The Pillowman
[Garden City, KS] October 23, 2023 -- Garden City Community College Theatre, after a hiatus and under a new director of the program, is opening its first new season with Martin McDonagh's THE PILLOWMAN, playing in the KCB Bank Auditorium in the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building, November 2-4 and 9-11 at 7 pm.
Called "energizing...a blindingly black comedy" and "unsettling and exhilarating" by The New York Times, THE PILLOWMAN tells the story of Katurian, a writer who has been imprisoned by his totalitarian government because of the connection between his dark, unpublished stories and a number of horrible crimes happening in the community. What seems to be a straightforward disagreement with the content of his literature becomes a complex and terrifying question: who decides the place of art in society and who is responsible for its consequences?
"Katurian is a victim of parental abuse and uses his writing as a method of processing childhood trauma," says director Dr. Joshua Kelly, who began his professorship with GCCC this year. "There's no doubt that the scenarios in his stories are disturbing, but he treats his characters -- especially the children -- with generosity and honesty. His stories are deeply humane. And what should truly make the audience think twice is not why Katurian writes these kind of stories, but how those interrogating him justify their brutality. Our moral certainty gets a healthy checkup by act three."
Totalitarianism, either from parents or the state, is captured in the design: the stage will be coated in steel sheet metal, evoking the Brutalist architecture of government buildings behind the Iron Curtain. Also employed in the design is the new light and sound systems installed in the auditorium this summer.
"The GCCC administration is dedicated to upgrading the theatre space and growing the program, resulting in better-trained students and better-quality shows," says Kelly. "I'm very lucky to have stepped into this role right as so many exciting changes are coming from Dr. Ruda, Dr. Malone, and the rest of our admin. We've picked such a quality and challenging script as a testament to the faith they're putting in the program."
THE PILLOWMAN, while containing adult language and dark themes (and is therefore recommended only for mature audiences) is, says Kelly, surprisingly funny. "We become aware pretty quickly that, while the subjects of the stories and conflict are no laughing matters, this is a fiction within a fiction. There's room for irony. There's room for absurdity. And every production of this play I've done or seen in the past has always inspired laughter. It helps remind us that our humanity is still there when everything else seems hopeless."
THE PILLOWMAN stars students Ryan Pilosof as Katurian, Razel Quintero as Ariel, Johb Silva as Michal, and community actor Marius Maciulis as Tupolski. The production is directed by Dr. Joshua Kelly and assistant directed/staged managed by Adriana Mendoza. THE PILLOWMAN plays in the KCB Bank Auditorium in the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building on November 2-4 and 9-11 at 7:00pm. Seating is general admission and all tickets are sold at the door; $10 General and all student tickets are free. For any questions, contact joshua.kelly@gcccks.edu.