Martin McDonagh’s dark and viciously funny comedy The Pillowman will be presented by Kassar Productions in association with Playwrights’ Theatre of East Hampton at LTV Studios from April 25 – May 5, located at 75 Industrial Rd., Wainscott, NY.
Martin McDonagh is an Academy Award-winning playwright, screenwriter, director, and producer known for his absurdist humor. His recent films include The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. His plays, many of which have been produced on the West End and on Broadway, include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Lonesome West, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, A Behanding in Spokane, and Hangmen.
The Pillowman is set in a fictional totalitarian state and tells the story of a writer of gruesome tales who becomes a suspect in a series of bizarre murders. After its 2003 premiere in London, the play received the Olivier Award for Best New Play and was called "Brothers Grimm rehashed by Quentin Tarantino" by London's Daily Herald. It transferred to Broadway in 2005, where The New York Times called it "a spellbinding stunner" and "this season's most exciting and original new play."
The East End premiere of The Pillowman will be directed by Stephen Hamilton, co-Founder of Bay Street Theatre and one of the region’s most accomplished and respected theater artists, and will feature Edward Kassar, John Kroft, Joe Pallister and Sawyer Spielberg in the cast.
“LTV Studios is a terrific space to explore, develop, and present the craft of theatre,” says LTV’s Creative Director Josh Gladstone. "I’m delighted to welcome Kassar Productions’ cohort of gifted actors and designers to come play in our sandbox.”
“This is perhaps one of McDonagh's funniest, sharpest pieces for film or theater," says Edward Kassar of Kassar Productions. “We're excited to bring a fully realized production of this hauntingly beautiful play to Studio 3 at LTV, the new 'downtown, Off-Broadway’ of the Hamptons.”
"For me, the joy of McDonagh’s work springs from the jagged contrast between the deep love and the dark brutality between his characters," added Steve Hamilton, director. "Somewhere there in the middle lies the truth of being alive in this world."
Performances of The Pillowman will take place on April 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th at 7:30PM and again May 3rd, 4th and 5th at 7:30PM with a matinee on Saturday, May 4th at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 General Admission in advance, $30 at the door, and $15 for students; and can be purchased online at www.ltveh.org or at the door. For more information, please call LTV Studios at 631-537-2777.
Please Note: Due to the graphic description of violence in The Pillowman, children under the age of 16 will not be admitted.
