Horsegirl, a trans woman in her thirties, lives a life of routine alongside her father, Cowdaddy, in a forgotten town in Southern Pennsylvania—until she falls in love with Bethel, a new-to-town teacher with a goal of improving the lives of everyone they meet. Over the course of their summer romance, Bethel physically transforms Horsegirl into the person (or thing) they want her to be. Cowdaddy’s attempts to pull his daughter back to him leads to an explosive confrontation between all of them, in the wake of which Horsegirl must decide for herself what a happy life looks like.
NEW PLAY READING FESTIVAL 2024
People power plays. Plays power progress.
Join us for staged readings of exciting new works that are in keeping with our mission to bring you risky, adventurous plays that you won’t find anywhere else in Southern California, as well as surrounding events that celebrate the artists making the work.
July 20 @ 12 PM – The Care and Keeping of Schizophrenia (and Other Demons) by Gloria Oladipo
July 20 @ 4 PM – Octopus’s Garden by Weston Gaylord
July 21 @ 12 PM – You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! by Keiko Green
July 21 @ 4 PM – Horsegirl & Cowdaddy by DJ Hills
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
DJ Hills (they/them) is a cross-genre writer for the page, stage, and screen. Their play TRUNK BRIEF JOCK THONG was shortlisted for the 2023 Yale Drama Series. Other plays have been developed and/or produced most recently at the University of California Los Angeles (I SWEAR TO GOD), Carnegie Mellon University (Adult Things), and Single Carrot Theatre (we broke up.). DJ’s short plays …in daylight and big and small were part of Theater Masters TAKE TEN 2022 and 2023, respectively, and subsequently published by Concord Theatricals. Fellowships and residencies include the Substratum writing residency, the Kratz Fellowship for Creative Writing, and the Horticulture Playwriting Fellowship. Their poetry chapbook, Leaving Earth, was published by Split Rock Press and the titular poem was nominated for 2023’s Best of the Net and Best New Poets. Connect with DJ online at www.dj-hills.com.
