Jaden Perez, Daniel Bravo Hernandez, Danny Gómez, and Ishmael Gonzalez Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Hopefully, things have improved since then, but when I was a high school freshman back in 1973, encouraging adolescent boys to be in touch with their feelings, not be ashamed of being vulnerable, and being able to express platonic love to a friend was not a high priority.

So it's especially refreshing to see a play like Jesús I. Valles' sweetly funny, often rowdy, and irrepressibly joyous Spread, granted an excellent world premiere production by INTAR, the company that has been presenting and developing Latine theatre in New York since 1966.

Set primarily in an Austin, Texas classroom during the 2019-20 school year, Valles' exploration of how school becomes a second home where we make early bonds with those who become our chosen family gets its title from the name of a communal meal, also known as "Texas prison brick"; an improvised combination of snacks like dry ramen noodles, Hot Cheetos, beef jerky or Corn Nuts, all mixed in a plastic bag, cooked in hot water, and smashed together.

It's the occasional lunchtime treat for the four ninth graders who like to skip the crowded cafeteria and hang out in a classroom. (Two of them learned the recipe from incarcerated relatives, one from a YouTube video.) It also provides a symbolic way of looking at how this emotionally and culturally diverse combination of boys improvise their way through the time between childhood and adult responsibilities.

There's Jeffrey (Jaden Perez), whose success in athletics distracts from an uncomfortable relationship with his stepfather. Andrew (Danny Gomez) uses his brains to make up for his lack of height. The teddy bear-like Jordan (Ishmael Gonzalez) jovially plays along with jokes about his weight. Chris (Daniel Bravo Hernandez) has a girlfriend and his family situation may be forcing him to be an adult before he's fully prepared.

The one adult presence is a teacher (Luis Vega) who provides a gentle model of sympathetic masculinity.

There's no linear plot to the play, but rather a series of episodes in which the guys flaunt their carefree armor teasing each other, getting drunk, acting up at the movies, and getting the most fun out of youth as they can while trying to suppress the emotional stress brought on by the world outside the safety of their friendship. Director Tatyana-Marie Carlo does a great job handling the drastically shifting tones and rhythms of the piece as the four main actors believably display the growing bonds of their characters.

As usual for INTAR, the design elements are excellent in their 55-seat theater. Rodrigo Escalante's set shows typical displays of intellectual encouragement to enhance the public school's bland paint job. The unit space effectively suggests different locations through the work of designers Cristina Watanabe (lights) and Michael Costagliola (sound).

Though Spread isn't, at least on the surface, a political play, the production at INTAR is presented within a political context. Before being seated, the audience is gathered in a room where we're encouraged to read, among other posted items, the author's notes, which also can be read on INTAR's website.

Certainly, few would disagree with the opening statement, "Children are our most vulnerable comrades," but it's immediately followed by a statement that some will passionately agree with, while others will passionately disagree. Just before the house is opened, a shortened version of the author's notes is read aloud to the audience, again, containing language that is likely to spark contrasting reactions.

But, especially in a diverse city like New York, the peaceful expression of views is one of the most important purposes of art.