The Story of Columbine

The Erlkings centers on the day of April 20, 1999, when students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School and gunned down 12 of their fellow students and one teacher, before turning their weapons on themselves. It remains one of the deadliest school shootings in American history and an event which is burned into the psyche of the nation.

Written by Nathaniel Sam Shapiro, The Erlkings matter-of-factly walks the audience through the days leading up to the shooting. It's based on the killers' writings and home videos, with their own words forming the majority of the play's dialogue. Explaining his motives for tackling the subject, Shaprio explains that "with these kinds of mass killings becoming somewhat of an epidemic, refusing to understand their causes is akin to refusing to research a cure for a deadly disease."