THE STORY: Poor Bethany Palmer hasn’t slept in thirteen years. When her husband, Warren, steals their son, Andrew, away in the middle of the night, her already fragile grip on reality starts to weaken—even as she sets off after them on a nightmarish phantasmagoria through an urban dreamscape. Chronicling Bethany’s desperate flight, THE VELVET SKY is a dark fairytale for grown-ups, about the stories and lies adults tell children to keep them safe from the things that lurk in the dark. Things like the macabre Sandman, who is hungry to steal the innocent gleam from young Andrew’s eyes…
“Aguirre-Sacasa’s THE VELVET SKY blends childhood fantasies with adult nightmares into a dark and surreal adventure laced with just enough honesty that it’s absolutely, terrifically terrifying…There’s a real lesson buried beneath the potential for blood and gore, subtly reminding us of our obligation to protect children from their beastly predators. It’s an unsettling conclusion that bears the mark of a playwright who appreciates finishing the story just as much as conceiving it.” —Metro Weekly.
“Enter the world of Aguirre-Sacasa’s creepy, mesmeric play—if you dare. If you are prone to bad dreams, THE VELVET SKY may give you a sleepless night or two…” —Washington Times.
“A dark domestic fantasy designed to spook any adult who’s ever considered parenting…Aguirre-Sacasa’s fantastical chase-nightmare races into the audience’s collective unconscious, triggering laughs, fears, and that sense of helplessness that comes of realizing—when childhood innocence cracks wide open—that the world really is a scary place and that protecting the ones you love isn’t always possible.” —Washington City Paper.