When the lights shine upon the stage at Westlake’s Frida Kahlo Theater this weekend, so too will the stories of actors who rarely get to perform before a live audience.
That’s the goal behind the Mystery Theater Horror Show, a play about displacement, written and performed by the actors themselves.
“No one is different from anyone else. We’re all human beings,” said lead actor David Krieger. “We all deserve to have a voice and I feel like that’s what our show is about, bringing everyone together.”
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Krieger stars as the God of Theatre in a powerful overall performance — full of comedy, improvisation and important messages, aimed at bringing awareness to the displacement of people from marginalized communities.
That’s something the Mystery Theater Horror Show actors can relate to — many of them live with autism or a learning disability, while others are formerly incarcerated. They were brought together by the Strindberg Laboratory, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit aimed at connecting communities through the art of the theater.
“The one thing that’s really important with this show,” explained Michael Bierman, Strindberg Laboratory’s founder and executive director. “We have so many diverse populations, if people can come together on the stage then perhaps they can do it in life.”
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The show features a mixture of traditional acting, shadow puppetry, costume changes and music. Dominique Beltran, who lives with autism, said he’s excited to finally be able to perform in front of an audience.
“It takes dedication and hard work, you know,” Beltran said.
Beltran’s mother, Ely Beltran, would know — she’s performing alongside her son, who was once considered to be non-verbal. She said theater has transformed his life.
“They're very creative and all they need is to be seen and to have the opportunity that other communities have,” she said. “And I'm not just talking about the community that are disabled. I'm talking about also the individuals that are maybe returning back from being imprisoned. We need to change that narrative and be able to do what we say, which is everybody deserves a second chance and they need to be given a second chance.”
Mystery Theater Horror Show debuts Sunday, June 25th at 4 p.m. at the Frida Kahlo Theater in Westlake. Admission is free.
