Plus a conversation with playwright Paul Stroili, a remarkable pickle incident at Vintage Theatre, Top 10 Colorado Headliners and more.
In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca take a look at how Facebook continues to be a key messaging platform for the Colorado theatre community — even as many individuals have left the algorithm-best platform behind.
Paul Stroili
Toni also recounts a remarkable incident at a recent show, where a young woman polished off an entire container of pickles during the first act of 9 to 5 at Vintage Theatre.
Later in the episode, Alex catches up with Paul Stroili, whose play My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War is now up at Miners Alley in a regional premiere. Stroili’s 2024 comedy A Jukebox for the Algonquin was also produced at MAP.
Finally, the hosts review the weeks Top 10 Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows around the state that might be worth a look. This week’s list:
- Moms Unhinged, Schoolhouse Theatre, Parker, Feb. 26
- Suitcase Fairytales, Millibo Art Theatre, Colorado Springs, March 7-8
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Colorado Ballet, Denver Center Ellie Caulkins Opera House, March 6-15
- I Remember Mama, First Company Theatre, Colorado Springs First United Methodist Church, Feb. 27-March 8
- The Revolutionists, Coal Creek Theatre of Louisville, Feb. 27-March 14
- The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Feb. 26-March 7
- The Runner Stumbles, The People’s Building, Aurora, Feb. 26-March 8
- The Music Man, DCPA, Feb. 27-March 1
- Women Playing Hamlet, Impossible Players, Pueblo, Feb. 27-March 14
- Bella Bella, Vintage Theatre, Aurora, March 3-18
OnStage Colorado Podcast — Chapter Summary
Episode Date: February 24, 2026
Chapter 1: Introduction & recent reviews (00:00 – 06:22)
Alex and Toni preview the episode, which includes theater reviews, news, upcoming shows and an interview with playwright Paul Stroili. They discuss their recent trip to see The Importance of Being Earnest at Bas Bleu in Fort Collins, noting a mixed bag of performances with pacing issues in the second act despite a packed house. Toni reviews My Mother and the Michigan-Ohio War at Miners Alley, praising Cindy Ladadio Hill’s fourth-wall-breaking performance and the believable sibling rivalry between Orin Carrington and Kate Poling in this sports-infused comedy directed by Len Mathieu.
Chapter 2: The pickle incident & ‘Nine to Five’ at Vintage (06:22 – 09:26)
Toni recounts an unforgettable audience experience at Vintage Theatre, where a woman seated next to him ate pickles from a plastic container throughout the entire first act, then spent the second act scrolling Instagram on her phone. Despite the olfactory distraction, Toni found Nine to Five to be a largely fun production with strong Dolly Parton songs and a mostly game cast, though there were some microphone issues on opening night.
Chapter 3: Colorado theater news (09:26 – 15:48)
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival announced open auditions for two small dogs (under 20 pounds) to share the role of the dog in their 2026 production of Shakespeare in Love, with submissions due March 23 and group auditions March 28. Alex discusses his interview with Miners Alley’s Len Mathieu about the Comfort and Comedy Festival running through March 8 in Golden, designed to activate the town during its quieter winter months. The Colorado Theater Guild announced its fourth annual unified auditions May 3-4 at the Aurora Fox, with actor submissions due March 13.
Chapter 4: Main topic — Colorado theater’s love affair with Facebook (15:48 – 32:24)
Alex and Toni explore why the Colorado theater community remains one of the last active bastions of Facebook, even as younger users have largely abandoned the platform. They discuss the positives (information sharing, company promotion, community connection) and negatives (bad-faith interpretations, civility issues, controversies around Vintage Theatre and the Shrek/Parker pride flag situation). The hosts note that younger emerging artists from CU, DU and MSU have no interest in Facebook, creating an information gap. They discuss alternatives including Instagram, Reddit, Discord, group chats and newsletters, highlighting Wonderbound as a company thriving without any social media presence through strong newsletter and in-person engagement.
Chapter 5: Interview with playwright Paul Stroili (36:46 – 58:55)
Alex catches up with Paul Stroili, whose My Mother and the Michigan-Ohio War is making its regional premiere at Miners Alley (Feb. 20 – March 29) after its world premiere at Michigan’s Purple Rose Theater. Stroili discusses how the play uses the absurd 1720 border dispute between Michigan and Ohio (which produced only one injury — a bar stabbing) as backdrop for a family comedy about aging parents and sibling rivalry. He also discusses his writing process (most first-draft writing happens between 5 and 8 a.m.), the representation of diverse voices in his work through sensitivity reads, his upcoming acting role in Misery at Farmers Alley Theater in Kalamazoo (March 5-15) and teases his next play, There’s No Bad Ravioli, about a Chicago chef facing retirement.
Chapter 6: Colorado headliners — top 10 upcoming shows (59:00 – 1:09:42)
Recommended upcoming productions include: Moms Unhinged comedy show at Schoolhouse Theater in Parker (Feb. 26); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction (Feb. 26 – March 7); Suitcase Fairy Tales at Millibo Art Theatre in Colorado Springs (March 7-8); The Runner Stumbles at the People’s Building in Aurora; A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Colorado Ballet at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House (March 6-15); The Music Man touring production at Denver Center (Feb. 27 – March 1); I Remember Mama at First Company Theater in Colorado Springs (Feb. 27 – March 8); Women Playing Hamlet by the Impossible Players in Pueblo; The Revolutionists at Coal Creek Theater in Louisville (Feb. 27 – March 14); and Bella Bella at Vintage Theatre’s cabaret stage.
Chapter 7: Closing & next episode preview (1:09:42 – 1:11:55)
Upcoming reviews include Toni on Decadent Desires from Wonderbound, Judith’s review of I Remember Mama and The Runner Stumbles, and Alex’s review of The Importance of Being Earnest. Next week’s episode will focus on immersive theatre, featuring an interview with Wren Manley from Audacious Immersive about their new permanent space, plus updates on Denver Immersive Repertory Theater’s grand opening and Cryptic, a new collaboration between Odd Knock Productions and Fictive opening in RiNo.
News about live shows in Colorado, press releases 'n' such
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