Civilians Musical This Beautiful City to Return to Colorado

By Ernio Hernandez
18 Nov 2009

The Civilians' evangelical-based musical, This Beautiful City, will return to its roots with a run in Colorado Springs.



The company will play Colorado College's South Theater for three performances only Dec. 4-6. Performances are free and will be followed by post-show talkbacks with performers.

"Our interaction with the community of Colorado Springs was a profound and life changing experience for all of us in the company," explained artistic director and co-writer Steven Cosson in a statement. "This connection to the Springs has stayed with us in spirit as we've produced the show around the country and we are delighted to come back in person to share our work with the people who inspired it."

Using its signature documentary style (seen in Off-Broadway's Gone Missing), New York theatre company The Civilians "explores the growth of the evangelical Christian movement," according to This Beautiful City press notes. The play with music was "drawn principally from interviews The Civilians conducted with people involved with or affected by the mega-church movement in Colorado Springs." Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis are credited as writers with Michael Friedman taking on music and lyrics.

The cast for the Colorado return includes Emily Ackerman, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Matt Dellapina, Brad Heberlee, Robbie Collier Sublett and Alison Weller.

Developmental runs at Colorado College and Sundance Theatre Lab led This Beautiful City to a world premiere co-production at Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays and Washington, D.C.'s Studio Theatre Center. The work then played at Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in L.A. before a run Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre.

For more information visit thecivilians.org.