See also: 100 Colorado Creatives: Winnie Wenglewick
Westword: How do you choose which shows to produce?Winnie Wenglewick: Honestly, I just produce whatever I want. I saw BITE at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival back in May. I walked up to the producer in the beer tent and was just like, "How would you feel about doing this in Denver?"
What about BITE really stood out when you first saw it?
It was fun and different because the audience gets to participate in the flow of the story. Every show has at least eight-to-ten opportunities when the audience is asked to make a decision.
What do you think is the best part of audience participation plays?
Plays like BITE are just a lot of fun, and everyone is having a blast. So much of the play is up to the audience's choices, and to me that's enjoyable.
How is your Denver audience reacting to BITE and its "choose-your-own-ending" vibe?
So we officially opened BITE on Saturday, but we did performances for preview audiences during the week. So far every show we've done has had a different ending. There's no "one" ending, and I think the actors and the audiences are enjoying that. Even in our opening night we had three totally different possibilities for endings, and that was really cool.
How does BITE compare with 50 Shades of Wrong?
We had people the other day saying that BITE is the funniest thing we've done since 50 Shades of Wrong. They both feature BDSM and comedy, so they're extremely comparable to one another.
Why do you think audiences are so intrigued by seeing BDSM on stage?
In part because 50 Shades of Wrong introduced a lot more people to the world of BDSM. That play opened up a whole Pandora's box for people. A good number of us at Denver's Dangerous Theatre are kinky, anyway, so we like to bring the kink out of the audience.
What about BITE are you most excited for?
On November 23 we're doing a special showing of BITE. We're going to show all of the possible options followed by a cast party with alcohol. It's probably going to take a really long time because I think there's something like thirty or more different opportunities for the audience to choose. It's going to be a lot of fun to do just do one major show for the audience on that day. Just a side note -- people must purchase their ticket to the show online, and that includes entry to the party afterward. This is going to be a fun thing that we're only doing once, so there is a limited quantity.
BITE runs through November 22 at Denver's Dangerous Theatre, with performances on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Tickets (18 and up only) are $20 and available at 720-233-4703 or online.
Follow Lauren Archuletta at @laureneverytime.
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