"I have been closely following the shows at Cookeville’s Backdoor Playhouse (BDPH) for 15 years, and I may have just witnessed their best production ever."
-Andrew William Smith,
Teacher on the Radio
link to full review
A haunting new musical that reimagines the true crime narrative as a psychological reckoning—where the line between doctor and subject vanishes and the past refuses to stay buried. A descent into the void, where the search for light may be the only hope for healing.
Synopsis
Years after interviewing accused serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Dr. Judy Matthewson remains haunted by the case. As a forensic psychologist, she’s spent her career searching for the causes of violence and abuse in the brain. She’s sifted through the dark corners of human depravity with scientific detachment. But to her, John’s story is different—an abyss she can’t cross. The Doctor believes this old case still holds secrets and answers buried in its wreckage.
Convinced she missed something during her interviews with John, she reopens the case in her mind. What follows is a fever dream of childhood trauma, fractured personalities, psychological manipulation, haunting duality, monstrous acts, distorted narratives, blurred perspectives, and overlapping memories.
John’s story conjures images of his childhood, adult life, murders, and arrest, blurring reality and a troubled psyche. John embodies contradiction. He’s a family man, community leader, outgoing neighbor, and part-time clown. He’s also a violent criminal and unreliable narrator who claims to have multiple personality disorder (DID in today’s terminology). Answers don’t come easily, and John has ulterior motives.
As the Doctor digs deeper, John’s tale begins to resonate unexpectedly with long-buried trauma from her past—experiences she had carefully compartmentalized in the name of scientific objectivity. Her internal defenses start to collapse, and she becomes both investigator and subject. The exposure to John’s twisted tale forces her to face her own ghosts.
Crawlspace is not procedural; it is a reckoning. It is a mind-bending descent into the hidden recesses of the human mind, an exploration of the enigmatic edges of sanity, the dangers of detachment, and the risks of obsession. It is a repurposing of the true crime story that transcends the genre—a meditation on the legacies of trauma that echo through time. It is a descent into the void, where the search for light may be the only hope for healing.
The show is in two acts and designed for a cast of 18-22 performers (12 main roles/ 6-10+ expandable ensemble). For smaller companies, a special doubling scheme can be employed, requiring as few as 14 actors. The music is orchestrated for piano, keyboard (synth), guitar, cello, bass, drum set, and auxiliary percussion. Fully produced rehearsal/performance tracks are also available.
The running time is 135 minutes.
Crawlspace is partly based on the story of a convicted serial killer. Although drawn from his own words and the public record of his life and crimes, it is a work of historical fiction. Certain names and identifying details have been changed to protect individuals' privacy. Fictional characters have been added, and liberties have been taken to differentiate this work from true-life events.
Crawlspace was premiered on November 3, 2022 by the Tech Players of Tennessee Tech University under the direction of Mark H. Creter. The musical was further developed throughout 2023 with the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga (Garry Posey, director/ John Thomas McCecil, musical director), culminating in the show's second full production. It will receive its international premiere in November 2025 by Auckland Music Theatre in New Zealand. Crawlspace is licensed in the U.S. by Heighten Theatricals, LLC and internationally by Broadway DNA.
Crawlspace: A True Crime Musical
Ⓒ 2020 Glickstein & Spraggins
all rights reserved- including public performance.