“Fifteen Years Ago, I Killed My Sister”: Why The Off-Central’s Latest Black Box Risk Is the Conversation St. Pete Needs Right Now

“Fifteen years ago, I killed my sister.”

It is an opening line that drops like an anvil into the quiet of a theater. In playwright Adam Rapp’s Nocturne, those eight words launch a haunting, unflinching exploration of loss, guilt and the slow, painful pursuit of redemption. The play follows a gifted young pianist whose life is shattered by a tragic accident, sending him fleeing to New York City to reinvent himself as a writer before returning home 15 years later to confront his past.

When The Off-Central Players present Nocturne from Sept. 25-27, 2026, the performance itself is only half of the experience.

The production marks the second installment of Off-Central’s Think Inside the Box initiative — a project designed specifically to showcase deeply resonant, challenging stories that might not fit a traditional mainstage season but urgently deserve to be heard.

Rather than allowing the audience to applaud and head out into the night, Nocturne invites theatergoers to stay in the room, sit with the discomfort and participate in structured dialogues that bridge the work on stage with real-world healing.

The post-show talkbacks are built around key thematic discussions aimed at taking the conversation past the final curtain:

Men’s Mental Health & Trauma Recovery: Following the Sept. 26 performance, psychologist Dr. Adam Miller — who specializes in men’s mental health, PTSD and trauma — will facilitate an audience discussion exploring emotional survival, grief and the under-discussed challenges surrounding men’s mental health.

The Arts as a Vehicle for Healing: The Sept. 27 talkback pivots to how creative expression aids recovery. Panelists include multidisciplinary artist Becca McCoy — who will also exhibit visual work in the studio space — and author Ginny Sain, alongside discussions on writing, journaling and therapeutic expression.

Interactive Processing: Every audience member will receive a personal journal upon arrival, encouraging attendees to jot down thoughts, doodle or process their emotional responses during and after the show.

Nocturne reunites Kemp and Yones, who previously collaborated at Off-Central on Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside. Carrying an entire one-person show filled with dark and graphic emotional territory in an intimate 43-seat black box might sound daunting, but Kemp finds the vulnerability cathartic.

Supported by full production sponsorship from The Gobioff Foundation, The Off-Central Players are embracing the risky, high-reward nature of intimate, community-centered theatrical storytelling.