The Pillowman brings haunting beauty to the Linkville stage
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Linkville Playhouse presents a four weekend run of The Pillowman opening Friday, May 12. Directed by veteran Linkville director, Heidi Neill the show runs Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. until June 3 and will include one Sunday matinee on May 28 at 2 p.m.
Tickets- which average $12 each- are available in advance at Poppy on Main. The all-local cast includes Kevin Coleman, Jeff S. Press, Jared McCleve, Sarah Walls, Aurora Sanchez, Nathaniel Beger, Marc Muno, Audrey McCleve, Justin Barker and Chad Blackington,
Written by Academy Award nominee Martin McDonagh, the show opens in a prison cell where a young writer, Katurian, is being questioned about the children’s tales he has written – grim tales which have inspired copycat killings in the streets outside. Mixing pitch-black-comedy and dread, two interrogators lead Katurian through a comedic yet alarming interrogation to weed out the fact from the fiction. The results provide a disturbing look at the realities of censorship and the importance of individual rights as well as the meaning of art.
"A children's book writer in a totalitarian state isn't your normal fairy tale, or even a normal play," says Neill, "but it's the kind of story that needs to be told and seen. It's literally hauntingly beautiful." Neill has previously directed crowd favorites at the Linkville including Harvey, Distracted, MASH and Rope. "I never choose the expected shows," she says, "I like to try new things."
This show definitely fits the bill of unexpected- to achieve the look of a broken totalitarian state Neill instructed her creative team to transform the whole theater into a look she described as "gothic art deco meets angry street art." "The moment you step into the theater you're transported to our story," says Neill, "You're right there with the lead character, Katurian, as he tries to save his stories." Additionally, the show relies heavily on shadow puppets to tell the creepy stories to both the police investigators of the play and the audience.
The Pillowman, won two Tony Awards and Olivier Award for Best New Play, has attracted theatrical greats like David Tenant, Jeff Goldblum and Tracy Letts and is set for a major revival in London later this year. The show has graphic content and adult language; mature audiences only.
