
This summer, Butterfly Effect Theatre of Colorado (BETC) premieres a new touring theatre truck program. BETC is reaching new and diverse audiences by working hand-in-hand with organizations throughout Colorado to bring free outdoor theatre right into the heart of their communities.
“The pandemic shutdown afforded BETC the opportunity to consider who we have been and who we want to be moving forward. What better way to emerge than by sharing this profound piece with audiences up and down the front range.”
This first year kicks off with the regional premiere, a witty historical fiction centered on the life of President John Quincy Adams and his journey as an advocate for the abolition movement. Award-winning playwright Aaron Posner (“Stupid F**king Bird,” “Cyrano”) imagines conversations between Adams and extraordinary Americans like George Washington, Frederick Douglass, and Abigail Adams.
The New York Times says, “In Aaron Posner’s play, there is more than one John Quincy Adams, but only one way to ensure that American democracy endures.”
“One of the most remarkable things about JQA,” says Director Candace Joice, “is that he recognizes the urgent need to keep endeavoring for that ideal, to seize the time he has right now to do good and to do more.”
From BETC’s new traveling outdoor stage, four Colorado actors chart JQA’s 70-year journey from mischievous child to reluctant diplomat to abolition advocate. Provocative, haunting, and hilarious, this play challenges how we think about our country, our government, and ourselves.
“I’d encourage you to let the historical aspects of our story take a backseat to someone even more interesting,” says Joice, “the JQA of today. JQA is the four actors onstage embodying his story. JQA is the person seated next to you. JQA is you.”
“This is the perfect time to be having a conversation about the future of our country and our collective responsibility to create the society we want to live in,” Weitz finishes. “We want to bring communities together to do that work, just as we always have.”