Phamaly takes on 8 short plays

Directed by Betty Hart, the program is a celebration of humanity and a lot of writing and acting talent

An an interview decribing Phamaly Theatre Company’s new production, Vox Vergere, director Betty Hart, describes herself as a fan who is now getting the opportunity to become a part of Phamaly’s family. Her elation is palpable and infectious. In viewing the production, it’s easy to see it as not a labor of love, so much as a joyful exploration of love from all those involved.

Vox Vegere is a Latin phase meaning “return to one’s own voice.” It is a collection of eight short plays from a myriad of theatre artists across the nation. These plays explore the difficulties and delights of finding love as a person who finds themselves on the disability spectrum.

The collection begins simply enough with a hilarious monologue weighing the pros and cons of sending intimate photos to a new partner, written by the incomparable Ryan Haddard. The plays then delve into the surreal. Over a span of two hours, the audience is asked to explore identity within Shakespeare’s canon and through mid-2000s celebrities.

Colorado’s playwriting scene is well represented. There is an absolutely stunning examination of grief written by actress/poet/playwright Marcelina Ramirez, an Indigenous (Mescalero Apache-Pueblo)/Latine actress who is an indoctural artist in residence for Colorado College’s Mobile Arts Program. Kalyn Heffernan, of Wheelchair Space Camp fame, penned Convenient Store Love Story, an examination of the tribulations of finding love while in a wheelchair, skillfully articulated by the incomparable Apollo Blue.

While Hart laments that she was unable to cast all of the talented artists who auditioned, the ensemble cast she’s assembled is absolutely phenomenal. When Laurice Quinn, a Phamaly Theatre veteran, was asked to describe her experience performing the various roles in this collection, she said that it was a particularly delightful challenge to find herself in each role and “get (them) into her bones.”

Nicole Bailey, whose credits include the Denver Women’s Chorus and several esteemed productions in Chicago, excels in the surreal dystopia of Simone Brazzini’s Glory Be To… and in the nightmarish Fed by Sxr OM Dxtchxss-Davis.

Phamaly’s mission statement includes a clause about “celebrating our shared humanity” and Vox Vegere does just that. Not only does it showcase the versatility of Phamaly’s actors, it also expertly highlights the diverse experiences of their writers. The result is a uniquely unmissable theatrical experience.