Thomas Marsh plays compromised undercover cop in Jennifer Haley’s ‘The Nether’
On stage now in the Foulds Theater at the Alliance for the Arts is Theatre Conspiracy’s production of Jennifer Haley’s The Nether. Local actor Thomas Marsh plays an undercover agent who enters a virtual world called The Hideaway to investigate claims that paying customers go there to have sex with, murder and dismember the prepubescent 
virtual children who reside there.
Marsh’s character is a Victorian dandy by the name of Woodnut. Woodnut is not real. He is an avatar who is hooked up with a beautiful and ostensibly innocent 9-year-old girl by the name of Iris. At first, Woodnut is reluctant. He even seems repelled by the thought of touching and caressing the child, never lone having intercourse with her. But Iris subtly draws him in and, ultimately, Woodnut not only has sex with her, he does what all Hideout guests are expected to do with their pre-teen sexual partners. He murders her with a bright red fireman’s ax that is provided 
for the deed by the proprietor of the establishment, a genial elderly gent by the name of Papa.
Of course, Iris only exists in the virtual world and immediately resurrects for more madness and mayhem. But the fact that Woodnut engages in pedophilia, murder and dismemberment raises the question of how far an agent may go in investigating criminal activity. Do the ends justify the means? And in this regard, it is Marsh’s task in 
performing the role of Woodnut to traverse the character arc from hesitant, conflicted police agent to willing, perverted participant. Marsh does a yeoman’s job with the part.
Marsh has been busy at Theatre Conspiracy this season. He was in this season’s opener, Toys in the Attic, and played the evil Mr. Burns in Mr. Burns: The Post-Electric Play. Theatre Conspiracy audiences will also remember him from last year’s new play winner, A Position of Relative Importance.
- Click here for Art Southwest Florida’s review of the play
Jim Yarnes is masterful as Sims in Theatre Conspiracy production of ‘The Nether’- Click here for Director Rick Sebastian’s insights into the play.
- Click here for more on Director Rick Sebastian.
- Click here for more on playwright Jennifer Haley.
- Click here for a synopsis of the plot.
- Please click here for play dates, times and ticket information.
Published March 6, 2016.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.