12. “Kill the Boy,” a dark comedy by Carles Mallol

A full-length play. Translated from Catalan to English by Steven Capsuto through a grant from the Catalandrama project. Professional performance rights available.

Kill the Boy debuted in Catalan in 2015 at the Sala Flyhard in Barcelona and in Spanish in 2018 at the Teatro Intemperie in Madrid. It won the 38th Annual Born Prize for Playwriting (the Premi Born).

SYNOPSIS: A professor has beaten a student to death, imitating the plot of a grisly popular crime novel called Then Blow Your Damn Brains Out. After the professor goes to prison, his wife appears on the novelist’s doorstep, accusing him of inspiring the crime. The characters’ interactions veer from comic to disturbing to almost paranormal as the play explores questions about the relationship between life, art, and personal responsibility.

“With hints of theater of the absurd… [the play is] innovative, very well written… a dark comedy that surprises audiences with its inventive structure.” —Culturamas magazine, 2018