The Pillowman is a dark, suspenseful play by Martin McDonagh . It is about a writer Katurian, portrayed by Will Potter ,whose gruesome stories mirror real murders. Interrogated by detectives Topoloski and Ariel played by Zack Yowarski and Soda Persi , Katurian and his sibling Michal , played by Rachael Johnson, grapple with their traumatic past and the moral implications of Katurians work, exploring the blurred lines between fiction and reality. Shira Persi is also in this production of Pillowman as the "Little Jesus" and Maria. It's is directed by Joe McCormack Estrella , stage managed by Kelly Jean Friedlinghaus with Andrew Roberts as technical director .
Ages: 13 and over
Cast and Creative team for The Pillowman at Black Box Studio
Cast
Will Potter
Katurian
Will Potter is from Los Angeles, CA. He is thrilled to be a part of this team and to bring you this production. His previous credits include such Shakespearean roles as: Hamlet in “Hamlet”, Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet”, as well as Puck, Oberon, Theseus, and Flute in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. His previous musical credits include Woof in “HAIR: The Tribal American Love Rock Musical”, Bobby in “Cabaret”, and Perchik in “Fiddler on the Roof”. He loves you very much. Thank you for coming! Please enjoy the show!
Zack Yowarski
Detective Topolski
Zack is excited to be in his first stageplay in nearly a decade. This is his second show with Average Joe’s Productions, the first playing Orpheus in Eurydice. Off the big stage these days, you’ll most likely find him on the smaller stage doing stand-up. It is truly an honor for him to finally get to perform with his girlfriend (Rachael Johnson, maybe you’ve heard of her). And he just wants to thank Joe for pulling him back out of his accidental retirement and made him finally ready for more.
Rachael Johnson
Michal
Rachael Johnson is an actor in Los Angeles. She has performed throughout Southern California after graduating from the CSU Northridge Theatre Department. She is delighted to return to live theatre after a four year hiatus, working alongside old friends and new ones. She is so grateful to Joe, Soda, and the rest of the team for their incredible hard work.
Soda Persi
Detective Ariel
Soda is so honoured to share the stage with the talented cast of The Pillowman , directed by Joe Mc Cormack Estrella. This is her second production with Joe , he directed her in Vanya in 2017. This is also the third production Soda is in with her daughter Shira , which makes this experience extra special. When she is not on stage or behind the scenes choreographing, directing , writing and producing she is a mom to five and a coach to her award winning gymnastics team for the last 30 years! Thank you Joe , Kelly , Nebraska , Zack , Rachael , Will and Shira for bringing The Pillowman to life .
Shira Persi
Little Jesus and Maria
Shira is very excited to be in her fourth production! She has previously appeared in Truly Outrageous for Hollywood Fringe 2023 as Ashley and in Theatre Unleashed’s annual 24 hour Festival as Jessica in Playground Games . Shira reprised her roll of Jessica in Hollywood Short & Sweet Festival 2024 and even won the Actors Circle award and Playground Games won best play! This is where she was discovered by her wonderful Manager Susan Osser.
Shira has recently signed with Clear Talent Group and is very grateful to Susan and her new team and of course her family for all their support and encouragement.
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