The Pillowman

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of murder (including child victims), graphic violence (including police brutality), child abuse, sexual abuse, and ableism.

The play opens in a police interrogation room where detectives Tupolski and Ariel introduce themselves to Katurian, a writer. Katurian does not know why he has been taken in for questioning, but he tells the officers that he will comply with them and answer any questions they have. Tupolski states outright that he and Ariel are adopting a “good cop, bad cop” technique. The two officers ask Katurian why he thinks he has been brought in for questioning, but Katurian is unable to come up with an answer. He says that he has never done anything “anti-state.” Ariel threatens to beat and torture Katurian, which only increases Katurian’s confusion. When Tupolski presses Katurian, Katurian says that he suspects they are interrogating him because of the stories he wrote, though he doesn’t know why the stories are of interest.

Katurian reveals that his full name is Katurian Katurian Katurian, noting that his “parents were funny people” (8). He also says that his closest living relative is his brother, Michal, who lives with him and has an intellectual disability.