That Stephen Sondheim, the most accomplished American composer and lyricist of our time, would agree to take part in the Colorado Festival of World Theatre speaks volumes about the Colorado Springs event’s rising profile.
In addition to Sondheim, this year’s edition will involve the participation of such celebrated figures as playwright Peter Shaffer, producer and director Gordon Davidson, actress Zoe Caldwell and singer and actress Patti Lupone.
The event, which begins Thursday and runs through Sept. 30, will include a Sondheim celebration, a South African touring production of “Truth in Translation” and the World Theatre Institute, a series of masterclasses and conversations.
“It’s fulfilling a niche which we desperately need in America today,” said Suzy Bassani, president and producing artistic director. “I think we’re becoming a little isolated, because of what happened after 9/11. And America – that’s not in their nature to be isolated.”
The festival allows people to come together from near and far and understand each other on a level that is not possible through the casual interactions which usually typifies travel.
She said many of the participants from other countries saw the United States through the lenses of Hollywood or New York and have been surprised by what they discovered in Colorado Springs.
“They never think about 98 percent of the rest of the country, which is the real America,” said Bassani. “Many have gone back and said, ‘This is amazing, because I never really knew what America was about.”‘
At the same time, she said, area residents have the opportunity to learn about the issues and challenges facing people in other countries through the visiting performers.
“We get to understand their world, because they’re here, they’re performing for us,” Bassani said. “They’re our guests and we get to know them.”
Bassani, the founder of the theater festival, has had a long career in theater and the arts, including 20 years of experience with festivals in Europe. More recently, she resided in Ohio, where she founded the Muse Machine, one of the most successful youth cultural arts organizations in the country.
After an inaugural gala in 2003, the world theater festival began in 2004 with a kind of trial run. Its first two full series of offerings in 2005 and 2006 included productions from Italy, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel and South Africa.
While larger cities such as Chicago, New York and Los Angeles have major theater festivals, Bassani believes what is happening in Colorado Springs is unparalleled for a city its size.
“I truly don’t know of anything like what we’re doing anywhere in the 98 percent of the rest of America,” she said.
Theater fest highlights
The Colorado Festival of World Theatre in Colorado Springs runs Thursday through Sept. 30. Here are some of the highlights:
“BEAUTIFUL GIRLS: A SONDHEIM TRIBUTE”| A Stephen Sondheim revue led by conductor Paul Gimignani|Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs; 8 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23|$30-$75 | 719-227-0086 or
“TRUTH IN TRANSLATION”|A touring South African theatrical production about interpreters at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission|Armstrong Hall, Colorado College, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs; 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sept. 23|$25-$45| 719-277-0086 or .
“AN EVENING WITH DANIEL BEATY: THE BROADWAY SONGS I LOVE”|A cabaret event at the Ute Pass Cultural Center, 210 E. Midland Ave., Woodland Park; 8 p.m. Sept. 28 and 29|$25 and $30|719-227-0086 or .
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, a phone number for the Colorado Festival of World Tehatre’s box office was incorrect. The correct number is 719-227-0086.
