A girl made of glass. Gods and murders. A serial killer's friends. And a secret in a bottle.
Four short plays by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe
October 10th - November 7th 2026
Four short plays by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe
October 10th - November 7th 2026
Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. is a collection of four short, surreal plays by acclaimed English playwright, Caryl Churchill. Premiering at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2019, these darkly imaginative works weave together myth, fairy tale, and contemporary horror. Moving between collective voices and intimate encounters, Churchill explores violence, power, desire, and the stories we tell to make sense of a fractured world. By turns funny, haunting, and unsettling, the plays invite audiences into a landscape where the familiar becomes strange and ancient myths reveal modern anxieties without explanation or comfort.
What people are saying
'Shaking the Tree and Caryl Churchill are a match made in theater heaven. The former is the production company that has, since 2003, presented some of the boldest, strangest, and most unforgettable stage work that Portland has ever seen. The latter is one of our greatest living playwrights whose audacious creations fuse the surreal and the everyday, the personal and the political, the sacred and the profane.'
-Robert Ham, Portland Mercury Fall Arts Guide
Read the full article HERE
'In her captivating quartet of new works Churchill casts an immediate spell over her audience, catches everyone off-guard with laugh-out-loud humour, then silences the auditorium with shards of pained recognition... the sheer audacity of the plays is exhilaratingly fresh'
The Stage
'A fascinating four-part exploration into our appetite for blood-soaked myth... funny and macabre... endlessly intriguing'
The Guardian
'A dazzling quartet of plays about the murderous power of stories... a remarkable work... a testament to a writer whose talent burns almost too bright to look at'
Time Out
'Funny and clever... words drop like stones on a pond, creating endless ripples... a magnificent, invigorating night at the theatre'
WhatsOnStage
-Robert Ham, Portland Mercury Fall Arts Guide
Read the full article HERE
'In her captivating quartet of new works Churchill casts an immediate spell over her audience, catches everyone off-guard with laugh-out-loud humour, then silences the auditorium with shards of pained recognition... the sheer audacity of the plays is exhilaratingly fresh'
The Stage
'A fascinating four-part exploration into our appetite for blood-soaked myth... funny and macabre... endlessly intriguing'
The Guardian
'A dazzling quartet of plays about the murderous power of stories... a remarkable work... a testament to a writer whose talent burns almost too bright to look at'
Time Out
'Funny and clever... words drop like stones on a pond, creating endless ripples... a magnificent, invigorating night at the theatre'
WhatsOnStage
Cast
Anna Fitzwater
Sami Yacob-Andrus
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Kayla Hanson
Lennox Blodgett
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Jonathan Cullen
Pearl Fisher
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Murri Lazaroff-Babin
Jinju Colt
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Glass
Lennox Blodgett, Jinju Colt, Jonathan Cullen, Pearl Fisher,Anna Fitzwater*, Kayla Hanson, Murri Lazaroff-Babin, Sami Yacob-Andrus
Kill
People Jinju Colt & Pearl Fisher
Gods Lennox Blodgett, Jonathan Cullen, Anna Fitzwater*, Kayla Hanson, Murri Lazaroff-Babin, Sami Yacob-Andrus
Gods Lennox Blodgett, Jonathan Cullen, Anna Fitzwater*, Kayla Hanson, Murri Lazaroff-Babin, Sami Yacob-Andrus
Bluebeard's Friends
Lennox Blodgett, Jonathan Cullen, Anna Fitzwater*, Kayla Hanson, Murri Lazaroff-Babin, Sami Yacob-Andrus
Imp
Dot Anna Fitzwater*
Niamh Kayla Hanson
Jimmy Jonathan Cullen
Rob Murri Lazaroff-Babin
*Member of Actors'Equity Association
Niamh Kayla Hanson
Jimmy Jonathan Cullen
Rob Murri Lazaroff-Babin
*Member of Actors'Equity Association
Creative
Director & Set Designer Samantha Van Der Merwe
Stage Manager Emily Hogan
Assistant Stage Manager Mia Shu
Backstage Crew Hanna Rizo
Directing Apprentice Greta Lau
Technical Director & Set Design Collaborator Drew Havnaer
Master Carpenter Leeloo Rohe
Choreographer Kayla Hanson
Dialect Coach Jonathan Cullen
Lighting Designer Samantha Kemp
Master Electrician Ronnie Rantis
Composer/Sound Designer Roberto Martinez
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer Sammi Kelly
Costume Designer Anya Jones
Costume Assistant Moth Noriega
Box Office Manager Kai Hynes
Stage Manager Emily Hogan
Assistant Stage Manager Mia Shu
Backstage Crew Hanna Rizo
Directing Apprentice Greta Lau
Technical Director & Set Design Collaborator Drew Havnaer
Master Carpenter Leeloo Rohe
Choreographer Kayla Hanson
Dialect Coach Jonathan Cullen
Lighting Designer Samantha Kemp
Master Electrician Ronnie Rantis
Composer/Sound Designer Roberto Martinez
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer Sammi Kelly
Costume Designer Anya Jones
Costume Assistant Moth Noriega
Box Office Manager Kai Hynes
