About the Play
FRIENDS WITH GUNS is a taut, character-driven drama that unfolds over the course of a single, charged evening. When a group of longtime friends gathers for what should be a casual reunion, a conversation about a recent break-in — and the gun one of them has quietly brought into the house — spirals into a raw and unflinching examination of fear, trust, and the hidden assumptions we carry about the people we think we know.
Told with sharp dialogue and a slow-burning tension, the play refuses easy answers. It asks what we're willing to do to feel safe, what we owe to the people we love, and how quickly the ground can shift beneath a friendship when a gun enters the room.
Why This Story Now
In a moment when conversations about guns, safety, and personal responsibility dominate the national discourse, FRIENDS WITH GUNS offers something rare: a story that doesn't shout, but listens. It places real, complicated people in a room together and lets the audience sit with the uncomfortable questions that emerge.
Theatre of Arts Creative Lab is proud to present this production as part of our live stage series — a work that trusts the audience to think for itself and to feel the weight of every choice its characters make.
"A quietly devastating play that never tells you what to think. It just puts you in the room — and leaves you there." — Critical Response
A Note on Content
This production includes depictions of firearms, references to violence, and emotionally intense scenes. It includes strong language. We recommend it for audiences 16 and older. A talkback with the cast and creative team will be offered after select performances.
The Creative Team
FRIENDS WITH GUNS is directed by faculty and guest artists of Theatre of Arts Creative Lab, with a cast drawn from our professional community and alumni network. Full cast and crew credits will be announced closer to opening night.