Student-led dark comedy ‘God of Carnage’ probes human nature

“God of Carnage,” SUNY Oswego’s student-led theatre production running Nov. 11 to 15, is a darkly comedic play that conveys an unraveling depiction of human nature. 

At the heart of the play is four parents navigating one uncomfortable situation when a seemingly civilized evening turns into something much darker. What begins as a simple attempt by parents to resolve a schoolyard altercation between two young boys quickly becomes a collision of personalities and pride. As the conversation unfolds, it quickly becomes an increasingly volatile confrontation. 

For student director Thomas Kan, a theatre major from Bay Side, California, the play’s humor was what first caught their attention – it was what made them look closer. 

“I read through ‘God of Carnage,’ and I laughed. Afterwards, I was like, well, why did it make me laugh? It's a play centered around violence,” Kan explained. “The fact that I, as a reader, was reading this humor in it was something that really intrigued me.”  

That contradiction sits right at the heart of this production; a chaotic, funny yet uncomfortable play asks audiences to consider how quickly conflict can escalate – and asks, does violence accomplish anything?

Kan has shaped an interpretation around a question that feels especially immediate: What happens when our instinct to defend ourselves becomes an instinct to attack? A clash of personalities is the center of this play, yet it’s also the tool to explore how people respond when their sense of security and control are threatened. 

“Ultimately, each character has some flaw about them,” Kan said. “After seeing this show, after experiencing all this action with the characters and being in the action, do we like the characters that we see come up at the end of all the violence, what has been solved with all this violence?” 

Additional layers

Faculty mentor and theatre professor Steven Mazzoccone noted another layers. This play is not just simply about four people losing their tempers; it's about the assumptions people make, the judgments they carry into a room and how the human instincts to connect can lead to another confrontation. 

“I think we live in a really politically divisive and socially divisive time,” said Mazzoccone. “‘God of Carnage’ tells the truth of that in its way.” 

As the play progresses, the parents' maintained identities and poise begin to crack. 

“Their masks drop, and you see who they really are,” said Mazzoccone. “We’re meant to kind of see ourselves in those sets of parents.” 

That part itself is what makes this play so compelling. Its characters are not presented as distant caricatures; they reflect familiar human impulses. Mazzoccone points to the play’s examination of microaggressions, snap judgments and the primal instinct to come out on top. 

“We sort of all have the capacity for violence,” Mazzoccone explained. “Whether that is physical violence or emotional violence… we all have this primal instinct to kind of win.” 

Kan approached the production with that tension in mind, exploring how violence can easily become cyclical. How does a story starting with two children fighting end up with adults who tried to solve that situation by only creating more conflict? 

The result is a production that invites audiences to reconsider their allegiances as the story unfolds. Just when viewers think they know which character they can agree with, new details and masks fall off, creating a constant shift that complicates that judgment. 

“God of Carnage” has 7:30 p.m. curtains Nov. 11 to 14, as well as 2 p.m. matinees on Nov. 14 and 15, all in Tyler Hall’s Lab Theatre. 

Tickets are free for SUNY Oswego students, $10 for all others. Tickets and additional information are available at tickets.oswego.edu.

–Written by Jose Vazquez Nava of SUNY Oswego’s Class of 2027