The Night of the Hunter
by Davis Grubb
adapted by Shawna Tucker
directed by Brian Pastor
Oct. 20 - Dec. 3, 2023
(Previews Oct. 20 - 28)
A world premiere stage adaptation of the Southern gothic horror novel The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb, adapted by Chicago adaptor Shawna Tucker. Inspired by the crimes of West Virginia serial killer Harry Powers, who was executed in Grubb’s home town in 1932 for the murders of two widows and three children, The Night of the Hunter is about Henry “Preacher” Powell, who has LOVE tattooed on the knuckles of his right hand and HATE on those of his left, and preys on widows in Depression-era West Virginia. He zeroes in on Willa Harper and her two children, John and Pearl, who he is convinced know where their late father has hidden ten thousand dollars.