Dangerous Instruments opens on May 23 and continues through June 1.
Palm Beach Dramaworks will close out its 25th anniversary season with the world premiere of Gina Montet's gripping Dangerous Instruments.
Laura, a single mother, recognizes that her young son, Daniel, is both brilliant and troubled. She fiercely advocates for him over the years, aware and terrified that he is becoming a danger to himself and others, but her pleas for help are thwarted by educators, mental health specialists, and social workers – some of whom would like to do more, but are stymied by a broken system.
Dangerous Instruments opens on May 23 (7:30pm) – as it happens, May is Mental Health Awareness Month – and continues through June 1, with specially priced previews on May 21 and 22 (7:30pm). Margaret M. Ledford directs.
Montet, who is based in Miami, began working on Dangerous Instruments in 2020. “I felt that a lot of plays had very effectively dealt with the aftermath of violent incidents in schools,” she said. “I wanted to tell the story of what happens before; what brings us to that point, and what factors led up to it? As a parent and a teacher, I wanted to bring a different perspective that includes the frustrations on both sides of the story. As a teacher, I've dealt with frustrated parents. Wanting to help and not being able to is part of being an educator. The guardrails are part of the system. That's where I was coming from: those moments when parents have to fight for their kids with people who aren't necessarily the enemy, but who, for whatever reason, aren't able to do what you need them to do.
“Several of the characters blame Daniel's problems on Laura, which I think is representative of our culture in general,” she continued. “That's the default setting: blame the parent. I'm trying to tell the other side of the story, to say, ‘What if the parent did everything she could, and it wasn't enough?'”
PBD's production features Savannah Faye (Laura), Matt Stabile, Jessica Farr, Bruce Linser, and Maha McCain. All but Linser are making their PBD stage debuts. Scenic design (sponsored by Susan Schwartz) is by Samantha Pollack (PBD debut), costume design is by Brian O'Keefe, lighting design is by Dylan B. Carter, sound design is by Roger Arnold, and video design is by Adam J. Thompson.
Dangerous Instruments was one of five plays selected for the 2023 Perlberg Festival of New Plays. The piece has since undergone numerous changes, including a few new characters. After Montet wrote the first draft, all three of her sons faced their own challenges and struggles, and some of those experiences found their way into the play.
Gina Montet is a graduate of the University of Miami and has been active in South Florida theatre for over 20 years. Among her many successful works are environmental education and literacy plays for young audiences, which have toured Florida since 2000 and continue to entertain and educate tens of thousands of students annually. Gina's work has been developed by several organizations including Theatre Lab at FAU, City Theatre, Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater, The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, Mangrove Creative Collective, The Greenhouse at Florida International University, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs' Playwright Development Program, and the Center for Performing Arts in Minneapolis. Her work was first seen at PBD in 2020, when The Prey was read during the 2020 festival. An experienced educator, Gina shares her talents with several schools and theatres in Miami, where she teaches theatre arts and film production.
The West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, the West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment District, and The Palm Beach Post are additional sponsors of PBD's 25th Anniversary Season.
Palm Beach Dramaworks is a professional, nonprofit theatre company founded in 2000 and located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach. Each season, the award-winning company produces five shows and offers a wide variety of programs for students at the theatre and in schools. Committed to fostering the future of theatre, PBD has become a hub for playwrights in Florida and around the country to nurture their work through the Perlberg Festival of New Plays.
PBD is a member of Theatre Communications Group, Florida Professional Theatres Association, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, and NNPN. In 2024, PBD was honored as Non-Profit of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches.
Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30pm. Matinee performances are Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2pm. Post-performance discussions follow Wednesday and Thursday matinees.
Tickets for all performances are $92, except for opening night ($107) and previews ($72). Student tickets are available for $15 with a valid K-12 or university/college ID, and anyone under 40 pays $40 (no additional fees) with a photo ID. Tickets for educators and active military are half price with proper ID (other restrictions apply).
Photo credit: Jason Nuttle Photography
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