Shows include ‘Potus …’, ‘Downstate,’ ‘Confederates,’ ‘A Case for the Existence of God’ and one yet-to-be-named show

(press release)

Monday, March 4, 2023. Denver, CO – Curious Theatre Company announced the lineup for Season 27, continuing Curious’ ongoing commitment to bold and audacious storytelling and to exploring critical social issues and complex human dramas. “This season is electrifying,” said Artistic Director Jada Suzanne Dixon. “We are breaking new ground with each of these regional premieres. They are moving, stirring, rousing, unexpected, and provocative. We can’t wait to share them with the community!”

The season begins with a hilarious and raunchy, Potus, Or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, by Selina Fillinger. This chaotically funny play is one of the top ten most produced plays in America, and Curious brings it to town for a needed break before the 2024 election to laugh our stars and stripes off and cheer on the mighty women who keep our country running! This all-female cast will feature some of the funniest, fiercest actors in Denver.

The second play in the season has been called “a masterwork,” “scathing,” and “audacious,” all words Curious courageously embraces. Downstate by Bruce Norris, winner of a Drama Critics Circle, Outers Critics Circle, and Obie award, shares the story of four men convicted of sex crimes who share a group home post-incarceration. When a man shows up to confront his childhood abuser, it becomes hard to locate the line between justice and retribution. Directed by Curious Company Member and Artistic Producer, Christy Montour-Larson, the show is by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of another Curious favorite, Clybourne Park.

The brilliant writer Dominique Morrisseau, who wrote Detroit ‘67, Skeleton Crew, and A’int too Proud to Beg, comes back to the Curious stage with her latest work Confederates. Morrisseau is a master at weaving together personal, historical, and social narratives, and this show is considered her most ambitious yet. This visionary play explores institutional racism through the dual lenses of Sara, an enslaved rebel turned Union spy, and Sandra, a tenured professor in a modern-day private university. The regional premiere that leaps through time to trace the stories of these two Black American women has been called “luminous,” “engrossing,” and “surprisingly funny.

From the writer of The Whale, Samuel D. Hunter, Curious will bring the regional premiere of the Broadway Play, A Case for the Existence of God to Denver. Well-known local director Warren Sherrill will steer this extraordinary piece that features a seldom-seen look into the lives of two single fathers and their connection over, “a specific kind of sadness.”

Curious can not yet reveal the fifth play of the season, but promises it will be something surprising and different, aligned to the Curious ethos of “No Guts, No Story” and something you won’t want to miss. Stay tuned for an announcement later this Spring.

Specific show dates will be announced soon. Subscriptions for the 24-25 season will go on sale to the public on May 1; single tickets will go on sale in July. For more information, see www.curioustheatre.org or call 303-623-0524.

Curious announces the Fund the Future Community Fundraising Campaign for Recovery, Reinvention, and Resiliency.

It’s no secret that producing theatre in the post-COVID era is more difficult than ever. Curious Theatre Company is not immune to the pressures facing theatres across the country. Curious is facing an unprecedented deficit of $250,000 at the end of this fiscal year due to impacts from COVID-19, critical maintenance needs on our historic building, rising costs, and drops in subscriptions, ticket sales, and donations.

“Locally and nationally, many theatre companies are cutting programming and staff or are closing their doors. We want to ensure Curious’ future,” said Artistic Director Jada Suzanne Dixon. “As a mission-driven organization focused on plays that are vital and socially relevant, Curious is essential to the Denver theatre ecosystem. We believe in this organization and all its possibilities for the future. In a world of isolation, division, and disconnection, Curious Theatre is more crucial than ever.”

Curious has embarked on a 3-phase effort of building towards the future. Recovery. Reinvention. Resiliency.

Recovery – Curious must find its footing in a post-pandemic arts and culture environment and weather the current economic condition.

Reinvention – Curious is going to make big changes and hard choices to align expenses and revenue for the future while never compromising artistic quality or stepping away from the mission of bold, socially relevant new plays.

Resiliency – Curious is committed to creating a sustainable economic and artistic model for the future.

“Curious has an unparalleled legacy that we can only continue with your help,” said Dixon. “We need you! We ask you to support Curious to help us close the funding gap.”

Curious asks the community to consider donating to the Fund the Future Campaign. They need $250,000 in contributions by July 2024 to ensure the future of Curious. The website is www.coloradogives.org/donate/CuriousTheatreCompany.