The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh evokes a powerful dystopian world, where a totalitarian state is interrogating a writer about a series of gruesome short stories.

'The first duty of a storyteller is to tell a story.' Or was it 'The only duty of a storyteller is to tell a story'?

A writer in a totalitarian state is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of child-murders that are happening in his town.

'Sometimes you don't even know what you've been craving until the real thing comes along.' New York Times

'McDonagh is more than just a very clever theatrical stylist. His tricks and turns have a purpose. They are bridges over a deep pit of sympathy and sorrow, illuminated by a tragic vision of stunted and frustrated lives.' Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times

Martin McDonagh's searingly brilliant play premiered at the National Theatre, London in November 2003. It was revived at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, in June 2023.