The Colors of Paradise
I just wrapped up a truly gorgeous summer at Saint Croix Festival Theatre, where I had the honor of playing Percy Talbott in The Spitfire Grill. The show follows the story of a young parolee who departs prison for the small town of Gilead, Wisconsin in the hopes of beginning a new life. Listen to the powerful bluegrass-inspired soundtrack here.
The Spitfire Grill was a deeply profound artistic and spiritual experience for me - it strengthened my belief in myself as an artist and connected me to my voice, it gave me the opportunity to tell a story I felt deeply and inseparably connected to. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to tell this story with a cast full of openness, humor, and heart.
The foundations of this story cannot be separated from the pressing need to examine our carceral system and the ways in which it fails survivors, over and over and over again. I quietly dedicated this performance to every survivor of sexual abuse, a hopeful prayer that the survivors in the audience would feel seen in this story of suffering and redemption, that its melodies would mean something to them like they did to me. I will always be grateful for the people who approached me after the show, or in town, and trusted me enough to share hints of their stories with me. Quiet community-building, the ripple effect of good theatre in small places. This process nurtured and healed me, and I am better for it. 🧡
Production photos by Dan Norman:
