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"Complex, fascinating talent and energy, amazing intensity." - Eastend Arts Council (Where I've Never Gone)

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"Clever, funny, tragic, sad, evocative, truly a marvel. It is an unexpected story told in unexpected ways. Much like a performance art piece, each scene, and sometimes each moment inhabits a time, place, and space reserved for high art. A joy." - Dr. Susan Russell, Penn State School of Theatre (Where I've Never Gone)

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"I'm so happy I saw it. I love the language. It forces us to enter the community. After a while, the words become familiar and we're drawn in. Terrific ending." - Rogelio Martinez, Columbia University Faculty & Professional Playwright (Once on Rumspringa) 

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“For a first foray into this world of New York, what Ellis created was really compelling. The evolution of Carrie’s character was compelling. I was interested and invested in going on the arcs and journeys of self-discovery with her. Overall, I think the work shows a lot of promise for Ellis.” - Mike Karns, Producer/Publicist, Marathon Digital (The Only Coffee Shop in the City)

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“I was really interested in this world and the issues brought up. I think it is a very rich soil for telling a story. Very thoughtful, provocative and interesting script.” - Actor Review, Take Me Out & Nurse Jackie (Once on Rumspringa)

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“Ah, the stakes! When we think about Amish folks, we tend to think sleepy or even unimportant, but from the first scene, we knew right away there was something all these characters were working towards, and for them, it’s life-or-death. We also rarely see queerness in a community like this— Amish queerness—so that was memorable. And the relationships. Every relationship was clear. We knew exactly who these people were to each other, and we knew they needed each other.” - Audience Review (Once on Rumspringa)

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“What a wonderful piece to perform in NYC right now. We can project ourselves onto these characters who seem so different from us. Honestly, I forgot where I was for a while, forgot I was even seeing a show. Just thought I was experiencing the lives of people I’ve never met before but loved spending time with.” - Audience Review (Once on Rumspringa)

 

“How ambitious to have every single character go on a journey throughout the piece, which all came together in one resolution at the end. That was really enjoyable, new, and not easy to accomplish.” - Audience Review (Once on Rumspringa)

 

“It was so brave to address this subject, and it was written with honesty and respect for the characters. Their vulnerability and connection to one another really resonated with me.” - Audience Review (Once on Rumspringa)

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“Holy shit, this play is a total GIFT. I haven’t felt gifted by a piece of work in a long time—or maybe never quite like this. Reading it means devouring it, sitting with it; it’s so much more than a play. Like a perfect piece of MUSIC, energetically, that’s the way it drives.” - Audience Review (Where I've Never Gone)

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“Ellis Stump is the kindest, loveliest playwright hosted to date. She understands the biggest secret of life, even so young.” - NY Theater Festival (The Only Coffee Shop in the City)

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“A lyrical gem of a play. The playwright weaves language and characters in and out through a literal and figurative journey, bringing the audience right along with them. A great piece.” - New Play Exchange (61 Inches and a Thousand Trillion Tons)

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“In this time of stasis, I was drawn to the mythic and fecund vision that I imagine in performance would include the kinetic energy of dance, music, and the poetic use of Ellis Stump's text. It's a work that promises participants and audience members an opportunity to let out all that has been artificially or subconsciously repressed. It makes one yearn for the opportunity to join an artistic congregation of people to enjoy a multi-sensory experience." - New Play Exchange (The Alder Tree at Equinox)

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"On every level, well-executed and delightful! Presence, the production elements, the story, seamless transitions. I thought, Ellis is her own avatar.” - SMARTS Collab (Space Cowgirl)​

 

"I truly loved your play. I relate to it so much. I felt incredibly connected to the protagonist, be it in her awful cynical comments, her imagined scenes of conversations turning into jazz numbers, her dealings with grief, etc. I wish you could turn this into a movie so I could deliberately seek it out and watch it at my will when I need a good caricature of my life to reflect upon. God bless your artistry, seriously." - Audience Review (The Only Coffee Shop in the City)

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"How beautiful and empowering and emotionally rich your play is. It’s been a few days and I’m still thinking about it. It was incredibly well done. You are so so talented!" - Audience Review (The Only Coffee Shop in the City)

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“Nice dialogue, nice spin at the end. Hard to write something this short and make it work. Well done." - NPX (1 2 step)

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"I can't wait to be there when you go nationwide." - Walter Middlebrook, Detroit Times (Sacred Trauma)

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"Very, very well constructed and cleverly written." - Penn State Faculty Review (The Only Coffee Shop in the City)