Help Us Bring THE STATION to Life Onstage!

The Station, a timely dark comedy about a QAnon-like conspiracy cult, needs YOUR help to come to life.

The Station is a new play that will be presented this August as part of the SheNYC Summer Theater Festival.

In the play, gas station cashier Davina must take desperate measures when a QAnon-like conspiracy theory starts wreaking havoc in her small town. As her relationships with her foster mother, foster sister, and (secret) boyfriend hang in the balance, Davina resolves to track down the mastermind behind the mysterious posts…and then must decide what to do with the culprit.

I'm Maggie Cregan, the playwright of The Station. I'm a Cleveland-based dog mom, nasty woman, and writer of works that often feature dark humor, difficult women, and themes from contemporary American life. Right now, I'm pursuing opportunities to produce my work onstage and on film, especially this play, which, in addition to earning its spot in the SheNYC Theater Festival, won Pittsburgh Public Theater's 2023 New Play Award and emerged as a finalist for Playhouse on the Square's NewWorks@TheWorks Series, the 2024 WATERWORKS Festival, and the Stage 32 Female-Driven Screenwriting Competition.

This show is about the human side of conspiracy cults like QAnon. I wanted to pick apart the psychology of both the trolls who post content like QAnon as a prank and the people who fall for extreme conspiracy theories. I was especially interested in debunking the popular, lazy, and harmful idea that anyone who joins a conspiracy cult must be unintelligent or, worse, evil.

Research shows that cults have always existed. They're much more common than you may think, as historically, most have been small and never made the news. That was because, until recently, for a person to fall victim to a cult, they pretty much had to live in the same place as that cult. Now, in the words of Sean Parker in The Social Network, we live online. That means that anyone with Internet access can not only accidentally come in contact with a cult, they can be cleverly and aggressively targeted by algorithms designed to keep people clicking, no matter the content. As it turns out, the content that keeps people clicking the longest is content that inspires rage and the trusted-ingroup-versus-evil-outsiders dynamic of a classic death cult. What we're seeing is a communicable mental health issue rampaging across the population. And while people fall on a wide spectrum of vulnerability, anyone can be affected.

Addressing this phenomenon will require a whole series of social changes. I don't have all the answers. But I believe the solutions start with understanding and radical empathy.

So… how can you help?

As the playwright of The Station, I want to deliver everything the script is capable of to the audience. And I'm proud to say that we have the key ingredients in place to make that happen. We have incredible onstage and behind-the-scenes talent; we have the stage of the historic Connelly Theater. What we need now is the funding to complete the last mile. The costs of theater production are often hidden, and often steep. Your donation will go toward…

Art is a labor of love, and theater is a labor of love you pay to perform! So please, help us pay our way to making The Station as strong as possible. Donate now and watch the show knowing that your generosity helped make the magic happen!

You can read more about the play and get your ticket here.

We so appreciate your support- whether it’s monetary, or just sharing this campaign. Thank you so much, and we’ll see you at the Connelly Theater August 9-10!

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.