Fourteen students from Nucla Middle/High School traveled to Colorado Mesa University last week for a field trip with theater teacher Brock Benson. Benson, a CMU alumnus with a degree in theater, has resurrected the arts class in the West End. With four kids from the junior high and 10 from the high school, he’s making sure his group gets some academic enrichment.
Last fall, the kids attended a performing arts festival with acting workshops at CMU.
Last week, the students saw the “Floyd Collins" musical there, a show about a man exploring caves approximately 100 years ago. With much dialogue about mining and hard times, Benson said his kids related to the performance and responded well.
CMU gifted the tickets to Nucla students to support them in their theater study. Representatives of the theater department also welcomed Benson’s group to sift through costumes to borrow for the their upcoming play next month.
The two theater classes, junior high and high school kids, will combine to perform “Much Ado Out West.” A spinoff of Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing,” there are themes about sexism, male and female roles, and love. In the storyline, the guys come from from the war to resume ranching, but their duties have been taken by the ladies, who “kick butt” at ranch work.
With classes happening at school every day, students are learning their lines, building sets out of cardboard and prepping with the music and lighting. They already attended a square dancing lesson at Art at the Apothecary as part of getting into their characters.
“It’s an elective class,” Benson said. “They chose it, and they connect well with it. They respond to me, and we have a lot of fun.”
Benson is happy that there is a space for the kids who gravitate toward the arts. He said it’s good for them to have a community. He knows they’ll have a sense of accomplishment when they get to perform starting April 20 in Nucla.
He hopes the community will come support them. He spent time carefully choosing a play that he felt would be inclusive but also relevant to the community. He wanted something adults would enjoy coming to see — a play that was entertaining. He said it’s one that gives the kids a sense of pride in their own culture.
“It’s a good fit for our community,” he said.
Students have also worked so long that Benson is expecting the show to be pretty polished. Likely the show will run two nights, and admission will be $3 at the door.
Kira Rowan is the assistant director, and Megan Caruso is helping with the lights. Benson is grateful for Paul Koski’s support in allowing the kids to use his woodshed for constructing sets and props. He’s also very appreciative of his contacts at CMU in the theater department who support the arts in the West End.
“Our program wouldn’t be half of what it is without them,” he said.
Additionally, in Benson’s greater network, other theater connections he’s made over the years have recently donated money for field trip lunches and transportation for the kids. He said the support has been overwhelming.
“Many people have given to make sure the kids have these experiences,” he said. “I’m lucky that when I ask for help, I get way more than I need, and I just make sure the kids keep benefitting.”
