Cavallero and Stephen J. Lavezza formed Modern Muse in 2004 and put on several first-rate and fully-staged productions, but in the last couple of years the company has changed focus. "We wanted to stop fighting the search for performance spaces as a gypsy company," says Cavallero, "and do more intimate pieces in intimate settings. I'm really interested in working with the actor, figuring out what theater is at the bare bones."
The group is now involved in a couple of outreach projects. In conjunction with Stories on Stage, it will be taking a bilingual production on a tour of elementary schools this spring. The second project is Face: Who Do You Have to Be to Fit In?, created by playwright and Regis professor Janna Goodwin. "It's in large part an experiment, a play taking place online," explains Cavallero.
The Face project includes flash scenes. "We had a group of actors do a ten-minute scene for high school students outside the Tattered Cover and Twist & Shout: These are scenes that will grab their attention, but are written, too," he says. "Each event has to do with a group of characters you can then follow online. We want to see if we can reach kids where they are living -- which is mainly online."
Tonight's benefit will start at 7:30 p.m. at the Boardinghouse Studios, 220 East Seventh Avenue; tickets are $20. For more information, call 303-780-7836 or go to Modern Muse website.
