SquidShow Theatre: Calamari That Rocks the Boards
Presented by the Telluride Tourism Board and Telluride Inside…and Out
Two of the most interesting and talented women in Telluride have similar stories. Their local history is equally dramatic – and I mean that literally – and both have happy endings.
We begin with a digression, a related story for the Telluride Visitor’s Guide about the Sheridan Arts Foundation and Sheridan Opera House, which includes director Jen Julia.
Jen came to town in 1999 to teach young people theatre skills, instead of a welcome mat, she was greeted with the Missouri thing: “Show me,” Telluride said. And Jen did. Big time. Today her Sheridan Arts Foundation Young People’s Theater accommodates about 250 young people ages 3 – 18 per year. And this magical young woman now serves on the board of Telluride’s favorite theatre company, SquidShow Theatre.
Like Jen, SquidShow founder Sasha Cucciniello came to town with a dream: her vision was to create an innovative theatre company comprised of performers, musicians, writers and visual artists who live and work in the Telluride region. As the years flew by – swam by? – the Squids grew to include associate artists and collaborators, who come to town to enhance SquidShow’s always popular productions.
Oh, and for a sneak peek at what the Squids have in mind for their upcoming season, click the “play” button and listen to Sasha’s interview.
Why the name SquidShow? Sasha is obsessed with all things Jules Verne. I mean the lady has an abnormal preoccupation with cephalopods. Together with her long-time friend and collaborator, director Jen Wineman, Sasha developed a tribute show entitled “Squids! Live!”, (summer 2009),. The production hit on everything from the life cycle of a squid, including its love life, to the likes and dislikes of octopi. You had to be there.
In general, the Squids dedicate themselves to creating original, exciting theatre at the razor’s edge, productions that integrate music, dance, art and comedy and are FREE to audience members, who are asked to donate if they try it and like it. Collaboration is at the core of the company’s process in developing plays that are mostly high comedy, but which tell also deep stories and focus on truth. (justice and the American way. Oops, no, that’s Superman.) The Squids’ core belief is that great theatre lives in those precious moments when truthful human connections happen. The company’s most recent play, “Con” was a masterpiece about mastermind grifters – including Sasha’s father. By any measure – acting, production values – this tragic-comedy one will be hard to top. But my money is on the Squids, who keep reaching higher and higher. (Can’t you just picture those tentacles stretching up and out. It’s a scene out of a horror movie or “Twenty Thousands Leagues Under the Sea.”)
In just five short years, SquidShow has taken Telluride by storm, winning friends and influencing people with its clever antics on and off the stage. If you happen to be in town around Valentine’s Day, you might want to send 
your beloved a Cupidgram. If you do, expect a grown man in a red diaper playing Cupid. Notable Squid collaborations include the Ah Haa School for the Arts (see related story), Mountainfilm in Telluride, the Telluride AIDS Benefit, (whose fashion show is a highlight of the winter season), the Telluride Historical Museum, the Telluride Playwrights Festival and the five-star Wilkinson Public Library (another related story in the Visitor’s Guide).
In addition to performing, under the guidance of managing director Colin Sullivan, the Squids began teaching theatre skills, collaborating with the Ah Haa School for the Arts, where Sasha taught burlesque. (Get your tickets now for the show at the Opera House in March featuring this year’s crop of students practicing skills to deliver the Full Monty.) The Squids have also worked with Jen Julia and her young thespians, the Telluride Academy, and the Telluride Dance Academy. In 2011, Colin and the Squids started an internship program for college students.
Personally, I have never met a calamari (Italian for “squid”) I did not like. But on a plate. On the boards? You have to see a SquidShow performance to appreciate just how good they are. Meanwhile, please pass the aioli.
