Children who kill children, from Mary Bell to John Venebles and Robert Thompson, are often called “monsters.” But while such acts are rare might we stop future ones if we understood and interrogated more deeply the reasons why children commit terrible acts of violence. Of course it might be that the theatre is not the best place to do that and risks sensationalism but theatre can also be a forum which offers a safe space in which to raise such difficult subjects. Abigail Hood’s play, set over two decades, draws on research to consider cycles of abuse and forgiveness.
Glasgow. 2006. An abandoned playground. Troubled teenagers Kayleigh Grey and Zoe Douglas are flirting, playing dare and fantasizing about running away together to the Isle of Muck. Despite being warned to keep away, teacher Miss Hastie is inexplicably drawn into the two girl's orbit of chaos and when Kayleigh’s mother, Hazel, attempts to keep her under her manipulative spell, the outcome is far worse than anyone could have ever anticipated. With a cast of 6, this thrilling contemporary play explores the need for love and the powerful forces at play behind random acts of violence. How much control do we have over who we are and what we become? Does the past define our future? Can we ever forget who we once were, escape our past mistakes and start again? Or are we doomed to be haunted, hounded and hunted forever? Veritas and Kepow are pleased to be returning to Park Theatre with their production of Monster, following the successes of their previous shows; Spiral (2018), Beneath the Blue Rinse (2019) and The Answer (2019). Age Recommendation: 16+