“This is one of the most impactful shows I've ever experienced.
Anthony's "performance" moves beyond acting to a field of authenticity beyond the assessment of good or bad --into a field of truth and depth that can be revisited many times” Lael Belove
WRITTEN, DIRECTED & LIVED BY ANTHONY MONTES
This semi-autobiographical work consisting of reflections on some of Anthony's life-altering decisions. Written, Directed & Lived by Anthony, it is a play that lives in the nuances of now. Depending on what occurs from one moment to the next. It is unique in that no two shows are ever the same.
Anthony Montes attempted suicide when he was 27 years old. It was the culmination of several factors, compounded by depression. “It was 4th of July and all my friends had partners, and they were going to the Hamptons for the weekend and I didn’t have anyone,” recalled Montes. “I felt that was going to be my life, being alone. I felt I would never amount to anything, that I wouldn’t have love in my life. I didn’t want to live in a world without love.”
Reviews
Anthony Montes’ One-Man Show, "Outta the Darkness Into The Light,” is a semi-autobiographical work consisting of reflections on some his life-altering decisions. Written and Directed by Tony “Outta the Darkness Into The Light” is a play that exists in the nuances of now. Depending on what occurs from one moment to the next, it can exude the dark & alarming or emanate the joyous & gleeful. In true Meisner style, it all depends on the moment.
The play begins with Tony being in a life-changing moment, then intriguingly continues with a conversation about his life with an ominous, unseen voice. The purpose of this conversation? To afford Tony his opportunity to explain certain life choices. Curiously, the choices to be discussed are selected not by the Voice, but by a panel of unknown decision-makers. This panel will, after listening to his explanations, decide whether Tony must continue on the path he has laid, or if he is free to follow another one. The panel alone decides.
The questions set forth to Tony are real, taken from his own life. The explanations, too, are real. Delivered from a place of vulnerability and truth.
“Outta The Darkness Into The Light,” is more than simply an open book of Tony's life. He does something that most performers will never do! That is, he opens up about his true self and allows himself to lay under the scrutiny of his peers. He is judged not only for the play's sake - and duration, but also weathers the judgment meted out on his life, long after the play is finished.
"Outta the Darkness Into The Light” is a difficult play, not because of its content, but from where it emerges: An honest and open place.
For the audience, it could very well serve as a starting point for anyone willing to take inventory of their life and their life’s decisions. For Tony, it may very well provide a healing by understanding of some of the most difficult choices of his life.
Gus Summers - the “IN” show
Anthony Montes explores 'The "Purgatory" after attempting the mistakable conquest of taking his life in the relentless forerunning theme of guilt, blame, denial.
In the Darkness. Anthony talks with "Whatever you wanna call me" who offers "The Deciders" (the audience) the option to allow Montes the opportunity to go back and live his life or stay in the room of torment.
This play, of great meaning, allows one to see and feel the vast 'love' and 'growth' before our eyes. An out of bodily experience, totally unconventional to our nature, and code of conduct ---impacts us in seeing the way those around us care and react.
If only, one could see that for themselves. And that is the underlining conclusion one leaves the room with.
Ellie Patrikios
“Out of the Darkness” is a play with a purpose. A semi-autobiographical tale of one human’s struggle with their own sense of light and dark, life and death, connection and isolation. Told by a soul who seems stuck between worlds after a suicide attempt. Finding himself in a place between, he is instructed but the voice of god, or something else, to talk about certain pivotal moments in his life and be judge by them.
The audience becomes his jury and the possible sentences are to remain there, in limbo, or to return to complete his life, with no memory of his trial. A second chance to make another choice. A better one perhaps. “Out of the Darkness” is a compelling narrative. After all, wouldn’t we all like to know what is really going on? Anthony Montes is a gifted storyteller. A teacher, a writer, an actor, half Italian, half Puerto Rican, all New York. He talks about his childhood, his rejection of his Puerto Rican family, his relationships, his struggle to work as an actor, to keep himself solvent. As he talks about his life and these randomly chosen portions picked from a bingo drum on stage beside him, his reason for returning emerges, both for himself and us. The show is partly improvised, never knowing which story he will be telling from one show to the next. The randomness of this construction gives the performance a gorgeous authenticity. We spin the drum with him. The asymmetry of his stories, the luck of the draw so similar to our own experience of life. Randomness, sliding doors, fate, call it what you will. But, aren’t we all at the mercy of powers unknowable and yet so intrinsic to everything we do? So, “Out of the Darkness” is brilliant. Quietly so. Montes seems to shape the narrative and himself as it unfolds. One might imagine that each night of performance could be quite different from another. Each night with a different outcome. This night he chose to return to his life and the audience, the deciders, chose to let him. Who knows what stories remain waiting in that barrel, a cause and effect for another outcome. It’s a fascinating premise and Montes fits the part perfectly. Wise, slightly goofy, slightly broken, compassionate, real, adorable and gifted. I highly recommend this show. It’s unusual and beautifully crafted, opening with the gorgeous voice of Elizabeth Frohlich busking in the subway, the last one to interact with Montes before he leaps. A poignant touch, aching with sincerity. How many times have we been saved by a song? In my case, many. Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros Noho Arts
I’ve always believed that we’ve come into this life to learn certain lessons & once learned, we’d pass on to something better. We weren’t born into this world perfect moral creatures, at least I wasn’t. We are influenced by families, friends, schools, teachers, jobs, for me the Navy, and much more. We would make mistakes. I have made many. Hopefully, we would learn from our mistakes. We would be tested in life to see just how much we learned. As we went on, our tests would become more difficult. Early on when I was faced with one of these tests, I would fail, miserably. I always took a bad situation & made it worse. I was the victim. Everything bad happened to me, I felt. It took me years to see these difficulties I faced were lessons I’d come into this world to learn. Once realized, I began to understand this world a bit more & I began enjoying my journey. We are here to evolve into ourselves. We do not have to be victims of our past. By sharing My Life on Stage, I hope to show that we can come, Outta The Darkness Into the Light,
All the stories in the play are true. I lived them. I am showing the worst of who I was & the best of who I am becoming. I am a work in progress. I always wanted to be an Actor. As a kid, I wanted to because I wanted to be anyone but me. I used humor as a way of coping with the pain. I was the Class Clown, the Funny Guy & so it came as a complete shock that on July 4th, 1983, I tried to kill myself by jumping in front of a train. It was my Fathers' voice in my head that put me on the tracks & it was the image of my mother, that made me jump out of the way. The train clipped me and fractured my left arm, I was lucky. I read in the papers the following week about a man that went on to the tracks to help a Homeless Man. They both weren’t as lucky. It haunted me that there was a man that tried to help someone & he died. I was throwing my life away & I lived. I couldn’t shake the guilt. I was living in Brooklyn & I couldn’t even look at the trains, so I moved to LA.
When I hear of a Suicide, my heart breaks a little bit. I have known 6 people who have committed Suicide. When I heard Robin Williams, it scared me because I thought once you had kids, that option was off the table. Anthony Bourdain’s Suicide has also affected me, as we have so much in common. It’s been 38 years since I tried to kill myself. I have written a play, SUBWAY SUICIDE, a film, THE LAST TRAIN & this One-Man Play, OUTTA THE DARKNESS INTO THE LIGHT, as my effort to bring attention to Suicide, Depression & with these pieces, I hope to help others, INTO THE LIGHT.
Pictures
WHITEFIRE THEATRE LOS ANGELES
STUDIO 4 LOS ANGELES with BREVI
About to Jump
Rehearsal
WHITEFIRE THEATRE LOS ANGELES
