The Art of What You Want

A heartbroken businessman discovers the horrifying truth about his haunted house.

******PRESS: "THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, written by Nat Cassidy and directed by Pete Boisvert, works as a graceful unveiling for the nature of the piece. Turning from Hitchcock to Almodovar it shifts the focus from the mysterious to the grotesque." - New York Theatre Review.

"I've seen some horrific things at the Blood Brothers'...

A heartbroken businessman discovers the horrifying truth about his haunted house.

******PRESS: "THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, written by Nat Cassidy and directed by Pete Boisvert, works as a graceful unveiling for the nature of the piece. Turning from Hitchcock to Almodovar it shifts the focus from the mysterious to the grotesque." - New York Theatre Review.

"I've seen some horrific things at the Blood Brothers' shows -- eyelids ripped off, skin peeled, human flesh consumed, rape and incest, and more forms of murder than you can shake a stick at. But when the lights went down after Nat Cassidy's short play THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, my first reaction was to lean over and whisper to the person sitting next to me, 'THAT was fucked up.' Nat Cassidy's play ... is easily one of the creepiest of I've ever seen. ... Featuring the best (and most upsetting) surprise ending I've seen in a while, THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT sets a very high bar." -
StageBuzz.

"Cassidy’s THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, directed by Boisvert, is the most genuinely frightening of the evening’s offerings: a haunted house story with a ghastly twist." - Theatre is Easy.

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

The Art of What You Want

Recommended by

  • Conor McShane: The Art of What You Want

    At first I thought this play was going to be a fairly straightforward "haunted house as metaphor for grief" kind of thing, and then...well, suffice it to say, that is not where we end up. Skin-crawling and shudder-inducing even on the page, I can only imagine what it would be like to see this play in person!

    At first I thought this play was going to be a fairly straightforward "haunted house as metaphor for grief" kind of thing, and then...well, suffice it to say, that is not where we end up. Skin-crawling and shudder-inducing even on the page, I can only imagine what it would be like to see this play in person!

  • Rachael Powles: The Art of What You Want

    A downright chilling example of top-notch horror theatre. This play is a great balance of suspense and gore, complete with a twist ending I didn't expect at all. Part of me wants to know what happens next!

    A downright chilling example of top-notch horror theatre. This play is a great balance of suspense and gore, complete with a twist ending I didn't expect at all. Part of me wants to know what happens next!

  • Cole Hunter Dzubak: The Art of What You Want

    If you want to write horror for the stage, start here. This is how you do it. Everything about this piece is amazingly written and thought out. Nat Cassidy is extremely brilliant when it comes to the genre, and I can't say enough about this piece. It's creepy, unsettling, gory, and that twist ending? Absolutely shocking. Loved everything about this play.

    If you want to write horror for the stage, start here. This is how you do it. Everything about this piece is amazingly written and thought out. Nat Cassidy is extremely brilliant when it comes to the genre, and I can't say enough about this piece. It's creepy, unsettling, gory, and that twist ending? Absolutely shocking. Loved everything about this play.

View all 9 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Flux Theatre Ensemble, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization The Players Club, Year 2015

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization The Blood Brothers Present, Year 2014