Guests in this back-alley steakhouse don\u2019t just watch a murder mystery. They\u2019re encouraged to interrupt it.<\/p>\n
Inside the El Paso restaurant, Gary Monteleone, founder of Monteleone\u2019s Haunted Restaurant, has developed the building into a dinner theater production that welcomes actors of all experience levels, including students from El Paso Community College and the University of Texas at El Paso.<\/p>\n
The current production, \u201cPopcorn with a Side of Murder\u201d doesn\u2019t feel like Broadway, and that\u2019s exactly the point. Guests are immersed in a 1960s-themed drive-in movie theater, where they must decode the murder of the maintenance man, played by Monteleone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoy bringing in actors that haven\u2019t acted before,\u201d Monteleone said. \u201cWe like to open it up for anyone to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The actors said they benefit from this welcoming environment, which lets them step outside their comfort zone and do something they might not otherwise have the chance to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing here allows me an opportunity to invite creativity into my life,\u201d actor Nadia Garcia said.<\/p>\n
The performances vary widely, with the steakhouse putting on 50 to 52 different murder mystery shows every year, ranging from basketball courts to drive-in staff mishaps.<\/p>\n
Audience members also get a role. Throughout the show, actors make a point of interacting with the audience, encouraging them to \u201cshake things up and stir the pot,\u201d as they specify in their pre-show announcements.<\/p>\n
The staff ensures guests feel comfortable participating and disrupting, even handing out party poppers before the show begins and inviting them to set the poppers off whenever they feel the time is right. During the night, a loud pop and a burst of confetti occasionally break the tension.<\/p>\n
The interruptions force the cast to improvise, making the stories shift from show to show.<\/p>\n
Tickets for their upcoming shows are $70 and include a three-course steak dinner, dessert and the show. Doors open at 6 p.m. at Monteleone\u2019s Back Alley Steakhouse, 512 N. San Marcial St. Reservations are available at monteleoneshauntedrestaurant.square.site.<\/a><\/p>\n