On April 12, 13 and 14, Boulderites have a chance to be entertained while supporting the county’s LGBTQ+ youth. A play coming to the Dairy theater from Mexico will provide proceeds to Out Boulder County, aiming to inspire vulnerability and compassion in the process.
“Out of the Blue” is a mostly one-man play, with brief appearances by a second actor, telling the life story of a Mexican-Jewish gay man. Written and performed by Eli Hans, the play covers his struggles of coming out, AIDS, a partner’s suicide and cancer. Hans wrote the play during the pandemic “to inspire others to thrive, in spite of great challenges in our lives,” his website says. Boulder will be the play’s second U.S. showing. It was previously performed at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2022.
The play is making its way from San Miguel, Mexico, where it premiered, to Boulder through the efforts of former city councilmember and mayoral candidate Bob Yates. Yates, who vacations in San Miguel, said he was moved by its message after seeing the play several times, and decided to bring it to a Boulder audience.
“Sometimes you see or experience something that is so powerful and moving that you want to share it with others,” Yates said.
Yates described the play as a portrayal of vulnerability, with Hans sharing the most trying moments of his life with audiences, ornamented by song and dance. This vulnerability is just one aspect of the play Yates found inspiring, though it’s one he believed Boulder would especially benefit from seeing.
“It’s a story of hope, but it’s also a story of vulnerability,” Yates, whose adult son is gay, said. “What I’m hoping a Boulder audience picks up on is we’re all humans, we’re all suffering, we’re all dealing with challenges.”
Vulnerability from the audience is encouraged at the play’s end, with Hans doing a talk-back where he invites audience members to share their stories. In the handful of times he’s seen the play, Yates said each talk-back was “super powerful,” as attendees told stories of their own about lost partners, struggles with disease and memories of the 1980s AIDS crisis.
All proceeds from the play will benefit Out Boulder County, a local resource for local LGBTQ+ community members. Out Boulder County had the opportunity to watch a video of the play last year on Oct. 11, which is National Coming Out Day. For the upcoming show on Sunday, April 14, local donors bought a substantial portion of the seats so members of Out Boulder youth program could attend free of charge.
“It’s important for generations to understand other generations, and to understand how alike we are,” said Mardi Moore, executive director of Out Boulder County.
Moore said that while many kids in Out Boulder County’s youth program have only known a world where gay marriage is legal, “hearts and minds haven’t changed fully yet.”
About 30 members of Out Boulder’s youth group are going to Sunday’s showing, some with their parents.
“When we talk about how to support our youth, it’s by clear communication and supportive parents,” Moore told Boulder Reporting Lab. “To be able to see a play like this and then be able to talk about it with your parents, that makes a stronger family.”
And given the current political landscape, Moore said, plays like this offer the opportunity to remember what binds us all together.
“It’s good to be reminded to hold humanity close,” Moore said.
A trailer for the play is available. Tickets start at $30, though a VIP option for $100 on April 13 offers the chance to spend time with the actors after the show and drinks before.
