Stories are a powerful mode of communication and community. They connect individuals from different backgrounds and invite the audience to share a meaningful experience. At UCCS Theatreworks, stories such as these are shared at their performances.
From Jan. 27 to Feb. 13, the Theatreworks program will be showcasing “Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue,” a Pulitzer-Prize nominated play by Quiara Alegría Hudes.
The story of “Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue” is centered around a Puerto Rican family as they share the hardships of war across generations.
“Tracking the family member’s deployments in three separate conflicts, the play explores the history of service, and the bonds forged across generations, through the stories they share, and the ones they can’t,” UCCS Theatreworks said on their website.
Julio Agustin, the director for the upcoming production utilized his background of music, education and theatre in the play. “The compositions and musicality of the poetry is integral to the piece,” Agustin wrote via email.
The themes of family, love and war in “Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue” hold much significance for Agustin as well as the community of Colorado Springs. Aspects of production were centered around honoring and respecting those who have been involved with war.
“There is a deference and respect in our work for [those who are connected to war]; we also have a dramaturge and a current military lieutenant as consultants,” Agustin said.
Alongside honoring those with a military background, Agustin and the production team worked to include performers who had Puerto Rican and Latinx backgrounds.
“We expect this piece to welcome all of our Colorado Springs community, as well as those of military and Latin backgrounds,” Agustin wrote.
Agustin is looking forward to the audience’s experience when they arrive at the theatre. “The audience will walk into a space of sounds, tastes, smells, and sights. There will be native Puerto Rican foods in the lobby, a combination of Bach and Bomba playing in the background, luscious grass and grainy sand on the ground, and the smells of a garden in the playing space,” Agustin wrote.
Agustin’s goal is to see that through the immersive experience, the audience receives a greater understanding of the play and a deeper connection to the meanings of the story.
“My hope is that audience members will be transported through all of their senses for 75 minutes so as to be transported into this beautiful production,” Agustin said.
“Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue” will be performed from Jan. 27 to Feb. 13 in the Ent Center for the Arts. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the link here.
