“What the gods gave me” is a new horror play by Eryn Elyse McVay that has only been produced twice: Once at Ohio University, where the playwright is attending grad school, and most recently at Western Washington University, where McVay completed her undergraduate degree.
McVay started working on “what the Gods gave me” during her time at Western. It follows the women of Nevermoore Inn as they prepare for the Rite and the magic that was promised to them—but with the arrival of an outsider, lies are uncovered and their way of life is threatened.
Photo by Joel Stigliano
“A lot of my plays are inspired by some sort of image that comes into my head,” she says. “For this play, I had the image of a very isolated home on a cold stretch of barren, flat wilderness. I saw this parlor room with two siblings sitting by the fire and enjoying their evening when a wounded person shows up, knocking on the door for help.”
McVay wrote out the first scene but ended up shelving the idea for many years. She didn’t start working on it again until her first year of grad school in 2020. Finally, the play was chosen for Western’s season after it was suggested by current students. Kayla Adams, another alum, was then brought on to direct it.
“Getting to see it at Ohio University and at Western is such an extreme gift,” McVay says.
Photo by Clarissa Raybon
It’s allowed her to understand the character threads and arcs better, and to see two different directors’ takes on it. Even now, McVay doesn’t consider this play done and plans to start rewrites this summer.
When McVay began writing, she focused on plays that she herself would want to see. Given her own interest in horror and folk themes, her work naturally gravitated in this direction. McVay has now become well-known for writing horror plays as they are not as popular or mainstream in the theater world.
And while writing horror is something she loves, she does sometimes have to remind herself that she is not constrained by genre. McVay doesn’t have to be the girl who only writes horror. In addition, she can (and has) written comedy, different types of realism, and has started focusing more on screenwriting.
“I just want to use the genre that’s going to be most effective for the story,” she says.
McVay is currently working on her thesis play, which falls more under magical realism. It’s called “Imaginary Audiences” and will be produced later this year in Ohio.
McVay’s No. 1 hope for audiences who see her work is that they take more chances on new plays. She also hopes that “what the Gods gave me” will encourage audiences to go out and learn more about some of the topics that show up in the play. Biological essentialism (and why it’s problematic), intersectional feminism, the pursuit of knowledge, and dissemination of information are all things that McVay was thinking about when writing, and she hopes that audiences will continue to seek out other voices on these topics.
You can find McVay’s work on New Play Exchange under Eryn Elyse McVay. Her plays are available for production, staged readings, and classroom work. You can also find her on Instagram @eryn.elyse.
