Crawlspace: A True Crime Musical
Crawlspace: A True Crime Musical premiered with a series of performances by the Tech Players of Tennessee Tech University under the direction of Mark Creter. The show later received a workshop and two staged readings by the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, which also produced its second full production in December 2023. Crawlspace is set to have its international premiere in November 2025 with a production by Auckland Music Theatre in New Zealand.
In 1979, a famed psychologist and researcher is invited to Chicago by a desperate defense attorney to interview an accused killer. The Doctor has a particular interest in the case. As a survivor of child abuse, she seeks to rationalize her own father's actions by studying the origins of violence as related to the human brain.
The prisoner, John, is facing trial for multiple counts of murder after dozens of bodies were found buried under his home. Hoping to save himself from the death penalty, this braggadocios murderer must convince the Doctor to sign off on his claimed multiple personality disorder and bolster his insanity plea.
During her sessions with John, his narrative conjures flashbacks of his difficult childhood, adult life, murders, and arrest. The Doctor follows the unreliable narrator on a tour through his memories--blurring the line between reality and John’s psyche. His family, victims, and alleged multiple personalities take center stage as the killer relives key moments from his dark and tragic life.
John, on the one hand, was a family man, community leader, out-going neighbor, and part-time clown known for hosting elaborate yard parties. On the other hand, he was a dangerously troubled and violent criminal. As the show progresses and the trial date looms, the Doctor begins slipping dangerously deeper into John's troubled mind. His unsettling memories challenge her beliefs about mental health while also forcing her to face ghosts from her own past.
*Read Jason's interview with Judge Sam Amirante, Gacy's original defense attorney, on the "blog" section of this site or by following this link: Interview
