Back in 2021, San Diego business executive, leadership book author and longtime theater-lover Tim Mulligan wrote his first play, “Witchland.”
The spooky story was inspired by his childhood experiences growing up in Richland, Wash., home of the former Hanford nuclear power plant, where underground storage of radioactive materials have made Richland one of the nation’s most polluted cities. “Witchland” was produced in an immersive world premiere production by San Diego’s Backyard Renaissance Theatre in East Village, where It became an instant hit.
Now, Mulligan is back with is second play, which will make its off-Broadway world premiere this week with Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York. Like “Witchland,” the new play “Point Loma” is a spooky story inspired by another real-life experience Mulligan had many years ago in a possibly haunted house in San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood.
Now in previews at the Chain Theatre in Manhattan’s garment district, “Point Loma” opens Wednesday and runs through June 16. For tickets, visit witchlandplay.com/get-tickets.
Mulligan recently spoke to the Union-Tribune about his new play, his thoughts on ghosts and what he’s been up to since “Witchland.”
Q: Last time we talked in 2021, you and your partner, Sean, were splitting your time between Seattle and Palm Springs. Where are you living and working now?
A: When “Witchland” was staged in San Diego, I was working for Paul Allen and his estate/company in Seattle, and spending time in Palm Springs. Things have changed. I’ve now moved back to San Diego, and oversee human resources for San Diego’s own Cal Coast Credit Union — but still spend most weekends in Palm Springs!
Q: “Witchland” was your first play. Has it gone on to other productions since premiering in San Diego?
A: After it’s world premiere with Backyard Renaissance in San Diego, “Witchland” has been making the rounds. In 2024, it ran for a month in Palm Springs with Revolution Stage Company, and in 2024 it had its Off-Broadway debut with the Manhattan Repertory Theatre Company. Super exciting things are happening for “Witchland.”
Q: And I see you’ve also become a graphic novelist and cookbook author, too. Can you tell me about your “Witchland” books?
A: Since the response to the play “Witchland” was so overwhelmingly positive, I wanted to find a way to share the story with a broader audience. So I decided to adapt it to a graphic novel. With my artist collaborator Pyrink, I’ve now created a trilogy of graphic novels called “The World of Witchland.”
“Witchland,” (the first book), was released in early 2024. Then came the ghost story about Hanford whistleblowers, “Snitchland,” last Halloween. And in late June we’ll see the release of the third book, “Twitchland,” which is more of a dark vampire/addiction story set at the Hanford Nuclear Reactor, all with the same core characters dealing with life in this real-life toxic town.
Q: I know “Witchland” was inspired by your childhood experiences in Richland, Wash. Can you explain the personal experiences you had in Point Lomathat led to your new play and how it will blend fact and fiction?
A: Sure! I really wanted to have my next play continue with the creepy/scary genre, which I personally love, and would love to see more of in live theater.So it made perfect sense to tell the story of my good friends’ home in Point Loma, a historic home that they have “shared” with some sort of paranormal”thing” for years now. I set out to create the quintessential haunted house play, and created my own backstory for this home that is steeped in San Diegohistory.
Q: “Like Witchland,” “Point Loma” has supernatural and spooky elements. Do you personally believe in ghosts?
A: Well … I’ve had my own strange encounters with supernatural “feelings” many times — haven’t we all? It wasn’t until spending time in this particular house, however, that I really fully believed in ghosts/spirits/entities/whatever walking among us. And I’d like to think that those who have ed, in our lives, stick with us in some ways. That’s what I tried to explore in “Snitchland,” as well as this play “Point Loma.”
Q: Your central character in “Point Loma” is a hospice nurse. What can you tell me about Chad and what he will experience in the course of the play?
A: Point Loma is centered around this home near Liberty Station, and two hospice nurses who split the shifts caring for the home owner, who is in a coma. And of course they are ed by a whole lot of scariness. Chad is the night nurse, who encounters the brunt of paranormal activity, and so of course he and his boyfriend Todd call in their favorite podcasting duo, who host a paranormal-themed popular podcast, to them and find out what could be haunting this home. And a whole lot of creepiness (and fun) ensue ….
Q: How did the Manhattan Rep production come about?
A: I got very lucky with “Witchland” in New York. Manhattan Rep was looking for a scary show to produce, and I sent them my script at just the right time. It was kismet. And after it was such a hit for them, they really wanted my next play — and when I sent them “Point Loma,” they jumped at it.
Since this will be the world premiere of “Point Loma,” I’ve worked closely with Ken Wolf, the artistic director, in tweaking the script, increasing the scares, and tightening the story. It’s been a very collaborative process, similar to how it was working with Backyard Renaissance on the world premiere of “Witchland.”
Q: I read that you hope to bring “Point Loma” to San Diego. Any chance it will be performed right where the story takes place, in Point Loma near Liberty Station?
A: Well, that would be amazing. I can say the script is in the hands of the local theatre companies, but nothing is set in stone. It will likely get a Palm Springs run soon, as well.
Q: “Point Loma” is your second play to be produced. Have you written any other unproduced scripts? And what are you working on now?
A: With the Witchland trilogy, I first write the story as a play, and then when completely done, I adapt the script to a graphic novel format. So, essentially I have a whole series of Witchland-themed plays ready to go.
I’d love to see the World of Witchland adapted to a screen series, or any of them could be free-standing plays as well. This series covers the gamut, all set the actual site of the Hanford nuclear reactor nuclear clean-up site in Washington state, where 56 million gallons of toxic nuclear waste is buried in the dirt — and leaking — and making its way to the Columbia River. I just throw in some supernatural elements — witches, ghosts, toxic bats — and I just turned in a werewolf story, as well.
Q: What do you hope audiences will experience when they see “Point Loma”?
A: I want audiences at “Point Loma” to be nervously excited to come to the theater, knowing there will be scares, laughs, and screams. To me, that creates such a unique theatrical experiences for adult audiences — leaning in, getting scared, grabbing the arm of the person next to you, and walking out highly energized, a bit traumatized and talking about the story for the rest of the evening. Then I know I did my job.
