By Liz Eichler
Nancy Bell’s world premiere explores what happens when the greatest threat comes from within.
A Timely Premise
Nancy Bell’s People in the Woods is having its World Premiere at Liberty Exhibition Hall in Northside. Produced by Clifton Players and running weekends through September 21, I had the opportunity to attend the final dress rehearsal. The play’s apocalyptic view feels increasingly relevant.
First developed in 2018 for the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference in Idaho, the play follows James and Claire, a couple who have escaped from civilization to become survivalists, as the dangerous world has hit too close. Yet as Bell’s study unfolds, we discover that perhaps the greatest dangers cannot be outrun. They live with us.
The Action Unfolds
The action unfolds on November 17, nine months into the couple’s self-imposed exile. Claire bursts through the cabin door, having just confronted the literal fox that has been decimating their henhouse. This opening image—the predator within their carefully constructed sanctuary—serves as the perfect metaphor for the forces that will ultimately threaten their survival. Yes, nine months is a gestation period. The timing is also telling: they entered the cabin in February, before facing a full brutal winter.
Character Studies in Crisis
At the heart of Bell’s play are two people coping with trauma in fundamentally different ways. Claire is a do-er, a nurturer who tackles challenges head-on, whether dealing with wildlife or dwindling supplies. James, her neurodivergent husband, relies on rigid coping mechanisms, including a timer-activated bell that halts all activity for enforced meditation. This ritual may soothe him, but it increasingly alienates his wife. Claire repeatedly says, “I believe everything you tell me.” Sometimes with love, sometimes an empty echo, hinting at an uneasy pact in their shared history.
Miranda McGee Bratton brings her considerable range to Claire, giving the character the humanity and humor that have marked her distinguished career. She’s an actress you can’t wait to see. Carter Bratton matches her intensity as James, drawing on his talent for portraying tightly wound men with an underlying volatility reminiscent of Jack Nicholson’s masculine energy. The real-life married couple’s chemistry adds layers of authenticity to their characters’ relationship.
The arrival of Richard (Randy Bailey), a grizzled man who claims to have been living alone in the woods for sixteen years, introduces another fox into this particular henhouse. The actor delivers a solid portrayal of someone shaped by extreme isolation, bringing both poetic wisdom and an unsettling presence that complicates the couple’s already fragile dynamic.
Thematic Depth and Dramatic Structure
Bell’s script uses the fox metaphor to explore conflicts of interest–where our own motivations lead us to harm the vulnerable. James’s rigid coping mechanisms, designed to bring him peace, instead drive Claire to distraction. Claire’s consuming desire for another baby directly contradicts their original plan of simple survival as a couple, and unhinges James’ carefully crafted peace.
The play’s structure builds effectively, with the first act establishing the couple’s precarious situation—dwindling supplies, a dead goat, decimated chickens, and the highly relatable f***ing rabbits destroying their garden. The second act’s pace quickens, revealing deeper psychological pressures, particularly Claire’s desperate longing for motherhood in a world James deems too dangerous for children.
Bell weaves in broader questions about mental health, the impossibility of simply “not doing,” and whether we can ever really escape. The play asks whether sticking one’s head in the sand—avoiding confrontation with past trauma—can ever lead to genuine healing.
Production Values and Direction
Kevin Crowley’s direction wisely focuses on character and relationship, understanding that the simple power of this dark comedy comes from emotional truth. The production makes effective use of the upstairs playing space at Liberty Exhibition Hall, with the intimate audience positioned outside the imaginary cabin walls, creating an appropriately voyeuristic perspective.
The lighting (Kevin Crowley) underscores key dramatic moments, while costumes (Pam Schooner), props (Christine Dye) and scenery (also Cowley, but built by Kevin Kunz and Chris Lesson) provide appropriate support without distraction. There is also a brief appearance by an adorably appropriate puppet, created by Dylan Shelton.
Overall
People in the Woods is the kind of show that stays with you long after it ends—proof of both Bell’s smart writing and the strong performances. In a time when many feel the world is falling apart around them, the play offers a powerful look at how we deal with fear, trauma, and the basic challenge of connecting with other people.
The show proves that Cincinnati theater continues to benefit from talented performers like the Brattons, whose return to the stage makes our local arts scene richer. Bravi!
See this play. Like the fox that messes up the hen house, People in the Woods may disturb your comfortable ideas—and that’s exactly what makes it powerful.
Tickets to People in the Woods
People in the Woods is running weekends through September 21.
- Run Time: The show is to 45-min Acts with a 15 min intermission.
- Refreshments: Adult Beverages and other drinks are available at the bar.
- Parking: next door for those willing to use an app, and metered street parking.
- Accessibility: Stairs, a chair lift is available.
Tickets are available at: https://m.bpt.me/event/6694137
