A PLAY written by the director of hit film In Bruges will be performed by Oxford University students next week.

Oxford Playhouse will host dark comedy The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh.

It has been produced by Oxford University student companies Rough-Hewn and the John Oldham Society, with men and women being able to play any of the parts.

It tells the story of Katurian, a fiction writer living in a police state who is interrogated over the gruesome nature of his stories as they bear similarities to a series of child murders in his town.

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Director Thomas Bailey said: “I’m delighted our gender-blind casting has allowed us to represent the wealth of female acting talent in the Oxford student body.”

Claire Bowman, who plays lead male character Katurian, said: “It is the most challenging and fulfilling role I’ve ever taken on.”

Jonathan Purkiss, who plays Ariel, said: “We only see the inside of an interrogation room and the visually stunning dream world of the main character’s fairytales.”

Mr McDonagh won the Laurence Olivier award for best new play in 2004 for The Pillowman and went on to direct and write the 2008 film In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

The play will be performed on Wednesday and Thursday, October 29 and 30, at 7.30pm, Friday, October 31, at 8pm, and Saturday, November 1, at 2pm and 7.30pm. Ticket prices start at £11. Call 01865 305305 or visit oxfordplayhouse.com.

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