Bristol Riverside Theatre and Pitch Black Immersive Experiences are presenting Odd Man Out, a one-of-a-kind, uniquely interactive performance inside BRT’s Rehearsal Studio, an intimate, 60-person venue located at 201 Cedar St. in Bristol. The 65-minute production, directed by playwright Martin Bondone and co-directors Facundo Bogarín and Carlos Armesto, runs from Nov. 30 through Dec. 18.
Odd Man Out was first developed in Buenos Aires by Teatro Ciego, a company of blind and low-vision artists with a unique approach to making theater in complete darkness. The show was translated into English and further developed by Theatre C, a New York City-based immersive theater.
Odd Man Out’s narrator Alberto is a blind jazz musician on a journey home from New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The show is rich with live instrumentals and Alberto’s story of love, lost and found again.
Audience members begin the experience by joining Alberto in the “airport lounge” before his flight. From there, they are escorted to their seats inside “the plane,” where the production takes place in complete darkness. To experience Alberto’s story, audience members rely on hearing, touch, taste and smell during the multisensory journey happening all around them. Producers are enhancing the sound experience by implementing a state-of-the-art 360-degree binaural audio system. In addition, enriched smells, tactile objects, and water and wind effects create an experience akin to Alberto’s.
The show, performed in Spanish and English during designated performances, provides a unique opportunity for Spanish-speaking audiences to enjoy the “flight” during limited engagements for non-English speakers.
“For immersive theater to work, it can’t be a gimmick. The interactive elements must be used to tell a story worthy of an audience’s time,” said BRT producing director Amy Kaissar. “Alberto’s story is fascinating. Audiences will be captivated by this Argentinian jazz musician’s journey.”
Mauricio Marte serves as the Master of Ceremonies for BRT’s presentation of Odd Man Out, which features notable actors Andrés Montejo and Carmen Borla, bilingual Peruvian actor Lorenza Bernasconi, Argentinian actor Agustina Cedraschi and Costa Rican native Esteban Arias. Reprising his role as Alberto Rinaldi, Gonzalo Trigueros, and blind actor Aszkara Gilchrist, round out the cast of international artists.
This America Rising Series presentation is made possible in part by a grant from the Daniel W. Dietrich II Foundation and a generous gift from the Radio Drama Network and The Princess Grace Foundation.
Tickets for Odd Man Out start at $35 for general admission and are available at brtstage.org or by calling 215-785-0100.
