I want to hold onto something empty and beautiful

by Hillary Gao

Picture by: Isabel Ebeid, Hannah Bird. Edited by: Isabel Ebeid

One sexy office siren- performed by 4 performers – is trying to answer her daily email. As she hits reply all, she keeps being whisked away into more and more absurd worlds.

29 Hour Workshop as a part of NAATCO's New Work Reading Series (03.03.26-03.09.26)
Directed by: Aya Ogawa
Featuring: Annie Fang, Julia Gu, Pearl Sun, and Esther Chen
Stage Manager: Mars Juno Bartolome Neri
Production Assistant: Anna Zheng
Music by: Miguel Lorenzo

Past: 2 week run, as a part of Exponential Festival 2026 (01.30.26-02.07.26)
Pictures by: Walter Wlodarczyk
Produced by Emily Lawrence | With Isabel Ebeid, Miranda Kang, Nikkie Samreth, Sam Xu, and Ring Yang | Lighting Design: Connor Sale | Costume Design: Hannah Bird | Scenic Design: Forest Entsminger | Composer: Miguel Lorenzo | Sound Designer: Emma Lea Hasselbach | Producing Consultant: Leigh Honigman | Movement Director: Celine Abdallah | PSM: Eva Rubin | Written and Directed by: Hillary Gao

I want to hold onto something empty and beautiful gratefully acknowledges the support of Clubbed Thumb, The Bechdel Project, and Material for the Arts in developing and presenting this work.
With additional support from Clubbed Thumb, made possible by Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation. This project was also supported, in part, by the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust, with rehearsal space donated by the Bechdel Project.

Past: Reading as a part of Clubbed Thumb's Early Career Writers Group 2024-25 (06.11.25)
Performers: Josephine Chiang, Isabel Ebeid, Miranda Kang,Sam Xu, Ring Yang; Directed by: Ran Xia

Press & Quotes:
"A woman tries to answer emails; You might have to look somebody else in the eye"
Interview by William Burke in CultureBot

"But that's the beauty of emptiness; if nothing else, it's full of potential. The job can become anything it needs to be, can fill any chasm created by Office Siren's relationship with her grandmother, clearly taxed by distance and misaligned filial expectation." by Ekemini Ekpo of 3Views

"I'm always eager to find myself simultaneously drifting and engaged when witnessing their work. It's a precarious balance that takes great skill and intention to strike correctly..." by Leah Plante-Wiener of Staff Picks

"Gao makes ample use of an ASMR-esque storytime Get Ready With Me format (spot-on sound design by Emma Hasselbach), which draws the audience in beautifully, making The Brick's deep stage feel increasingly intimate. " by Ethan Karas for CulutreBot/Substack