Point Break parody is a ‘love letter’ to the film and Sandpoint
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
It’s hard to top the ’90s cult classic Point Break — starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze as surfing cops and robbers — but the great minds of local sibling duo Willie Wittezehler and Ricci Witte are giving it a shot with their North Idaho parody, Sand-Point Break. The play takes the stage every night from Thursday, Nov. 19 to Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Panida Little Theater (300 N. First Ave., in Sandpoint).
Wittezehler calls the production a “love letter” to his hometown and one of his “all-time favorite” movies, combining local inside jokes with the over-the-top drama of the action-thriller to make something outrageous and delightful all at once.
“We have been completely cracking ourselves up at every rehearsal,” said writer-director-producer Wittezehler. “It is literally difficult to get through scenes because of how much the cast and crew are laughing just trying to deliver these ridiculous lines.”
Sand-Point Break follows Johnny Idaho, a former-Sandpoint Bulldog quarterback turned FBI rookie, who’s attempting to infiltrate a gang of bank-robbing wakeboarders. The adaptation keeps much of the movie’s dialogue and an abridged version of the story; however, that doesn’t mean you need to be a Point Break diehard to follow along.
“If you know and love the film, you will especially appreciate all the references, but … absolutely no prior knowledge is required,” said Wittezehler. “The show is going to start with a quick supercut of the film, so all the important lines and story beats will be fresh in peoples’ minds and everyone will have that context. I honestly think the show will be totally enjoyable even if someone has never seen Point Break.”
An illustration created for Sand-Point Break by Willie Wittezehler and Eddie Peña
Cast members include Cadie Archer, Alex Cope, Joe Heil, Geoff Klein, Lindsey Klein, Reader Publisher Ben Olson and Andew Sorg, along with musician Justin Landis, who will provide the surf rock and ’90s metal that’s vital to the ambiance. Each night will feature a different Johnny Idaho plucked from the audience and fed their lines — the more awkward the performance, the better.
According to Wittezehler — whose sister, Ricci, also serves as producer — the chaos and joy created by the cast had been the greatest part of Sand-Point Break.
“It has all felt like being a kid again, just playing with friends,” said Wittezehler. “And overall, just getting to celebrate this town we all love by creating a little moment of shared silliness.”
Tickets are $25 at panida.org. Get a taste of the action by visiting the Instagram page @sand_point_break.
Want to support independent local journalism?
The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned and operated by people who were born and raised in Sandpoint. The Reader is owned by Publisher Ben Olson, Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone and Senior Writer Soncirey Mitchell. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.
TIMBER WARS: Six-part series, February-November 2022. GO READ IT»
WHERE ARE THE WORKERS?: Five-part series, September-October 2021. GO READ IT»
THE AMERICAN REDOUBT: Seven-part series, November-December 2017. GO READ IT»
STANDOFF AT RUBY RIDGE: 25 Years Later. Five-part series, August-September 2017. GO READ IT»
Curious about what media the locals use? Check our 2018 Local Media Survey. GO SEE »
Sandpoint in Pictures
Filmmaker Jimmy Matlosz of the Idaho Film Company has made a series of mini documentaries about influential Sandpoint locals, including the late Dann Hall and Erik Daarstad as well as icons Diane Michaels and Dan Shook. He is currently working on a series of interviews connected to the history of the Panida Theater. Jimmy is a 30-year veteran filmmaker who's work can be seen at dpmatlosz.com.
Meet the Reader
Ever wonder who makes the Reader happen? Here's a behind-the-scenes look pieced together by summer 2017 intern McCalee Cain in which Ben, Cameron and Lyndsie explain what exactly about the Reader keeps them coming back to their shabby (but well-loved) office each week.
