Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Shot in the Dark

The title of Spatter Pattern: Or, How I Got Away With It (pictured) hints at grisly content. While Neal Bell’s psychological drama does have Hitchcockian overtones, it sidesteps the gore to study the strangely empathetic relationship between a murder suspect and a screenwriter who’s recently lost a lover. This production and Territories, a double bill of short plays about betrayal by Steven Dykes, comes from Middlebury College affiliates PTP/NYC — an off-Broadway force known for dark themes and compelling interpretations. Professional actors and Midd theater students form a collaborative cast that’s as rare as the troupe’s offbeat subject matter.