysuckle were performed as a staged reading on March 1, 2024, at The Maker’s Space in Brooklyn.
Cast: Alyssa James (Estelle), Joan Milburn (Mila), and Spenser Valentine (Christian)
Production Team: Alexandra Haddad (Director), and Abigail Duclos (Playwright)
Characters
ESTELLE JACKSON
22. Gender studies major who never graduated from college. Biting but gentle, always looking for a leading hand.
MILA SMALLS
22. Former ballerina. Child of two doomsday preppers. Soft-spoken but can tear through flesh with her teeth.
CHRISTIAN BENNETT
23. Tall, assertive, delirious.
Alyssa James (Estelle)
Joan Milburn (Mila)
Spenser Valentine (Christian)
Alexandra Haddad (Director)
THE GREENHOUSE
THE GREENHOUSE
The Greenhouse is a full-length play based on Machado de Assis’s novella O Alienista.
The Greenhouse was written by Abigail Duclos, Catt Filippov, Shayan Hooshmand, Maya Weed, and Sophie Craig. The play is set in colonial-era Brazil.
The Greenhouse tells the story of Dr. Simão Bacamarte, a man who just can’t get enough of science, really wants to have a baby, and is more than a little delusional.
The Greenhouse was first performed on December 18, 2023, at the Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn, New York.
Cast: Abigail Duclos (Simão Bacamarte), Mimi Wu (Dona Evarista), Hafez Mohseni (Porfirio the Barber/Efigenia), Henry Alper (Crispim Soares), Pimprenelle Behaeghel (Martim Brito/Houseboy), Sabrina Carlier (Town Crier), Catt Filippov (Father Lopes), Shayan Hooshmand (Understudy Father Lopes), Maya Weed (Dona Magnolia/Casa Verde Worker #1), Ben See-Tho (Dummer/Casa Verde Worker #2)
Production Team: Shayan Hooshmand (Director/Producer/Co-Playwright), Sophie Craig (Co-Playwright/Producer), Sil Rivera (Stage Manager), Abigail Duclos (Co-Playwright), Catt Filippov (Co-Playwright), Maya Weed (Co-Playwright)
Creative Team: Sophie Craig (Costume Designer), Maya Weed (Set Designer), Sean Yu (Composer)
Characters
DR. SIMÃO BACAMARTE
30s. Educated in Portugal.
CRISPIM SOARES
30s. An apothecary. Simão’s childhood best friend (and perhaps more).
MARTIM BRITO
40s. A poet-politician.
TOWN CRIER
Somewhere between 15 and 65. Happy to be doing his job.
DONA EVARISTA DA COSTA E MASCARENHAS
Late 20s. The doctor’s wife. Only eats pork—nothing else.
MAGNOLIA ACCARDI
30s. A seamstress. Was once in love with Simão—but not anymore.
HOUSEBOY
14. Dona Evarista’s personal servant.
DRUMMER
20s. A musician and freedom fighter.
PORFIRIO PEREIRA
35. A barber. A leech salesman. A political revolutionary.
FATHER LOPES
60s. A priest. Wondering why all the Churches are so empty these days.
EFIGENIA DA SILVA
Late 20s. A dancer, looking for love.
CASA VERDE WORKERS
Ageless. Masked. Violent.
A graphic of the cast and team of "The Greenhouse," made by Sabrina Carlier.
One of the masks of the Casa Verde Workers, made by Sophie Craig.
Abigail Duclos as Simão Bacamarte. Image by Sabrina Carlier.
A mask used in The Happenings. Worn by Catt Filippov.
Hafez Mohseni (Porfirio) washes the face of Abigail Duclos (Simão). Photographed by Olivia Namkoong.
BLOOD ORANGE
BLOOD ORANGE
Blood Orange is a 90-minute play written by Abigail Duclos.
Blood Orange is set in a small town in Asheville, North Carolina—by the Appalachian Mountains. The present. Early November.
Blood Orange is a story of grief, desire, and roadkill. It was written by Abigail under the mentorvision of Professor Jhumpa Lahiri, with further mentorship by Professor Ken Chen.
Blood Orange was first performed as a staged reading on May 1, 2023, in the Minor Latham Playhouse at Barnard College. The reading was directed by Skylar Hudson and featured performances by Miranda Paiz, Pimprenelle Behaeghel, Isabel Tongson, Alex Prezeau, John Howley, and Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson.
Blood Orange was later performed as a workshop performance on October 8, 2023, at the Brick Aux in Brooklyn, NY. The cast and team was as follows:
Cast: Kiana Mottahedan (Faye), Mimi Wu (Eden), Gabriela DuPont (Georgia), Emi Asano (Mariah), John McWhorter (Lucas), Chicava Tate (Mrs. Robinson)
Creative & Production Team: Abigail Duclos (Playwright), Alexandra Haddad (Director), Sophie Craig (Stage Manager), Shayan Hooshmand (Artistic Director), Ellie Houlihan (Choreographer), Kenjiro Lee (Puppet Designer), Elsa Hana Chung (Costume Designer/Publicity Manager)
Characters
FAYE CORDERO
17. Has sharp teeth and watches too much reality television. Grew up in Asheville and will die in Asheville.
LUCAS JELENSKI
75. Has hard skin. Eden’s father.
EDEN JELENSKI
16. Punctual, nervous, and full of lies. Moved to Asheville 11 months ago.
MARIAH CORDERO
50. Lost, with matted hair and a crumbling body. Faye’s mother.
GEORGIA ÁGUILA
17. Rich, wears red lipstick. Grew up in Asheville and will die in Asheville, too.
MRS. MARGAREY ROBINSON
55. Faye’s next-door neighbor. Kind and devout.
Pimprenelle Behaeghel (Eden), Miranda Paiz (Faye), and Isabel Tongson (Georgia) posing during the photoshoot for the “Blood Orange” poster. Photographed by Maya Shore.
Abigail Duclos watching a final rehearsal of “Blood Orange.” Photographed by Maya Shore.
Behind-the-scenes of the photoshoot for the “Blood Orange” poster, which was photographed by Maya Shore.
Miranda Paiz (Faye) reacts to Mariah during the final “Blood Orange” rehearsal. Photographed by Maya Shore.
Isabel Tongson (Georgia) listens during the final rehearsal of the play. Photographed by Maya Shore.
Pimprenelle Behaeghel (Eden) reacts to Faye and Mariah. Photographed by Maya Shore.
Skylar Hudson, the director of the staged reading of “Blood Orange,” takes notes during the final rehearsal. Photographed by Maya Shore.
Alex Prezeau (Mariah) reacts to Faye during the final rehearsal of “Blood Orange.” Photographed by Maya Shore.
Blood Orange was workshopped in October 2023 by The Elif Collective.
You can read more about this workshop here.
Mimi Wu (Eden), Gabriela DuPont (Georgia), and Kiana Mottahedan (Faye) look at Agnavis. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
John McWhorter (Lucas) reaches for Mimi Wu (Eden). Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Sophie Craig and Abigail Duclos review a rehearsal schedule. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Gabriela DuPont (Georgia), Mimi Wu (Eden), and Kiana Mottahedan (Faye) look up. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Mimi Wu (Eden) and Kiana Mottahedan (Faye) reach for one another. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Alexandra Haddad chats with audience members after the show. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Mimi Wu (Eden) and Kiana Mottahedan (Faye) dance. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Shayan Hooshmand, Gabriela DuPont, Sophie Craig, John McWhorter, Emi Asana, Mimi Wu, Kiana Mottahedan, Abigail Duclos, Alexandra Haddad, and Chicava Tate read through the script. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Kiana Mottahedan (Faye) begins to dance. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Emi Asano (Mariah) speaks with Kiana Mottahedan (Faye). Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Mimi Wu (Eden) bites into a blood orange. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
Abigail Duclos looks over a script. Photographed by Sabrina Carlier.
TEETH
TEETH
Teeth is a 30-minute one-act play written by Abigail Duclos.
Teeth is set in Steelton, Pennsylvania. The recent past. March.
Teeth is a one-act play about immigration, opioid addiction, and the matrilineal line of families. It was written by Abigail with support by Professor Ellen McLaughlin.
Teeth was first performed as a staged reading on May 5, 2022, in Barnard Hall, as part of a festival of student-written work sponsored by Columbia NOMADS. A second reading of the play, now as a radio show, was performed on WKCR 89.9 FM on April 23, 2023.
The readings were directed by Is Perlman and featured performances by Jaeden Riley Juarez, Catherine Herrera, Izabella Lizarazo, Adelina Correa, Amelia Mason, Josie Morkin, and Vanessa Mendoza.
Characters
ESTER PARRA
Early 20s. A rising senior at a university in New York City. Angry, hopeful.
ANYA WIOSNA
Ester’s mother. Works as a pharmacist at a local CVS.
WINONA ROY
Early 20s. A rising senior at Steelton Community College, studying sociology.
MIRA WIOSNA
Anya’s mother and Ester’s grandmother. An immigrant.
JOSEF PARRA
Ester’s father. Manager of the regional post office. An immigrant.
THE GUIDE
A nurse. An observer. A sign.
The cast and team of “Teeth.” From left to right: Vanessa Mendoza, Adelina Correa, Catherine Herrera, Is Perlman, Abigail Duclos, Jaeden Riley Juarez, and Josie Morkin. Photo taken by John Howley on April 23, 2023.
The cast and team of “Teeth.” From left to right: Josie Morkin, Adelina Correa, Catherine Herrera, Izabella Lizarazo, Abigail Duclos, Amelia Mason, and Is Perlman. Photo taken on May 5, 2022.
The poster for the staged reading of “Teeth,” designed by Abigail.
Behind-the-scenes at WKCR 89.9 FM.
CAMP CATTYWAMPUS
CAMP CATTYWAMPUS
Camp Cattywampus is a two-act play written by Abigail Duclos in collaboration with Tess Inderbitzin.
Camp Cattywampus is set at a performing arts summer camp in North Carolina. The present.
Cast: Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson (Poppy), Jaeden Riley Juarez (Brie), Isabel Beatriz Tongson (Noah), Ruth Weaver (Sacha), and Bella Williams (Olive).
Camp Cattywampus is a full-length play with music, poetry, painting, and dance. It is about being a teenage girl, about grief, about love, and about rage.
A full-scale production of Camp Cattywampus was produced by the Columbia University Performing Arts League and was performed on November 11th and 12th of 2022.
Production Team: Abigail Duclos (Co-Playwright & Co-Director), Tess Inderbitzin (Co-Playwright, Co-Director, & Composer), Skylar Hudson (Stage Manager), Sydney Johnson (Assistant Stage Manager & Co-Costume Designer), Frankie DeGiorgio (Producer), Ryan Puterbaugh (Production Manager), Maylla Patrick (Production Assistant), and Alexis Buncich (Dramaturg).
Creative Team: Olivia Barbieri (Co-Lighting Designer), Haven Capone (Wellbeing Coordinator), Laurel Carpenter (Props Designer), Lily Collier (Sound Designer), Olivia Kuan-Romano (Assistant Sound Designer), Lily Mooney (Set Designer), Jules Gross (Co-Lighting Designer), Rainier Harris (Co-Costume Designer), Ellie Houlihan (Choreographer), Is Perlman (Artistic Coordinator), and Jaella Wengel (Social Media Manager).
Characters
BRIE “BEE” GUTIERREZ
16. A dancer.
OLIVE FOSTER
15. A painter.
NOAH ALTHEA CRUZ
16. A singer-songwriter.
POPPY HUNTINGTON
15. An actress.
SACHA LEFKOWITZ
15. A poet.
MAISIE GREENE
15. A memory.
Reviews of Camp Cattywampus
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Camp Cattywampus…brings together the goofiness and tragedy of teenage girlhood in an original play that’s equal parts funny and heartbreaking.
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The show is so big-hearted, so empathetic, that it’s hard not to love it… Camp Cattywampus makes the progression between different registers of emotion look and feel as natural as it does in real life—a true artistic accomplishment.
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Duclos and Inderbitzin imbue ordinary speech with small details that feel like something you could overhear outside a teenager’s cabin door… It is refreshing to see young, talented playwrights who are part of those generations capture this dialogue realistically.
The poster for “Camp Cattywampus,” designed by Abigail and Tess Inderbitzin.
Skylar Hudson, posing with the “Camp Cattywampus” poster.
The cast and team of “Camp Cattywampus,” posing after a run-through.
The cast and writers of “Camp Cattywampus.”
The cast and team of “Camp Cattywampus,” posing after the first read-through of the script. Top row, from left to right: Ruth Weaver, Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson, Bella William, Jaeden Riley Juarez, and Isabel Beatriz Tongson. Bottom row, from left to right: Abigail Duclos, Tess Inderbitzin, and Skylar Hudson.
Members of the “Camp Cattywampus” cast and team (and a fan!), posing after coming in third place in the Columbia University ColorFest.
The set of “Camp Cattywampus,” designed by Lily Mooney.
Some of the props of “Camp Cattywampus,“ designed by Laurel Carpenter.
Tess Inderbitzin and Abigail Duclos deliver their pre-show directors’ speech. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Poppy (Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson) delivers the beginning of a monologue. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Olive (Bella Williams) laughs at Sacha’s joke. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Brie (Jaeden Riley Juarez) dances. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Noah (Isabel Beatriz Tongson) watches Brie leave. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Poppy (Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson) monologues. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Noah (Isabel Beatriz Tongson) sings an original song—written by Tess Inderbitzin—while the other characters dance. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Sacha (Ruth Weaver) reads one of her poems to the other characters. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Sacha (Ruth Weaver) delivers a half-monologue, half-poem. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Brie (Jaeden Riley Juarez) and Noah (Isabel Beatriz Tongson) embrace. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
Olive (Bella Williams) paints on stage in a movement piece choreographed by Bella, Tess Inderbitzin, and Is Perlman. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
All the characters sing an original song by Tess Inderbitzin together. Photographed by Judy Goldstein.
An interview with Abigail Duclos and Tess Inderbitzin about Camp Cattywampus
Conducted by Jake Malavsky and the Glicker-Milstein Theatre
POSSESSION
POSSESSION
Possession is an 80-minute play written by Abigail Duclos.
Possession is set in the basement of Russell Hall at Carolina Southern College, during the weekly meetings of the Jewish Students’ Association.
Cast: Tess Inderbitzin (Stevie), Jamie-Ann Palmer (Kit), Adelina Correa (Ellis), and Sydney Gerlach (Ginger).
Camp Cattywampus is a full-length comedy-drama about the dybbuk myth, healing from violence in lesbian relationships, and queer identity and religion in the Southern United States.
An abridged production of Possession was produced by The Tank, an Off-Broadway venue in Manhattan. It was performed on June 21, 2022, as part of The Tank’s PrideFest.
Production & Creative Team: Abigail Duclos (Playwright & Co-Director), Caroline Egler (Co-Director, Sound Designer, & Dramaturg), Katie Cherven (Stage Manager), Susannah Abrams (Lighting Designer), Heidi Atlas (Costume Designer), and Alexis Buncich (Props Master).
Characters
STEVIE SACKLER
A sophomore at Caroline Southern College. Maybe possessed by a malignant spirit.
GINGER LAZAR
A senior at CSC. Pre-med. Funny until she isn’t.
KIT CAMPBELL
A senior at CSC and President of the Jewish Students’ Association.
LAURA NASS
Sssssssssss.
ELLIS CHAI
A senior Film & Media Studies student. Quiet, angry, cracks her knuckles a lot.
From left to right: Caroline Egler, Sydney Gerlach, Tess Inderbitzin, Adelina Correa, Jamie-Ann Palmer, and Abigail Duclos.
A poster for “Possession.”
Some of the cast and team of “Possession.” Top row, from right to left: Adelina Correa, Caroline Egler, Jamie-Ann Palmer, and Katie Cherven. Bottom row, from right to left: Sydney Gerlach, Tess Inderbitzin, Abigail Duclos, and Susannah Abrams.
Jamie-Ann Palmer as Kathy “Kit” Campbell.
Sydney Gerlach as Genevieve “Ginger” Lazar.
Tess Inderbitzin as Stevie Sackler.
Stevie (Tess Inderbitzin) battles with her dybbuk.
Ellis (Adelina Correa) and Stevie (Tess Inderbitzin) embrace.
A prop for “Possession,” advertising a Jews of Color Reading Group. Made by Alexis Buncich.
A prop advertising a Yom Kippur service. Made by Alexis Buncich.
The team of “Possession” saying goodbye to The Tank.
The cast poses as Sydney Gerlach (on computer) joins virtually from Paris, France.
A prop from the show, advertising the Jewish Students’ Association of Carolina Southern College. Made by Abigail Duclos.
ANOINTED WITH GASOLINE
ANOINTED WITH GASOLINE
Anointed With Gasoline is a full-length play written by Abigail Duclos.
Anointed With Gasoline is set in liminal spaces and in Scarborough, Pennsylvania—at various times from 2007 to 2011.
Cast: Isobel Obrecht (Elijah), Deanna Cuadra (Jesse), Alexis Buncich (Miriam), Octavio Vourvoulias (Nick), Bella Fenn (Dr. Wright).
Anointed With Gasoline is a full-length play about revenge, catharsis, and Appalachia.
Anointed With Gasoline was produced NOMADS, an organization at Columbia University dedicated to producing student-written work. It was produced as a staged reading on December 4, 2020, and as a fully-developed main-stage show from March 18-20, 2021.
Production Team: Abigail Duclos (Playwright), Kathy Fang (Director), Syeda Anjum (Co-Production Coordinator), Mario Garcia (Co-Production Coordinator), Ruya Tazebay (Technical Director), Sydney Gerlach (Dramaturg), Olivia Sieler (Assistant Stage Manager), Madeleine George (Assistant Director), Anjali Ramakrishnan (Assistant Dramaturg), and Chloe Kok (Publicity Manager).
Creative Team: Kalina Ko (Co-Lighting Designer), Alli Salwen (Co-Lighting Designer), Abigail Smith (Co-Set & Props Designer), Erin Ergun (Co-Set & Props Designer), Emma Gometz (Costume Designer), Isa Pierce (Sound Designer), and Diana Gregoire (Assistant Sound Designer).
Characters
ELIJAH “ELI” REYES
A 22-year-old queer woman from the middle-of-nowhere Appalachia.
NICK PARKER
A privileged, six-foot-something good-for-nothing. Jesse’s older brother.
JESSE PARKER
A young lesbian who will probably need more therapy. One year younger than Eli.
DR. WILMA WRIGHT
50s. Eli’s therapist.
MIRIAM MAIMUN
40s. Eli’s mother. Ex-wife of Aaron Reyes. Yearns to one day be described as more than Eli’s mother and Aaron’s ex-wife.
Reviews of Anointed With Gasoline
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Staged across kaleidoscopic flashbacks on Elijah Reye’s 22nd birthday, “Anointed With Gasoline” is a delicate, beautifully acted portrait of queer love and mental illness.
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The play, written by Abigail Duclos (BC ‘23), is a (quite literally) fiery show that deals with queer love, queer rage, and queer healing. Under the director of Kathy Fang (CC ‘24), Anointed With Gasoline blossoms into a moving, aching narrative of a young woman coping with and moving past trauma.
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Here, it feels like a lifetime of suffering and pain is contained in [Duclos’s] words.
The logo for Anointed With Gasoline, designed by Syeda Anjum.
A Zoom meeting with some of the cast & team of Anointed With Gasoline, after their final show.
The poster of Anointed With Gasoline, designed by Emma Gometz.
A screenshot from the virtual production of Anointed With Gasoline.