{"id":74926,"date":"2020-02-20T17:22:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T00:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/tim-robbins-the-actors-gang-to-stage-the-new-colossus-at-concert-hall\/"},"modified":"2020-02-21T00:22:44","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T00:22:44","slug":"tim-robbins-the-actors-gang-to-stage-the-new-colossus-at-concert-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/tim-robbins-the-actors-gang-to-stage-the-new-colossus-at-concert-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Robbins, The Actor\u2019s Gang to stage \u2018The New Colossus\u2019 at Concert Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e8e506b7-bf01-44df-801f-0d8a33924ed2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1338\" alt=\"Members of the Actors\u2019 Gang will perform \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d in the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College next week.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Members of the Actors\u2019 Gang will perform \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d in the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College next week.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Ashley Randall<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>We all have a story about our ancestors, and when Oscar-winning actor and director Tim Robbins comes to town next week with The Actors\u2019 Gang to stage \u201cThe New Colossus,\u201d he wants to hear yours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe New Colossus,\u201d being brought to Durango by New Face Productions, tells the true story of 12 people here today because the strength, tenacity and will of their ancestors, who in a lot of cases, fled their homelands to escape religious or political oppression. The play celebrates the courage and character of the refugees who came to the U.S. during the past 300 years. The ensemble cast reflects the diversity that has defined who the U.S. is as a nation. Set between the 19th century and present day, the play chronicles forced migration and the constant struggle for survival and dignity in an uncertain and hostile environment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZqbHM6t69F8\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe started developing it about four years ago during the Syrian crisis. I had a number of actors in my company for whom English was a second language \u2013 some that had immigrated when they were children, some who were immigrants themselves \u2013 and I wanted to develop a piece with them where they were able to speak in their own languages,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cWe were talking about the refugee crisis, and we started asking the question, \u2018What is a refugee? And what are those stories of those people that we see in those refugee camps?\u2019 I asked these 12 actors to research their own ancestors, their own stories of fleeing from oppression to freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robbins said the first time the troupe performed the show, it was in many different languages. The second time, the stories were translated into English, which is how it is performed now, although pieces of dialogue in other languages will be heard.<\/p>\n<p>The Actors\u2019 Gang was formed in 1981 and has toured around the country and five continents. The company is based out of Los Angeles and does three or four productions a year in LA. It has outreach programs in prisons and in public schools.<\/p>\n<p>And as the company tours the U.S. with \u201cThe New Colossus,\u201d Robbins and the actors are finding the show is bringing people together, and giving audience members the chance to think about where they came from.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a story about something that, as we travel through the country, from North Carolina to New York to Michigan to Seattle, we\u2019re finding such an amazing commonality in the experiences of these 12 people,\u201d he said. \u201cI come out at the end and I talk to the audience and ask where people are from, where their ancestors are from, and we find some amazing stories. We\u2019ve heard some amazing stories from people honoring their ancestors\u2019 struggle and their ability to overcome obstacles, many stories of people\u2019s ancestors that landed here with absolutely nothing and created amazing lives for generations of people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=3de8f2ce-4f92-4632-bec7-efa162634c70&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"Actor and director Tim Robbins will be in Durango with The Actors\u2019 Gang next week to stage their production of \u201cThe New Colossus.\u201d\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Actor and director Tim Robbins will be in Durango with The Actors\u2019 Gang next week to stage their production of \u201cThe New Colossus.\u201d<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Along with the two shows Tuesday and Wednesday nights, there will also be a free special \u201cLunchBreak\u201d with members of the company that will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College for all community members. The LunchBreak is being held in partnership with Compa\u00f1eros and the FLC\u2019s El Centro de Muchos Colores, including local moderators and panelists. \u201cBrown bag\u201d lunches are invited.<\/p>\n<p>And for the company, \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d is striking a chord with audiences, Robbins said, adding that people have come up to him after the show and told him they could see their story, their history, in the play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I love about theater is it\u2019s a real opportunity for a temporary community. On any given night, there\u2019s a specific makeup of an audience and that will never be that way again,\u201d he said. \u201cThe way we train at The Actors\u2019 Gang is we train to acknowledge the energy and chemistry of an audience, and each night is different when we do this show. But each night has another level of understanding, another level of connection. And so each show teaches us more about the story we\u2019re telling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The play also tells the stories of people who helped immigrants, including stories of people who harbored slaves escaping from the South in the Underground Railroad. Another story of migration the company tells is of a freed slave who had to get out of the South because of the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and was part of the Great Migration north.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever this collective DNA that we have that first of all said \u2018No\u2019 and then somehow survived and created the future, is something that we should celebrate,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cIt\u2019s a hero\u2019s journey, if you think about it. There\u2019s not a whole hell of a lot of a difference between the courage and tenacity and will of the person who was escaping for religious freedom in the 17th century and the people that are headed to our borders now risking their lives, sometimes walking 500 miles for the chance \u2013 for the chance \u2013 to create a better life for their children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the questions \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d asks is, \u201cWho are we as a nation?\u201d And, even in these complicated times, Robbins said he is able to see hope.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad I\u2019m doing this right now. I\u2019m glad I\u2019m out on the road in all kinds of different areas of the country because I am discovering that we are a very compassionate people that understands that our stories are connected. And, I\u2019m quite frankly appalled by the direction that certain members of our government are taking us. My hope is that reason and empathy and compassion will win the day, that people can find a great strength in that,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2018The New Colossus\u2019 is a reminder that these are our neighbors, these are our friends, these are people that have made this country great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em class=\"mwc_shirttail\"><a href=\"mailto:katie@durangoherald.com\">katie@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-scoreboard\">\n<h4 class=\"scoreboard-title\">If you go<\/h4>\n<p><strong class=\"mwc_breakout_text_bold_leadin\">What:<\/strong><br>\n                \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d by The Actors\u2019 Gang, directed by Tim Robbins.<br>\n                <strong class=\"mwc_breakout_text_bold_leadin\">When:<\/strong><br>\n                7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; a special \u201clunch break\u201d with members of the company will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the hall.<br>\n                <strong class=\"mwc_breakout_text_bold_leadin\">Where:<\/strong><br>\n                Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.<br>\n                <strong class=\"mwc_breakout_text_bold_leadin\">Tickets:<\/strong><br>\n                $24 to $54, available online at<br>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.durangoconcerts.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.durangoconcerts.com<\/a><br>\n                , by phone at 247-7657 or in person at the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at 802 Main Ave.<br>\n                <strong class=\"mwc_breakout_text_bold_leadin\">More information:<\/strong><br>\n                Visit<br>\n                <a href=\"\">www.durangoconcerts.com<\/a><br>\n                .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>celebrates courage, character of refugees who\u2019ve come to the U.S.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1794,28,910],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-74926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-fort-lewis-college-community-concert-hall","tag-headlines","tag-theatre"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74926"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=74926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}