Curiouser and Curiouser

The Denver Project captures the rhythms of the street.

A A A Comments By Patricia Calhoun Thursday, May 8 2008

Curious Theatre Company is aptly named: It keeps exploring new ways to tell stories. And the production that opens tonight in previews could be the most curious yet: Bronx playwrights Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz, who contributed a short play to Curious's "The War Anthology" two seasons back, were commissioned to create The Denver Project, a look at this city's homeless community, and the result is directed by Denver actress/director Dee Covington. "What I'm doing is taking the 50 percent of the play that's written in poems, and then imagining the other 50 percent," Covington explains. "So much of the play is figuring out what the rhythm of the street is and how it matches the poem."

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But first they had to figure out the rhythm of Denver's streets, and to do that, last July the creative crew started spending time with both Denver's homeless and the agencies that work with them — including Denver's Road Home and the St. Francis Center — and workshopping the script. "It's really challenging for our actors, who haven't been asked to work this way before," Covington says. "No one else is creating ensemble theater in this same way." After tonight and tomorrow night's previews, Curious will host a special benefit opening night on Saturday, with additional productions into June. Curious is at 1080 Acoma Street; for showtimes and tickets, go to www.curioustheatre.org or call 303-623-0524.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Wed., June 18, 8 p.m. Starts: May 8. Continues through June 21, 2008

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