A Homecoming for Jillian Blevins
The New England playwright brings “Morphology” to the stage at Phillips’ Mill
This July, Phillips’ Mill Drama will host a new and deeply personal theatrical work from New England playwright Jillian Blevins, who returns to her hometown of New Hope to premiere a workshop production of her latest play, “Morphology.” The play explores themes of communication, motherhood and the mysteries of the deep sea—all through the lens of one family’s struggle to understand each other without words.
“Morphology” tells the story of Claudia, a single mother raising her nonverbal Autistic teenage son. As Claudia grapples with pressure from her own mother over how to navigate her son’s future, he seeks connection with a sea creature he believes understands him. At its core, the play is about the limits—and possibilities—of language. “So much of this play was inspired by my desire to think about and talk about the ways we connect beyond language,” Blevins says.
The workshop production of “Morphology” will be performed July 24–27, 2025, at Phillips’ Mill, with evening and matinee performances open to the public. The staged reading will be followed by artist talkbacks and audience discussions.
Blevins, who now lives in Rowley, Massachusetts, began her theater journey early, performing in youth theater programs in Maryland before moving to Pennsylvania and attending school in New Hope. “My mom still lives in New Hope,” she says. “She’s always been my biggest champion. It is because of my mom that one of my earlier plays made its way to Valerie (Eastburn) at the Mill. It’s incredibly meaningful to bring this work back to the place where I first fell in love with theater.”
Blevins spent much of her youth acting in and directing school productions and participating in theater camps and local groups like Town and Country Players.
Though she studied theater at the University of Rhode Island with a focus on acting and directing, Blevins always wrote—mostly short stories—never imagining that playwriting would one day become her true calling. That changed in 2020 when she launched a virtual play series called “Digital Dionysia,” bringing together more than 20 playwrights from around the world to produce weekly Zoom-based theater inspired by mythology and modern themes. It was there she found her voice as a dramatist. “I had so much fun writing those plays. I felt so self-assured, I started finishing longer works. I found the thing I’m supposed to be doing.”
Since then, her work has gained recognition across the country, including staged readings and productions in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, New Hampshire, and Portland, Maine. One of her recent plays, about Holocaust survivor Dr. Gisella Pearl and secret abortions in Auschwitz, was selected as a Gold Prize winner for Portland Stage’s Clauder Competition, earning her a place among top New England playwrights.
“Morphology” is one of Blevins’ most personal works, inspired by her relationship with her own son, who is six years old and Autistic. “When I desperately need to know more about something, I write a play about it,” she explains. “I wanted to explore how language can be both a bridge and a barrier—and what it means to really listen, even when words aren’t used.”
This summer’s production at Phillips’ Mill will mark a homecoming of sorts—both creative and personal. Directed by Griffin Horn, a fellow New Hope native and longtime friend, the workshop promises a poignant, thought-provoking experience for audiences and a chance for Blevins to reconnect with the place that shaped her. “It’s exciting to come back to a community where I learned so much about theater,” she says. “And to bring the artist I’ve become full circle to that stage.”
