Hangmen by Mauro Fazion

About the Play

The play is set in an execution chamber and follows two hangmen, Rooney and Ingmar, as they attempt to carry out the execution of Paul Freeman—a man convicted of increasingly ambiguous and nonsensical crimes. As a new execution technology are introduced and repeatedly fail, the story starts to reveal deeper themes of systemic absurdity, dehumanization, and moral ambiguity.

As the play unfolds, we meet other characters, like the attorney, the cleaner, and the engineer, each adding new layers to this surreal world. Throughout the narrative, Paul’s mother and young son also visit him, bringing different perspectives and emotional depth. As time passes, we begin to witness a gradual shift in the attitudes of the two hangmen, as the weight of their task becomes increasingly difficult to bear.

Concept and Style 

“Hangmen” blends extreme realism, satire, surrealism, and human vulnerability to confront the absurd theatre of justice with shocking clarity.

The piece is grounded in a clownesque artistic concept, drawing inspiration from Bouffons, symbolism, and Brechtian theatre. We aim to expand the absurdity of reality through the text, performance style, and visual language. The work blends clowning, Brechtian techniques, allegory, and symbolist imagery to explore deeper social and emotional themes with both humour and critique. This will be embraced not only in the acting style but in the set, props, makeup and costume choices. 

While the play is not realistic in style, its content is deeply rooted in reality. As Mauro, the writer, says: “It’s deeply realistic, so deeply, that it looks like nonsense.” To reflect the harshness of that reality, we’ve chosen to take a more stylistic approach in the production. 

We will fully embrace theatricality and make it clear to the audience that they are watching a constructed story, enhancing the epic effect and allowing the themes to resonate more powerfully and effectively. 

This hybrid approach allows us to explore the absurdity of real-life injustices, to shift between tones, and challenge traditional narrative structures. In doing so, we engage the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels—inviting critical reflection on the world, however distorted or absurd it may appear—and provoking empathy, insight, and a deeper connection to the message.

Goals

The goal of this piece is to confront the audience with the absurdity of the reality we live in, a world where the absurd has become commonplace, and justifications for violence have become disturbingly “normal” and acceptable. Although the play leans into satire and absurdism, every element is rooted in real-life events known or witnessed by the writer. 

This is a wake-up call, wrapped in dark humour. Comedy, after all, is a powerful vehicle for provoking thought and prompting action, and we intend to use it to hold a mirror up to the world around us, incentivizing change and movement.

“(...) Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them.”

Mauro shared that he hopes the audience will be moved by the suffering of those who are humiliated by the system, and that they might also recognise that, at times, they themselves may take on the role of either the humiliated or the humiliator, depending on the circumstances.

“I hope they laugh and they cry, and that they remember the characters for a very long time—in their minds and in their hearts.” — Mauro Fazion.

We're proud to stand among those who are daring to do things differently.​

Mauro Fazion and Fractured Time Productions: An Ideal Artistic Collaboration

This is a unique piece by a very talented Brazilian writer. His vision and references are remarkable, drawing from deep theatrical traditions and echoing the legacies of greats like Brecht, Chekhov, Beckett, Ionesco and Arrabal.

This is new writing, with one foot firmly rooted in the past, bringing history into the present moment is exactly the creative spirit of our company, Fractured Time Productions.

Mauro said that working with Fractured Time Productions is a great next step! “I think it aligns very well with my ambitions for a new kind of theatre, which is looking to break the conventions,  as it is so well defined by Fractured Time Productions in their   “taking the conventions of theatre and film and breaking them into tiny pieces”... I love this.” — Mauro Fazion 

This collaboration is an ideal match for this piece. As a company, Fractured Time is committed to exploring fractured narratives, unconventional structures, and voices that challenge the mainstream. According to Mauro, the company’s ethos aligns perfectly with the themes of Hangmen, a work that blends absurdism, satire, and political commentary to expose uncomfortable truths and question accepted norms.

This partnership allows both the writer and the company to test bold creative ideas with an audience, to collaborate across cultures and disciplines, and to stay true to a shared belief: that theatre should unsettle, question, and transform. Together, we are not just staging a play—we’re engaging in a larger conversation about society, power, and the role of theatre in reflecting and reshaping the world.