CU Boulderâs 2016-17 theatre season continues with Unspoken,Ìęa 2016 work by New Play Festival winner and PhD candidate Kevin Crowe. The intimate portrait of six friends living in New York City runs Feb. 15 to 19 in CUâs Loft Theatre.
Exploring how hope is born from tragedy, Unspoken follows three couples and delves into the ways unexpected events alter all of their lives. Several characters are based on the real-life friends of Crowe, who grew up on Long Island and lived in New York City for many years.
â[UnspokenÌęis] about choosing love over fear,â Crowe says. âI want people to leave the play feeling that they should hold tighter to the people they love. All of the plays I admire most are ultimately about appreciating the moment and appreciating those who are with you during your brief time on Earth.â
When the play begins, and when tragedy hits, many of its characters are fearful. Candace, an attorney, suddenly learns sheâs pregnant with twins and wonders whether her husband, Oscar, can grow up, let go of the past and be there for his family. Kyle, a classical pianist, steps away from his instrument in the hopes of reconnecting with his partner, Bryan. Daniela, a choreographer, is preparing for the opening of a new work when disaster strikes and she begins to question her own values.
Where: Loft Theatre, located in the University Theatre Building
Cost: Tickets start at $16
âThereâs a timeless quality to the script,â says Lindsay Weitkamp, who played Candace in a staged reading of the play last year. âItâs part of the human condition to wrestle with feelings of love, feelings of fear. To wrestle with that duality is common at some point in everyoneâs life. And when you realize that youâve made it through with the comfort of companions around you, you see that those people are the roots that give us hope.â
Crowe says the play is as philosophical as it is emotionalâin fact, it was inspired by Jean-Paul Sartreâs essay âBeing and Nothingness,â a hallmark of existential thought. Despite that, Crowe says, audiences need no prior knowledge of existentialism to understand the playâs themes.
âWhen people think about existential philosophy, they think itâs very removed from real life, that itâs the idea of questioning meaning,â he says. âBut in many ways, it comes down to this idea of really letting go of fear and creating your own reality. We create our own meanings through the decisions we make and through the courage we need to to survive in this irrational universe.â
Itâs something to keep in mind for todayâs political times, says Stephanie Prugh, who directed the staged reading last year. No matter where you stand, itâs best to unite and lobby for what you believe in.
âI think thereâs a beauty and a need for a story like this that shows us that we are not alone as we wrestle with our demons,â Pugh says. âWe all feel intense fear and intense love, but we can choose which of those to focus on. We can either fight for something or stand by and allow things we donât want to happenâitâs up to us.â
Performances are scheduled for the following dates and times:
- Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.
Tickets for UnspokenÌęstart at $16. To purchase tickets, visit the CU Presents box office in person at 972 Broadway, call 303-492-8008 during business hours or anytime. Note: All online and phone orders are subject to a service fee.
