Entertainment

A glittering sari unfolded between neighbors, although an epic Western took center stage, telling a tale of revenge and redemption. The 20th annual Colorado New Play Summit, held from February 14-15 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA), showcased a rich tapestry of new productions and readings that featured a wide array of fresh voices and dynamic narratives.

“Walking into the 20th anniversary and knowing we’ve been developing new plays on this campus for the entirety of the Denver Center lifespan is such a special thing to celebrate,” said Grady Soapes, the artistic producer who has programmed the summit for the past 11 years.

Despite the festival shrinking from two weeks in the pre-COVID era to just two days due to budget restructuring, the event felt both relaxed and invigorating, particularly during the unusually mild Valentine’s Day weekend. Attendees, including artists, subscribers, students, and industry professionals, filled the DCPA arts complex to engage with four new-play readings and two world premiere productions: Cowboys and East Indians, co-written by Nina McConigley and Matthew Spangler, and Godspeed by Terence Anthony.

Expanding Horizons in a Condensed Format

Even with the contraction in duration, Soapes noted that the Summit is expanding its offerings at a time when many new-play programs are scaling back. He explained that the DCPA is focusing on deeper engagement with the plays and making long-term investments in playwrights. This year’s staged readings moved from smaller 200-seat theatres to larger 600-seat spaces to accommodate growing audience demand.

Soapes attributed this growth to DCPA’s dedicated audience for new plays, stating, “We’ve grown that in 20 years—and how hungry our Denver audiences are for new work.”

The enthusiasm at the Summit was palpable across generations. Harper Skurky-Thomas, a high school student and writer, and her grandfather John Thomas, a songwriter, shared their long-standing passion for theater during a Sunday lunch. This year marked the sixth Summit they have attended together, which has become a cherished family tradition.

“We both love theatre, and we love going to see it together,” Skurky-Thomas remarked. “This is our favorite event of the year due to the fact that it gives us the opportunity to see things that are different.”

Diverse Productions Highlight New Voices

Cowboys and East Indians continues through March 1 and explores the lives of Rajah and Chitra Sen, Indian immigrants in Wyoming. Their daughter, Lakshmi, grapples with an unexpected challenge left by her deceased mother: to tie ten saris for her sister’s wedding. The play, adapted from McConigley’s 2013 short story collection, captures Lakshmi’s struggle for cultural identity in a predominantly white community, revealing the intricacies of diasporic life.

Director Chris Coleman seamlessly balances humor and tension, as audience members enjoy Wyoming weather jokes while also engaging with the emotional depth of the characters. The performances, particularly by Shawn K. Jain and Minita Gandhi as Rajah and Chitra, alongside Sadithi De Zilva as Lakshmi, resonate with authenticity and humor.

Meanwhile, Godspeed, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg and which closed on February 22, takes audiences to the post-Civil War outskirts of South Texas in 1865. The narrative follows Anna, who renames herself Godspeed, as she navigates the complexities of freedom while pursuing the man responsible for her past suffering. The production employs a revolving wagon set design that amplifies the intimacy of Godspeed’s journey.

Engaging Readings and Emerging Talent

The Summit also featured four new-play readings that transported audiences to various imaginative settings across the United States. In Bonnie Antosh’s Lemuria, a nod to Shakespeare’s King Lear blends humor with examinations of inheritance and ambition within human and animal kingdoms. Alyssa Haddad-Chin’s You Should Be So Lucky presents a magical realism-infused dramedy about a biracial granddaughter and her Chinese grandmother preparing soup dumplings in New York City’s Chinatown.

Isaac Gomez’s Influent, a DCPA commission, delves into the lives of two Latina beauty influencers grappling with societal issues such as racism and cancel culture. Finally, Tony Meneses’s The Myth of the Two Marcos is a poignant coming-of-age story set in Albuquerque in the late ’90s, highlighting the bond between two boys who share a name yet lead vastly different lives.

the Playwright Slam offered a lighthearted platform for playwrights to showcase snippets of their work, providing insight into the creative process. Soapes noted the significance of this event, stating, “We gain to see the heart of any given play because we’re hearing it from the lips of the writers themselves.”

Nurturing Future Voices

The Summit also hosted a middle and high school playwriting competition, featuring staged readings of three short plays by local young authors. These included Audrey Flege’s Scraps, addressing the struggles of an unhoused teenager, and Flavia Armas’s Bajo La Misma Luna, which explores adolescent romance amid political uncertainties.

DCPA leadership announced upcoming productions, including world premieres of bogfriends by jose sebastian alberdi and How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt by David Myers, both having had staged readings at the previous Summit.

Soapes expressed optimism for the future, hoping that the new plays cultivated at the Summit will locate their way to major theaters nationwide, stating, “To be able to say they started here in Denver is such a meaningful and creative experience…We want to see these plays soar.”

The 20th Colorado New Play Summit not only served as a platform for emerging talent but also fostered community connections through the shared love of theater. As the DCPA continues to support new works, audiences can look forward to the impact these plays may have across the American theater landscape.

What are your thoughts on the future of new plays in American theatre? Join the conversation in the comments below!