The Pillowman

From the venue:

Stories can kill.

A writer is questioned after a series of murders begin to resemble the disturbing stories found in their work in Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic and unsettling play The Pillowman, presented by Out of Box Theatre September 25 through October 4 at the Creator’s Den in Marietta.

As fiction becomes evidence, The Pillowman explores imagination, responsibility, family, truth and the stories people tell to survive. The play moves rapidly between fear, humor, heartbreak and absurdity while asking uncomfortable questions about the power of storytelling.

“What I love about The Pillowman is that it never lets the audience settle into one feeling,” said director Zip Rampy. “It can be frightening, funny, heartbreaking and completely absurd, sometimes within the same scene. You get pulled into these stories and before you realize it, you’re asking yourself some very uncomfortable questions.”

The cast features Dani Herd as Katurian, Emily Marie Lester as Ariel, Ben Barlow as Michal and Nicholas Tycho Reed as Tupolski. The production is directed by Zip Rampy, fight choreography by Kevin Roost and stage managed by Nailah Dabon, with lighting design by Julian Barrientos.

The Pillowman is Out of Box Theatre’s first full theatrical production presented inside the Creator’s Den, the company’s intimate 40-seat performance space. With the audience seated close to the action, there is no distant stage. Audience members are in the room with the characters as the interrogation unfolds.

Performances are Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, September 27 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, October 1 through Saturday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, October 4 at 2:30 p.m.