The first show of 2021, “The Pavilion” by Craig Wright, will now open on February 26, 2021.
After a surge in Colorado's Coronavirus cases shut down many local businesses and forced the Aurora Fox to go virtual with their hotly anticipated holiday production of Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity" at the end of last year, Aurora Fox Executive Producer Helen R. Murray made the decision to reschedule the latter half of Season 36 season. Her team also created a contingency plan for virtual presentation, if necessary.
"The word for Season 36 is 'flexibility,'" says Murray. "We consider our work to be a vital public service we provide to the citizens of Aurora. We keep our community members entertained, engaged and connected through art, and we remain committed to doing so through whatever mediums we must employ to present our season in its entirety."
Murray and her team are hopeful that newly vaccinated populations and an anticipated drop in COVID infections will allow the company to present the last three shows of season 36, live and in person. If the Tri-County Health Department determines that doing so would be unsafe for artists and patrons, however, the Aurora Fox is prepared to go virtual.
The first show of 2021, "The Pavilion" by Craig Wright, will now open on February 26, 2021. In it, former high school sweethearts, Peter and Kari, reconnect at their high school reunion. After 20 years' worth of failed relationships, Peter attends the reunion hoping to rekindle his romance with Kari, whom he abandoned after an unplanned pregnancy. But as the night progresses and the pair strolls down Memory Lane, they both face the consequences of choices made long ago, and the daunting prospect of starting over, again. Murray will direct and Aurora Fox regulars, Andrew and Kelly Uhlenhopp, will play Peter and Kari. Local favorite, Maggie Tisdale, will tackle the multi-role track of the Narrator, playing everyone else in Peter's and Kari's story.
"At its core the show is about connection," says Murray. "It's about community and coming back home to gather together again. That's something I feel like everyone can relate to after nearly a year of social distancing and being separated from people we love."
The final two shows of the Aurora Fox's 36th mainstage season, "Queens Girl in the World" by Caleen Sinnette Jennings and "Wonderland: Alice's Rock and Roll Adventure" by Rachel Rockwell and Michael Mahler, are both Colorado premieres. In addition to the remaining mainstage shows, the Aurora Fox will also present a virtual Gala featuring an online auction and favorite performers and musical moment from their rich 36 year history, as well as a continuation of their video podcast, The Voices Project. The Voices Project features Colorado theatermakers tackling weighty issues around diversity, equity and inclusion in the American Theater, today, as well as challenges theaters are facing as they try to rebound from the blows they've received from the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
For more information on the Aurora Fox's rescheduled and socially distant 36th season, including the latest safety protocols and their complete reopening plan, please visit www.AuroraFox.org.
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