Theatre of Menace is an international theatre company from Gothenburg. Theatre of Menace explores tension and discomfort on stage. Cutting their teeth on the work of legendary playwright Harold Pinter (“Party Time”, “One for the Road”), Theatre of Menace has moved on to staging their own original productions, starting with “Precipice”; a three-part anthology of deep moral quandaries and life-altering decisions about family and faith.This year, Theatre of Menace presents an anthology of horror immersive theatre in three show cases.
Upcoming shows
FRINGE SHOW CASE
Mörk is a running anthology of short plays that explores multiple sub-genres of horror and related themes. The production adopts minimalist theatre, aiming to be lit entirely by practical lights to give the audience an intimate and immersive experience. The two plays performed as part of this segment focus on the effect that fear and uncertainty have on people–and how the frightened mind can be more of a danger than anything lurking in the dark.
“The Light,” by Federico Giaimo, is set on a dockside in prohibition-era New England as two bootleggers come face-to-face with something that they cannot explain. Trapped between fear of the unknown and the very real dangers of their business, the men must make difficult decisions.
“The Butcher,” by Brian Bonafilia, follows two police officers hunting a brutal killer who is stalking the streets of Victorian London. With more attacks happening and fewer clues left, dread and suspicion begin to rise, leading to harrowing questions of how far good men must go to fight evil.
GOTHENBURG FRINGE FESTIVAL,
GEST, Karl Johansgatan 88, Göteborg
AUGUST 29-30, 2026 @17:30
Price: 135 SEK
Duration: 60 minutes
Language: English
Audience: 14+
Past shows
FÄNGELSET,
MAY 22,23,28,29, 2026
SPRING SHOW CASE
Mörk is an anthology of horror, with three spine-chilling segments exploring the relationship between the here and now, and the hereafter. As an anthology, the performance engages in horror sub-genres:
Scream Queens plays with common Slasher tropes, Restful Sleep is an homage to Gothic Horror, while The Offering conjures up Folk Horror with a satisfying twist.
The production adopts minimalist theatre, aiming to be lit entirely by practical lights to give the audience an intimate and immersive experience, while also deconstructing theatre into its primary essence — the emotional connection between the audience and the characters on stage. The audience will be front and centre to share in the characters’ experience of dread, terror, and regret.
Director and playwright: Brian Bonafilia
Photos: Tilde-Elias Hamrén
GOTHENBURG FRINGE FESTIVAL,
DICE THEATRE,
AUGUST 30-31, 2025
In Precipice, Theatre of Menace explores the actor’s journey through a character’s moment of crisis, culminating in an irreversible decision where the uncertainty is real and the ending unwritten. The audience can expect three short, dark two-actor plays in which one actor makes a decision in the moment, determining how the play concludes. The work wrestles with family estrangement, faith and justice, and loyalty to one’s people. There are no right answers and no purely good or evil people — only one person’s choice determining the fate of both. When an actor is not bound to a script, every breath, pause, and hesitation becomes a clue to their decision-making process, and the tension is unmistakably alive.
Director and playwright: Brian Bonafilia
Photos: © Uros Hocevar / kolektiff
DICE THEATRE,
NOVEMBER 13-14, 2024
In an elegant room, the party never stops. Outside, order is being enforced. Harold Pinter’s Party Time exposes a society where comfort is protected at any cost, language is used to exclude, and violence is politely ignored as long as it stays out of sight. Power speaks softly, repression wears a smile, and those who don’t belong simply vanish. A disturbing reflection on privilege, authority, and collective denial — uncomfortably close to our own time and place.
An Harold Pinter’s play.
Director: Brian Bonafilia
DICE THEATRE,
NOVEMBER 13-14, 2024
In an interrogation room, politeness masks brutality. As authority speaks calmly and power asserts itself without resistance, violence seeps through what is left unsaid. Harold Pinter’s One for the Road is a chilling study of state control, obedience, and the quiet terror of absolute power — where language becomes a weapon and mercy is never guaranteed.
An Harold Pinter’s play.
Director: Brian Bonafilia
