There are weeks at the theater when the building seems to hold more than one story at a time. This is one of those weeks at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts.
In the rehearsal room, young performers are entering their second week of work on Disney’s “The Jungle Book KIDS.” On the mainstage, Thingamajig Theatre Company’s professional summer repertory season continues with “Company” and “Come From Away.” It is a week that brings together two central parts of Thingamajig’s mission: training young artists and producing professional theater for Pagosa audiences.
Thingamajig’s Kids Camp is now in rehearsal for “The Jungle Book KIDS,” a musical adaptation of the classic story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves who must learn where he belongs. The production features familiar characters including Baloo, Bagheera, King Louie, Shere Khan and a jungle full of young performers.
The show opens Friday, July 10, and runs daily through July 12. The production features two casts, Cast A and Cast B, and performance times vary. Audiences are encouraged to check the schedule closely when purchasing tickets.
“Working on ‘The Jungle Book KIDS’ has been a joy,” said Laura Moore, camp director and executive director of Thingamajig Theatre Company. “These young artists are learning how to rehearse with focus, how to collaborate and how to take responsibility for their part of the story. When aspiring performers are guided by professionals, they begin to understand that theater is not just about being onstage. It is about discipline, generosity, timing, courage and trust.”
Thingamajig’s summer repertory season includes “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Company” and “Come From Away,” with the three productions rotating throughout the summer. This week’s mainstage schedule continues Thursday, July 9, with Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s “Company,” followed by “Come From Away” on Friday and Saturday, July 10 and 11, at 7 p.m. “Fiddler on the Roof” returns to the schedule next week.
“Company” is a musical about love, marriage, friendship, loneliness and the quiet pressure to have life figured out. Centered on Bobby, a single man surrounded by married friends, the show is witty, elegant, uneasy and emotionally precise. Sondheim’s score remains one of the most sophisticated in musical theater, moving from sharp comedy to emotional honesty without warning.
“Come From Away” tells the true story of the days after Sept. 11, 2001, when 38 planes were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, and thousands of stranded passengers were welcomed by local residents. The musical moves quickly and warmly, showing how ordinary people responded to an extraordinary moment with kindness, humor and practical generosity.
Audience response to Thingamajig’s summer season has been overwhelmingly positive across all three repertory productions. Patrons have praised the polish, energy and emotional reach of the season, with some calling “Fiddler on the Roof” one of the best productions Thingamajig has ever produced.
For one week, the same building will hold young actors learning how to tell a story and seasoned professionals carrying some of the most beloved and challenging works in modern musical theater. That kind of overlap matters. It lets students see what the work can become, and it lets audiences see a theater company investing in both the present and the future.
Tickets and full performance schedules are available at pagosacenter.org and through the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts box office at (970) 731-SHOW (7469).
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