A swift kick of theatrical intensity, this lean one-act from playwright Adrienne Kennedy receives a calmly unadorned production that stands out for its impact in a lighter-than-average Shaw season. The play is functionally a solo show starring the ever-reliable Sophia Walker as an author guest lecturing at her titular alma mater. While André Morin is technically a co-star, haunting the space and speaking a very select few lines, the bulk of the work here belongs to Walker who deftly lays out her harrowing tale with carefully restrained emotion.

Director Philip Akin’s production tests the limits of telling without showing as basically no action plays out on the actual stage (Morin and Walker barely even interact), challenging the audience to stay focused on Walker and experience the story of her sharing her story rather than just picturing the story itself.

Melanie McNeill’s beautifully creative but minimalist set leans into the English scholar themes as it evokes the kind of symbolism analysis one might apply to a literary paper: hard material presented as malleable, literary legacy underfoot, unnecessary accessibility barriers, colour treatment that appears like blood soaked in so completely it starts to normalize.

With only two performers and 52 minutes of runtime, Ohio State Murders is a very small piece but I hope it doesn’t get lost amidst the noise of this bombastic season. Expertly and thoughtfully executed, it packs more substance into its single hour than a dozen bigger shows.