A Reflection from a Puzzlemaker

By Kelly Maust

Working on The Crossword Play (Or Ezmeranda’s Gift) has been an HCTC experience like no other. I’m so excited and honored for HCTC newcomer Juliana Kyzer and I to introduce you to the complicated but loveable hot mess that is the character in this one-woman show. We are never told her name; the script only refers to her as “The Puzzlemaker.” And well…“Description of the Puzzlemaker, 4 letters?” ALOT. She’s a next-level oversharer who really needs to learn some healthier boundaries, and she definitely has a judgy, petty side that surfaces often during the show. But I also see her as an earnest, misunderstood, lonely product of the gifted-kid-to-anxious-adult pipeline. Behind her rants about appropriate pen preferences and the finer points of crossword puzzle regulations is someone who has always struggled to fit in with others and is crying out for community and love the only way she knows how. Playwright Donna Hoke discusses this theme on her website: “The pandemic made me realize something else at the core of having been the kid who always got weird looks, was mocked and bullied, who always felt on the outside: a desperate need for connection.” Even if you’re new to the Crossworld (as she calls it), there is something about the Puzzlemaker that will stick with you, remind you to cherish the loved ones in your life, and encourage you to look for those around you in need of a human connection. And what better way to explore this theme than by attending live community theatre right here in downtown Jackson?

Tickets are available for The Crossword Play (Or Ezmeranda’s Gift) at https://www.purplepass.com/events/337905-the-crossword-play-or-ezmeranda-s-gift-aug-7th-2026.