Ghost Light is a new 65-minute two-handed play performed by non-professional company “Green Star”, a group set up by playwright Maya Ostle, now studying at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; she says that she likes to write about “ghosts, guilt and love in all its forms“.
Claire and Mary are at a girls’ boarding school where a body has been found on the school grounds. They make a pact that after lights out they will get to work trying to contact the dead girl. The flyer proclaims “The night ahead will challenge their resolve and force them to question: when we talk to the dead, do we deserve a response?”
Kijana May, as 14/15-year-old Claire, works her socks off trying to instil some life into the wordy script. She has a very expressive face and also instinctively uses her hands well: in fact her portrayal is very believable, but, by Jove, does she have to work hard!
Sophie Clapton, who is slightly older, has problems with her American accent – she is supposedly from Oregon, but there appears to be no dramatic reason for this. In addition, her projection and enunciation need more work during the first half of the play, but gradually, she relaxes into her role and these problems disappear. By the end she is highly successful in creating a character which is much more subtle than Claire and, in spite of the play itself, almost succeeds in building tension to the eventual climax – which is a very long time in coming!
The simple but effective set has been designed by Ro Windust and built by GMS Joinery with James Denny as the valued lighting and sound technician.
Maya Ostle herself directs. It is usually not a good idea to successfully direct one’s own work, even though in this case she has been aided by Ro Windust. There were many times during the long 65 minutes that I was convinced that it was a devised piece of theatre, prior to being heavily edited, as there were too many inessential lines, too much ‘going round in circles’, too many pauses, often very long ones, for no discernible dramatic reason. The climax of the play seemed so drawn out that, when the end actually arrived, I was just grateful that I could leave!
This is a shame, as the two actors worked so hard to breathe life into a moribund piece of writing. I should very much like to see both of them in another play as each has talent, but there is a limit to what can be done here I am afraid!
Review by John Groves
Ghost Light is a new original piece of theatre by recent Bristol Old Vic graduate Maya Ostle. Full casting for Ghost Light includes Kijana May as Claire and Sophie Clapton as Mary. The play follows Mary and Claire, two students at an all-girls boarding school, who meet in the dead of night to perform a seance. What follows is a frenzied 60 minutes, exposing the hidden fears and secrets of the two girls.
GHOST LIST
Drayton Arms Theatre
20 to 22 August 2026
