Adventure Theater

Adventure Theater

Photograph: Laura Livingston

At most children’s theater companies, an "interactive" production means there’ll be a scene incorporating a brave child or two. But the Freestyle Repertory Theatre takes the concept to a new level in its show Adventure Theater, which plays this month at the Metropolitan Playhouse.

With the exception of the two leads, the entire cast consists of kids. The setup works because of "scenario-based improvisation," says Freestyle’s artistic director, Laura Livingston. At the start of each performance, the actors establish this general plot: An emissary (played by a pro) has traveled to the "real world" from a land where a wicked ruler (also a pro) reigns. He is searching for a hero who will venture back home with him to save the day.

All the details—like what terrain the emissary and hero cover en route—depend on tykes’ choices. When the kids want to contribute, they can "raise their hands or just come up onstage," Livingston says. Then they’ll get to don getups and tread on the set of the venue’s current adult production, Under the Gaslight. "A student who came to a past show said, ‘This is like Broadway, only cooler!’" says Livingston. After all, nobody ever called The Lion King interactive.—Jacqueline Burt Wang

Adventure Theater plays Dec 5, 6, 12 and 13 at the Metropolitan Playhouse.

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