“Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril” will debut Feb. 4 at Colorado ACTS (Actors Company and Theater School) Theater with performances running two consecutive weekends.
The play will be the latest of more than 200 shows the theater has put on in its 25-year history in Wheat Ridge.
Cindy Troup, founder and executive director, said the play is a take-off on Indiana Jones, with the greatest action hero of all time —Illinois Jane — traveling through Egypt on a quest to find the elixir of life.
The play features both teen actors from the children’s program and adults from the groups’s community theater program, resulting in a comedy that’s fun for the whole family.
Troup said Colorado ACTS started with the goal of providing theater classes for kids, but as students graduated from high school, becoming college students and young parents, they still wanted to be part of the fun.
“So, we opened up a community program as well,” she said. “It’s good fun because the kids are learning from the adults and the older ones are getting the energy and the fun.”
Aside from being her life’s work, the theater company is a family affair for Troup. Her youngest son is playing evil French villain Pierre LeMalodeur in “Illinois Jane” and has been onstage most of his life.
“He wasn’t born onstage — that would be creepy,” Troup said with a laugh. “But he’s literally been onstage since he was very little and he’s a hoot and a holler.”
Despite possible perceptions, children’s acting classes at Colorado ACTS, which is a Christian theater, are open to children from any background. Troup said the atmosphere is inclusive and was created to give all kids a safe place learn, grow and explore their creativity. It’s also become a popular option for home-school students to participate in theater.
To learn more about Colorado ACTS or buy tickets to “Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril,” visit coloradoacts.org.