THE PILLOWMAN marks Out Front on Main's first anniversary

George W. Manus Jr. directs Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman to mark the first anniversary of his Murfreesboro-based theater company, Out Front on Main Inc. Running, March 17-April 3, The Pillowman is performed Thursday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

Manus' cast features Buddy Jones (as Katurian), Andy Wollszyn (Ariel), Justin Hand (Tukpolski) and Jared Pickett (Michal), with Sherry Sunday Booth, Steven Luster, Zach Parker, Tia Green, Brenna Todd and Maryjean Goedicke.

McDonagh's 2003 play The Pillowman is described as a black comedy which tells the tale of Katurian, a fiction writer living in a police state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories, and their similarities to a number of bizarre child murders occurring in his town.

The play includes both narrations and reenactments of several of Katurian's stories, most notably the autobiographical "The Writer and the Writer's Brother," which tells how Katurian developed his disturbed imagination by hearing the sounds of Michal being tortured by their parents.

The play received the 2004 Olivier Award for Best New Play, the 2004-5 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best New Foreign Play, and two Tony Awards for production. It was nominated for the 2004 Evening Standard Award for Best New Play. Its Nashville premiere was staged in 2008 by GroundWorks Theatre.

Out Front on Main, Inc. is located at 1511 E. Main Street, Murfreesboro. Tickets are $10. General Admission or $5. students/seniors. For reservations, call (615) 713-1757 or visit the company's website at www.outfrontonmain.com.

The theater company's One Year Anniversary will be commemorated on Sunday, March 20, "with food, drink and fun" at 5 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. performance of The Pillowman.