written and performed by Michael Milligan
directed by Tom Oppenheim
In the tradition of solo performance like No Child, Michael Milligan brings his internationally acclaimed show to the Pillsbury House Theatre stage. Joe, a blue collar mechanic with a red state perspective, recounts the lengths he will go to care for his beloved wife. A detailed and emotional journey, Mercy Killers is an unflinching look at health care in the United States.
Awards and Accolades:
Winner of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s Fringe First Award
????? —The Scotsman
“beautifully moving and thought-provoking” —ThreeWeeks
“If you love to be challenged by the theatre you’re watching and leave the theatre willing to ask the questions that make a difference then Mercy Killers is a shining example of provocative theatre and production you don’t want to miss out on.” —BroadwayBaby.com
“Milligan manages to strip down the arguments by humanizing them to a frustrating, but immensely profound degree” —Manhattan Digest
“Michael Milligan’s Mercy Killers is a powerful play that illustrates the urgency of replacing our dysfunctional health insurance system. In this painfully accurate portrayal of the personal struggles of one couple, Milligan makes public the suffering that thousands of American families experience in private. I was inspired by the performance, and energized to move our state from health insurance for some, to health care for all.” —Minnesota State Senator John Marty
April 23 – May 4, 2014
Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m.
*Sunday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Additional Important Dates:
- Post-Show Discussions with our Community Partner, Physicians for a National Health Program Minnesota: Thursday, April 24; Saturday, April 26; Sunday, April 27; Wednesday, April 30; Friday, May 2; Saturday, May 3
- Free Child Care: Sunday, April 27 at 3:00 p.m. and Friday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. (Call 612-825-0459 for reservations.)
- ASL Interpreted Performance: Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m.
- Audio-Described Performance: Wednesday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m.
- Opening Reception: Celebrate the opening of the show and the opening of Natasha Pestich’s installation, I And This Mystery Here We Stand, following the Wednesday, April 23rd performance.
Buy tickets online or call 612-825-0459.
Pay-What-You-Want. Pick your own price for every performance, every night. (Regular price: $25)
Mercy Killers-inspiredInstallation: I And This Mystery Here We Stand
I And This Mystery Here We Stand is a print-based public art installation by Natasha Pestich that responds to Pillsbury House + Theatre’s production of Michael Milligan’s play Mercy Killers. Based on interviews with health care providers, volunteers and patients, Pestich designed, printed, and installed a series of screen-printed posters in and around Pillsbury House + Theatre and the surrounding neighborhoods. Reflecting concerns and questions about the current health care system, the aim of these posters is to make visible the personal challenges ordinary citizens face, and to make public personal expressions of empathy, care and love. Learn more »
Mercy Killers – intro from Michael Milligan on Vimeo.