The Final Curtain

Some plays are meant to stay on the page. Some curtains are meant to stay closed. At Riverside High, seventeen-year-old Emma Torres seeks refuge from her crowded, chaotic life in the silence of the school auditorium. But the silence is shattered when the drama department announces its most ambitious—and dangerous—project yet: a revival of The Hollow Crown. Written in 1974 by the enigmatic Eleanor Ashford, the play has a chilling history. It has been performed only once, ending in a tragedy that claimed the lives of the entire original cast. Despite the dark rumors of a curse, Emma finds herself inexplicably drawn to the script. When she lands the lead role of Princess Cordelia, the line between her own life and the character's begins to dissolve. As opening night approaches, the rehearsals take on a ritualistic intensity. Strange phenomena plague the cast: whispered lines not found in the script, hypnotic trances, and the sense that they are being watched by something from the wings. Emma realizes that the play isn't just a performance—it's a pattern being reconstructed, and she is the final piece. To survive the closing act, Emma must uncover the truth behind the original tragedy and find a way to break the cycle before the final curtain falls on her for good. A haunting psychological thriller about the power of performance, the weight of obsession, and the terrifying blurred lines between art and reality.