The Adams State University Theatre production, “Roosters,” is the first LatinX play produced by the department since 2018. Directed by George McConnell, assistant professor of theatre; and written by Milcha Sanchez-Scott, the play opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, on the San Luis Valley Federal Bank Main Stage in the Theatre Building. “Roosters” continues at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24, 30, and Oct.1; with a matinee scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 2. Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 16.
The setting is a simple wood-frame house in “the middle of a desert agriculture valley somewhere in the US Southwest”. With this description from the playwright, we have set the play here in the SLV. The blurb on the published version of the script says “It tells the story of Hector, a young campesino, who is apprehensively awaiting the return of his father, Gallo, who has been serving a jail term for manslaughter. Gallo, who is obsessed with cock fighting, is a philandering, high-living macho type, who finds it difficult to communicate with, much less understand, his contemplative, questioning son.
The crux of the play is the battle for supremacy between the father, who wants to exploit the fighting cock that his son has been looking after for him, and Hector, who argues that they should sell the animal and use the proceeds for family needs.
Drawn into the dispute are Hector’s sister, Angela, an otherworldly creature who wears angel wings and blots out unpleasant reality by hiding under the front porch; his lusty, profane aunt, Chata, who is both fascinating and disturbing to her impressionable nephew; and his long-suffering mother, Juana, who wishes that her family would stop bickering and live in peace.
Mingling scenes of explosive drama with moments of fanciful imagery, the play deftly blends its two natures as it moves to its conclusion when, in a theatrically magical moment, illusion and reality achieve a remarkable synthesis.”
The theme is very much a confrontation between the cyclical nature of toxic masculinity and the possibility of redemption through the sacred feminine.
For more information or to reserve tickets call the Adams State Theatre Box Office at 719-587-8499. Tickets are free to Associated Students and Faculty, $10 general admission, and $9 for senior citizens and high school students. The Box Office hours are 2:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
