Pillow Man To Head To Theatre Competition

The Indiana State Theatre Competition is an event that takes place every year. And every year, Penn High School selects a play to take to competitions in order to qualify for this event (commonly referred to as “Theatre State”). This year’s competition play is titled “The Pillow Man”. PNN reporters spoke to Courtney Qualls, leader of the Penn Drama Club, Advanced Theatre teacher, and director of “Pillow Man” to find out more about this show and the competitions it will be taken to.

The premise of the show, as said by Mrs. Qualls, is “an extreme case of what happens to art, creativity, and beauty when authority steps over the line”. The show itself is about a writer named Katurian who is accused by a totalitarian government of committing murders that follow the plots of his short stories. Qualls stated that the wanted to do the show because she heard “People wanted to do a story that was a little scary and out of the ordinary.” While searching for plays to put on, Mrs. Qualls found “Pillow Man” and concluded it would be a great show for Penn.

The first competition Penn will be taking “Pillow Man” to is the regional competition on November 22nd, which will take place at Bethel College. There will also be a performance here at Penn on the 21st of November for anyone wishing to see the show. If Penn’s production of “Pillow Man” is in the top three competitors at the regional competition, they will be taking the show to the Indiana State Theatre Competition, which takes place January 23rd-35th at the University of Indianapolis.

Penn Drama Club President, Chase Andreae, told PNN reporters that he “think[s] the show is a huge acting challenge that we are ready to take on. The story line is different from any other show I’ve seen or been a part of. It kind of plays with your mind and makes you think. Also, the characters are really well-written.” Vice-President Paige Dooley expressed similar excitement, stating that “the show is different than anything we’ve ever done here at Penn. It’s a nice change of pace for the theatre department. [She is] very excited to see where Mrs. Qualls will take both the show and the theatre department”.