(Hollywood, CA) Written and directed by K.E. Pleshinger, Ghosttown is a haunting and deeply moving new play now appearing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Exploring themes of mortality, regret, love, identity, and the choices that shape our lives, Ghosttown is far more than a night of entertainment. It challenges audiences to confront difficult questions: Are we making a meaningful impact on the people we love? Do those closest to us truly know who we are? And are we living intentionally with the time we’ve been given?
We were honored to attend a performance of this powerful production. A huge thank you to Defiant Ghost Productions for having us out.
What is Ghosttown?
Ghosttown follows Nessa Poole, a young woman who suddenly finds herself attending her own funeral – as a ghost.
As she watches family and friends gather to mourn her, Nessa makes a devastating discovery: no one in the room truly knew her. Or at least, they didn’t know the version of herself she most wanted them to see. As she navigates memories, grief, and the painful distance between who we are and who we allow others to perceive, a sinister presence lurks at the edges of her story. Relentless and inescapable, it pushes Nessa toward a truth about her death that she has desperately tried to avoid.
At its heart, Ghosttown asks us to examine the stories we tell – not only to others, but to ourselves.
The Real Horror of Ghosttown
Although Ghosttown incorporates supernatural and horror-adjacent elements, its greatest scares don’t come from startling screams or monsters. Instead, the real horror emerges from something far more universal: the knowledge that every one of us will someday face our own ending.
The production’s most frightening question isn’t what happens after death – it’s what happens before it.
Did we say what we needed to say? Did we allow ourselves to be truly known? Did we spend our time becoming the person we wanted to be?
Ghosttown shook me.
There is simply no other way to put it. K.E. Pleshinger has crafted a story that is eerie, atmospheric, and emotionally devastating in all the right ways. Yet its most powerful moments are also its quietest. The true horror lies in the creeping realization that many of us move through life partially hidden, carefully curating what others see while keeping our deepest truths locked away.
That’s a terrifying thought.
It’s also exactly the kind of terror that matters.
Ghosttown is uncomfortable, thought-provoking, and profoundly human. It’s the kind of show that lingers long after the lights come up, and one that is absolutely worth your time.
Getting Tickets to Ghosttown
There is only one performance remaining! Ghosttown plays at the McCadden Theater on June 26 at 10:30 p.m.
Don’t miss your final opportunity to experience this stunning and deeply affecting production. Grab your tickets now at hollywoodfringe.org.
