Gorilla Productions' 'Oak Tree' has a twist: a new actor each show

Gorilla Productions delivers a unique perspective on the power of the mind — and the art of acting — when it stages An Oak Tree, by Tim Crouch. The story of the two-actor play involves a father whose daughter has died in a car accident and the driver of the car, a stage hypnotist. The two meet when the hypnotist inadvertently draws the father out of the crowd for his act.

That story line alone is intriguing; now comes the twist: The actor playing the hypnotist, Steve Mountan, pictured, has been in rehearsal for weeks; the second actor has never seen the script. Each night, a new actor — male or female — is brought in to play Bob, the father of the dead girl, and the course of the play varies depending on what the new actor brings to the show.

Gorilla Theatre has lined up 13 performers — Emilia Sargent, Julie Rowe and Petrus Anotonius among them — for its run, which opens tonight at 419 N Hubert Ave., Tampa. The play runs through Sept. 21 with performances at 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 on Thursday, $25 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Discounts are available for seniors and students. (813) 354-0550; gorilla-theatre.com.