Year of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MFA: Playwriting
Directing Professor
Megan Gogerty
Abstract
Backward is a solo show about a man who, when he turns forty-five, starts living backward in time. Every day he wakes up, he has traveled back to the day before the one he just lived and there's nothing he can do to stop it. As he relives his life in reverse, he must confront his failures as a husband and father. Even as he learns the lessons necessary to repair them, those relationships get left behind in the future. He continues moving backward and eventually must confront the most difficult relationship of them all: his relationship with his own father.
Recommended Citation
Abbott, Benjamin W., "Backward" (2026). Playwriting (MFA) Theses, Hollins University. 20.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/playwritingtheses/20
Contact Information
benabbottactor@gmail.com
Purpose Statement
The purpose of the MFA in Playwriting thesis is to provide a definitive record of student progress upon completion of the degree. This text will not reflect any revisions to the play made after degree completion. For the most current version of the play, or for licensing information, please contact the author and/or the Hollins Playwriting Department.
Comments
This entry includes the full solo-show, accompanied by a scholarly afterword by the playwright which details the process of writing the play from start to finish.