Salida Theater Festival
A Revival of Live Theater in Chaffee County
Curtains Up!
Sept 23 - Oct 6, 2024
7 Shows
4 Venues
4 Companies
BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!!
Curtains Up!
7 Shows
2024 Show Lineup
“Mountain Octopus”
By Beth Kander
Directed by Devon Jencks Kasper
Produced by Salida Theater Project
For ages 12 and older
Show Dates
- September 26, 27, 28 at 7PM
- September 29 at 3PM
- October 2, 3, 4 at 7PM
- October 2 performance – Pay what you can
Location
A Church
419 D St
Show Information
“Mountain Octopus” chronicles a few days in Chance – a town very similar to Salida itself and to the mythical Grover’s Corners of Wilder’s OUR TOWN. A town where people live a quiet life, enjoying each other’s company, looking forward to tomorrow with few expectations. A town that accepts the inevitable pains of life as well as the hoped-for joy. A town that takes everyone’s problems seriously, but with a grain of salt. This is a new play written by Beth Kander that was commissioned by Creede Repertory Theater and produced during their 2023 season. Ms. Kander catches the essence of small-town life and gives each player an appropriate answer to their “what do I do now” questions. Thornton Wilder would approve of this script and so will you.
"Salida Songbirds Present: There’s a Song for That"
Written and directed by Allen Lane
Produced by Salida Theater Project
For ages 14 and older
Show Dates
- September 23, 24, 30 at 7:30 PM
- October 1 at 7:30 PM
Location
Cafe Topo
211 F St
Show Information
The Salida Songbirds are three childhood friends who grew up, left home and followed a career on the stage. Every now and then they get together and have a good ole gabfest. As old friends are wont to do, they are not shy about calling each other out. In “There’s a Song for That” we follow the arc of their lives and loves through songs that capture each moment of surprise, or angst, or hope and how that changed them. And, of course, like all musicals, there’s a happy ending.
Our fabulous performers are Kirsten Arbogast, Jordan Gonzalez, and
Andrea Mossman. Musical direction by Joan Lobeck.
“The Wind is Us: The Death that Killed Capote”
By Mike Broemmel
Staged and performed by Eddie Schumacher
Produced by Act One
Productions and Salida Theater Project
For ages 16 and older
Show Dates
- September 30 at 7PM
- October 1 at 3PM
Location
A Church
419 D St
Show Information
“The Wind Is Us: The Death that Killed Capote” by Mike Broemmel chronicles the life of author Truman Capote from his days researching his iconic “non-fiction novel” In Cold Blood until his death in 1984. The play combines pathos and comedy to reveal how and why Capote’s life collapsed because of his most-acclaimed work, resulting in his premature tragic death. Veteran actor Eddie Schumacher plays Truman Capote. “The Wind Is Us” is presented at the Salida Theatre Festival by the Salida Theater Project and is produced by Act One Productions and Theatrix USA.
“Something Great! Finding Myself in the Belfast Circus”
Written and performed by Jennifer Dempsey
Directed by Dr. Moira Forsythe
Co-Directed by Greg West
Produced by TINTS
For ages 14 and older
Show Dates
- Part 1 – Sept 27, 28 at 7pm
- Part 2 – Oct 4, 5 at 7pm
You don’t have to have seen Part 1 to enjoy Part 2
Location
Box of Bubbles
206 E St
Show Information
In 1989, a twenty-one-year-old American college dropout moves to Belfast, hoping that the Troubles in Northern Ireland will take care of her own. They do, but not in the way she ever imagined. “Something Great” is a raw portrait of a young woman who loses her way but finds herself in the Belfast Circus.
Written and performed by Salida Circus director Jennifer Dempsey, this 75-minute dramedy is a coming-of-age story about searching for purpose and finding it in the most unlikely of places.
“Taking Tea with the Ripper”
By Mike Broemmel
Staged and performed by Greg West
Produced by Act One Productions and Theatrix USA
For ages 17 and older
Show Dates
- September 29 at 8pm
- October 2 at 4pm
Location
Scout Hut
210 E Sackett Ave
Show Information
“Taking Tea with the Ripper” by Mike Broemmel is considered the most disturbing play around — but in a most spectacular way. The play brings you face-to-face with the London Gentleman on the night of the infamous Jack the Ripper’s first murder. The play brings a theater-goer up close to unbridled insanity. The play stars Salida theater stalwart Greg West in the title role.
“Brighton Beach Memoirs”
By Neil Simon
Directed by Gloria Fant
Produced by Sventastik Productions
For ages 13 and older
Show Dates
- October 3, 4, 5 at 7PM
- October 6 at 3PM
Location
Salida SteamPlant
220 W Sackett Ave
Show Information
Here is part one of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn walk-up. Eugene Jerome, standing in for the author, is the narrator and central character. Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche, her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and you have a recipe for hilarity, served up Simon-style. This bittersweet memoir evocatively captures the life of a struggling Jewish household where, as his father states “if you didn’t have a problem, you wouldn’t be living here.”
Free Theater Workshops In partnership with the Creative Arts District
For actors and directors of all skill levels
Beginners welcome
For ages teen to adult
Festival Party
If you attended any performance during the theater festival – join the party! You are invited to rub elbows with the actors, producers and directors and take part in the Q&A with them. Get out your fancy duds for a Salida red carpet!
- Date: October 6 at 6:00 PM
- Location: The Velveteen, 115 G Street
- Buffet and cash bar
Salida Theater Festival Producers
The 2024 Salida Theater Festival is Sponsored by the HHSB Family Fund
Producers Jennifer Demspey, Kyria Stange, Leslie Matthews (Festival Director) and Devon Kasper
Community Theater That Excites Us
Collaborating with artists based locally and beyond to foster a safe artistic platform for growth, conversation, and innovation. Salida Theater Festival is bringing quality, sustainable, and inspirational theatre to our community that celebrates the humanity in us all.