''Splatter Theatre'' was the first show for The

Annoyance Theatre The Annoyance Theatre, or Annoyance Productions, is a theatre and associated ensemble based in Chicago, Illinois, that deals mainly in absurd and outrageous humor. Many people who have performed with the ensemble have gone on to become successfu ...

. The show was first performed at the Cabaret Metro, on October 31, 1987 and directed by

Mick Napier Mick Napier (born December 12, 1962) is an American director and improvisational theater teacher. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and a director at The Second City. He has directed Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rac ...

. Performers involved in the original production included Joe Bill, Marguerite Hammersley, Doug Hartzell,

Kim Howard Johnson Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese fo ...

, Kaluah, Richard Laible, Geoffrey Lantz, David MacNerland, Jill Meyerhoff, Brett Paisel,

David Pasquesi David Pasquesi (born December 22, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. His screen credits include ''Groundhog Day'', ''Strangers with Candy'', ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', ''Return to Me'', '' The Ice Harvest'', ''Veep'', ''At Home with Amy Sed ...

, Lyn Pusztai, David Razowsky, Al Rose, Barry Saltzman, Tim Slagle,

Faith Soloway Joey Soloway (previously Jill Soloway; born September 26, 1965) is an American television creator, showrunner, director and writer. Soloway is known for creating, writing, executive producing and directing the Amazon original series ''Transparent' ...

, Ellen Stoneking, Elizabeth Trask, Eric Waddel, and Harlan Wallach.

Plot

A spoof of gory slasher films, along the lines of ''

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

'' or ''

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

'', Splatter Theatre features thirteen characters, all clichéd horror movie characters—the high school jock, the virgin, the class jerk, the bimbo, the nerd—killed in various creatively disgusting ways. The stage itself is freshly painted white, and the actors wear white costumes, allowing the red blood to stand out for the audience.

Remounts

With the reopening of the

, the company has begun producing Splatter as a

Tradition.

directed the remount of the show in 2006, with an entirely new cast, adding effects to the show to change some of the deaths. In 2007, Andrew Hobgood directed a remount of the show, with several members of the 2006 cast returning. On October 31, 2007, the 20th anniversary of the Annoyance Theater, Splatter was given a special performance, which included several of the original cast members from the 1987 production. The returning cast members were Eric Waddel, Joe Bill, Ellen Stoneking, Lynn Pusztai and Margueritte Hammersley. In 2008 and 2009, Sam Locke directed the show, with a mostly new cast each year. Ray Mees directed in 2010. Charley Carroll directed the next three productions, including the 2014 remount at the theater's newest location at 851 W. Belmont in Chicago IL. Sam Locke returned as bloodmaster. The 2015 remount is being directed by Jo Scott. Jonald Jude Reyes directed the 2016 and 2017 editions of Splatter, which included the 30th anniversary of the show. In 2018 Splatter was directed by Joe McDaniel. In 2019 Charley Carroll returned as director with Sam Locke on blood. In 2020, during the global Covid pandemic, with theaters around the world closed, the Annoyance created a virtual splatter experience. The virtual edition was directed by Joe McDaniel {{Cite web, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/10/12/21512280/splatter-theater-online-annoyance-theatre, title='Splatter Theater,' though online this year, will not skimp on gore, date=12 October 2020 In 2021 Sam Locke directed the first live stage Splatter Theatre since 2019.

Notes

Comedy plays 1987 plays Horror plays