It seems Les Miles, Skip Bertman, Michael Martin and John Lombardi have more in common than an obsession with the colors purple and gold — they all have guest appearances in Swine Palace’s latest show, HEIST!
HEIST! is a “fun-filled crime caper,” according to an LSU Theatre news release, and it revolves around a thief stealing valuable pieces of art from a museum.
But it isn’t a play in the traditional sense.
The “play” takes place in the Shaw Center for the Arts on all of its floors. What makes the play truly unique is the level of audience interaction, according to Alexander Galick, an actor in the play and a third-year student in the University’s professional actor training program.
“Usually in theater there is division between the audience and the actor,” Galick said. “In HEIST!, the audience is in the action, being pulled through a ‘who-done-it’ crime caper throughout multiple spaces and levels.”
Jason Bayle, theater graduate student, will play Boris Penguinovich in the show and also loves the audience immersion in the play.
“The thing that’s great is that the audience doesn’t sit in a theater,” Bayle said. “The audience can walk through the experience of the show and feel like they’re part of what’s happening.”
Bayle had been acting since high school, when a friend of his convinced him to audition after Bayle got cut from the basketball team.
HEIST! was originally shown at the 2010 Humana Festival of New American Plays by the Actors Theatre of Louisville, according to the official news release.
“Swine Palace has established a wonderful partnership with ATL,” said Kristin Sosnowsky, managing director of Swine Palace. “They presented the idea of producing HEIST! here in Baton Rouge … and we loved it.”
Sosnowsky also said the group performing the play really liked its concept and was excited for the opportunity given to the actors to work with ATL.
With the play being so different than usual plays, its appeal is high. Galick doesn’t want anyone to miss out on serious entertainment.
“It is not your average, run-of-the-mill show,” Galick said. “The people working on this production are highly skilled theater practitioners at the top of their game.”
Bayle agrees, saying the play isn’t a “buy your ticket, sit in a chair for two hours” kind of show.
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s very funny, and there are some really great technical elements happening in something not traditionally considered a theater,” Bayle said.
Bayle also loves the challenge this play will have on the actors.
“In another theater, I wouldn’t be able to literally reach out and touch the audience,” Bayle said. “It’s wonderfully challenging.”
HEIST! will run twice a day, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m, from May 5 to May 9 at the Shaw Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15 with a valid student ID.
 
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Contact Taylor Balkom at [email protected]