Avant-garde production lets the audience take the lead
—Photo courtesy American Laboratory Theater The cast of “16 Hours” invites the audience in. Pictured in the back row, from left, are Keely Gray, Jeremiah Guidos, and Cory Repass. Pictured in the middle row, from left, are: Haley Nicholson, Mason Jones, and production assistant Savannah Stierle. Pictured in the front row is Rhonda Reed.
—Photo courtesy American Laboratory Theater “16 Hours” by Travis W. Inman premiers March 25 at Monarch Mountain Coffee. Additional performances take place March 26, April 1 and April 2.
SANDPOINT -- Interactive theater debuts this evening with the opening of "16 Hours," a one-act play written by Travis W. Inman of Bonners Ferry.
American Laboratory Theater is producing the play under the direction of Jesus Quintero. Four performances will take place at Monarch Mountain Coffee, 208 N. Fourth Ave., in Sandpoint March 25-26 and April 1 and 2. Opening night is sold out.
The small venue, with seating for 38, provides an intimate setting for the play, which tells the story of a Holocaust survivor looking for revenge on those who killed his family. While this may sound like a straightforward drama, it is anything but, said Julie Berreth, directing producer at ALT.
"It's a ground-breaking, avant-garde experimental piece," she said, "with elements of dance, movement, voice, song and symbolism."
Inman, who has also authored the "Glenfield Series" of novels, has given ALT a wide berth to experiment and innovate with the production, Berreth said.
A unique aspect of "16 Hours" is that the audience will actually be part of the play.
"We're pushing a lot of boundaries," said Berreth. "We're making people take what they've seen and draw their own conclusions."
Local actors make up the cast. Mason Jones plays Isaac Jacobs, Keely Gray is Katrina and Haley Nicholson plays Rose. Rhonda Reed, Jeremiah Guidos and Cory Repass play Miss Kincaid, Mr. Cato and Franz Behr, respectively. The executive producer is Carolina Sa.
ALT produced "The Rocky Horror Show" in October 2015. The organization also hosted its premier session of an international theater school this past summer.
"We invited some of our collaborators and some of Jesus' contracts from throughout the world. They worked very hard and created five different compositions in five days. Then we had a presentation in town at the Little Panida Theater," said Berreth. "We plan to do it again Aug. 10-16."
Quintero, ALT's founder and artistic director learned his craft at Teatro Libre in Bogota, Columbia, but he has been active in theater throughout the world. He and his family moved to the area from Miami, Fla., in 2011. With American Laboratory Theater, he hopes to create the theater hub of the Northwest, Berreth said.
Quintero also teaches drama at Monarch School in Heron, Mont., and at Sandpoint's Waldorf School.
"Our mission is quite simple," said Berreth. "To educate, inspire and entertain."
Information and tickets: http://www.americanlabtheatre.com