Hedgerow Theatre Company Dives Into The Darkness With Martin McDonagh's THE PILLOWMAN, October 5-31

Storytelling and nightmares take centerstage at Hedgerow Theatre Company this fall. Following a sold out run of Twelfth Night, Hedgerow invites audiences on a darkly comedic journey into a crime story written by one of modern theatre and film's legendary writers.

Leaning into the Halloween season, Hedgerow announces Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman running October 5-31. This thrilling work of theatre is co-directed by Megan Bellwoar and Hedgerow Executive Artistic Director Marcie Bramucci. Opening night is Friday October 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $20-$35 and are available online www.hedgerowtheatre.org. All shows are performed at Hedgerow Theatre located at 64 Rose Valley Rd in Media, PA.

"The Pillowman has been described as 'a complex tale about life and art, about fact and illusion,' and all of this is true - but the thing I love most is that it's a DYNAMITE story," shares co-director Megan Bellwoar. "McDonagh's ability to horrify us in one moment and have us laughing despite ourselves in the next is that of a master storyteller, and I'm so looking forward to diving into the darkness and tenderness and hilarity of this particular play."

The Pillowman centers on a writer in a totalitarian state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories, which have striking similarities to a series of recent child murders. The result is an unflinching and urgent work of theatricality - a taut examination of the very nature and purpose of art.

"This play grips and does not let go," notes co-director Marcie Bramucci, Hedgerow's Executive Artistic Director. "You don't want to blink as McDonagh throws twists and turns to keep us off-balance every step of the way." This Laurence Olivier award-winning play is a "thoroughly startling and genuinely intimidating" (The Chicago Tribune) theatrical tour-de-force.

The Pillowman is perfect for macabre storytelling enthusiasts who enjoy tales from The Brothers Grimm to True Crime podcasts, with a dash of Quentin Tarantino for good measure. In a New York Times interview McDonagh said of his work, "There's much more hope and a lot less nihilism in my stuff than sometimes the critics give credit...A black comedy is still a comedy, and a comedy is there to entertain and make people laugh. Black is just one way to go about it."

Philadelphia actor James Kern makes his Hedgerow debut as Katurian the writer whose stories may or may not be connected to a series of murders. He is interrogated by Pete Pryor as Detective Tupolski and Stephen Patrick Smith as Detective Ariel, reunited from Hedgerow's The Weir. Daniel Romano plays Katurian's brother, Michal, following his dynamic turn as Malvolio in Hedgerow's outdoor Twelfth Night this summer.

Hedgerow welcomes back Shannon Zura (lighting/sound design for The Weir) as Scenic Designer, Robin Shane (In the Next Room...) as Costume Designer, and Eilis Skamarakas as Assistant Stage Manager. Joining Hedgerow for the first time are Lily Fossner as Lighting Designer, Garrett Adams as Sound Designer, Terri J. McIntyre as Fight Director and Hedgerow Fellow Gauri Mangala as Stage Manager.

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