Leslie Day, Mike Schulz, Thomas Alan Taylor, and Stephanie Burrough in “God of Carnage" at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre -- February 27 through March 8.
Friday, February 27, through Sunday, March 8
Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Avenue, Moline IL
A Tony Award winner hailed by Variety magazine as “elegant, acerbic, and entertainingly fueled on pure bile,” Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage opens the 2026 season at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, the comedy's February 27 through March 8 run treating audiences to a Broadway hit that, according to the New York Times, “delivers the cathartic release of watching other people's marriages go boom.”
With Tony winner Reza's French-language script translated by Oscar winner Christopher Hampton, God of Carnage concerns a hilariously tense meeting between two couples who agree to discuss a playground incident between their 11-year-olds. Alan's and Annette’s son hit Michael's and Veronica’s son in the face with a stick, resulting in two broken teeth, and their parents consequently agree to discuss the incident in the most civil manner possible. But as their summit continues, the polite veneer breaks down. While the couples initially spar against each other, all parties wind up switching sides as the fighting continues, with Reza’s brutal comedy suggesting that civilized trappings do a poor job of hiding aggression as the rum flows and the gloves come off. The winner of three 2009 Tony Awards including Best Play, God of Carnage was lauded by New York Newsday as “brutally entertaining,” with author Reza praised by Entertainment Weekly as “a master [of] magnificently constructed plays.”
Directing Playcrafters' season opener is area favorite Jeremy Mahr, last seen on the Barn Theatre stage in 2024's A Streetcar Named Desire, and his previous credits including portraying King Henry II in the Black Box Theatre's The Lion in Winter and directing Genesius Guild's A Midsummer Night's Dream. With Mahr also serving as his show's costume designer, additional members of God of Carnage's creative team include: stage manager Zack Lawson; assistant stage manager and props master Erin Gehn; sound designer Calvin Vo; lighting designer Miranda Richards; stage crew Tyler Henning; and producer Cynthia Taylor.
Returning to the Barn Theatre for God of Carnage is Leslie Day, her recent area credits including roles in Playcrafters' Streetcar and The House of Blue Leaves, as well as the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's Steel Magnolias. And joining her are three performers performing on the Moline stage for the first time: Stephanie Burrough (Genesius Guild's Antony & Cleopatra and Electra), Thomas Alan Taylor (director of the Spotlight Theatre's The Play That Goes Wrong and St. Ambrose University's [title of show]), and Reader employee Mike Schulz (director of Playcrafters' Streetcar and 12 Angry Jurors).
God of Carnage runs in Moline from February 27 through March 8, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $18-20, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
