The Pillowman redefines storytelling in the LAB! Theatre's upcoming dark comedy

LAB! Theatre is kicking off its 2018-2019 season with Martin McDonagh’s "The Pillowman" from Oct. 6 to 8. 

"The Pillowman" is a macabre drama with some comedic elements by the Irish playwright and filmmaker. The play is a four-person show that centers around a short story writer named Katurian Katurian, who lives in an unknown police state and is thought to be connected with a recent string of child murders. 

Rob Piscitelli, junior and director of this LAB! production, considers "The Pillowman" to be an old favorite of his. When the LAB! Board accepted his proposal of performing it, he was very pleased.

“I found the play in high school, and I fell in love with it. And, in the last couple of years, I have kind of rediscovered it when I got to college. And now, I’ve found the opportunity to pitch it this year,” Piscitelli said. 

Piscitelli said his enjoyment of "The Pillowman" stems from the play’s exploration of writing, storytelling and the gruesome side of fairy tales like those of the Brothers Grimm. 

“I hope people just step away with the importance of writing and the importance of telling stories.”

Jackson Seymore, the play’s lead actor, said he is of the same thematic opinion. Seymore also views "The Pillowman" as a reflection of the LAB! Theatre’s mission of bringing good, free and experimental theatre to the students of UNC. 

“The Pillowman is just this excellent, gut-wrenching show that focuses so much on the tensions, the passions, between the characters, and it’s something we can do in order to provide free theatre," Seymore said. "But also, it’s just high quality stuff.” 

The LAB! Theatre Company, founded in 1982 as a stylistic alternative to the Kenan Theatre Company, is the oldest student led theatre group on campus and is named because of the group’s tendency toward experimental pieces.

Pillowman producer Nicholas Guariglia said the company's mission statement is: "To bring new pieces of work, be it old pieces that are newly revised, or straight-up new content to the student body, free of charge.”

Guariglia also believes "The Pillowman" is unlike anything he has ever seen before and it is a very fitting play to be performed by LAB!.

“For me, it’s a very new piece of material. I have not seen a piece quite like it because a lot of it focuses on macabre imagery and the act of storytelling itself.” 

Despite all the attention to writing and storytelling, the play has a sense of relevance to it that Seymore said he thinks is important in understanding the play. 

“As we see right now with politics and such, stories can change the course of the country.”

The three showings are on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, all at 7:30 pm. Admission is free. 

arts@dailytarheel.com