Queer Sci-Fi Drama SPECTRA: SN-185 Premieres at JUMP Boise
Performances run August 14-16 at JUMP Boise's Local Artist Showcase in the Inspire Studio (4th Floor).
By: Stephi Wild Aug. 12, 2025
SPECTRA: SN-185, written and performed by David J. Cowan, will premeire August 14-16 at JUMP Boise's Local Artist Showcase in the Inspire Studio (4th Floor).
Produced in partnership with Rubicon Studios and SciArt Exchange this queer love story unfolds against the backdrop of interstellar space, merging astrophysics, personal confession, and the intimacy of human storytelling into one theatrical cosmic adventure. Beyond the show audiences can connect to educational materials and a community engagement program provided by SciArt Exchange. Imagine and create your own design for a sustainable space habitat by entering the Design Your Habitat 2.0 national art competition through SciArt Exchange.
The story is set in the year 2100, Earth is in collapse and the last of humanity flees earth aboard the GAIA spacecraft. Brought aboard as "plus-one" Davis, an artist turned astronaut struggles to find his purpose as the crew races toward a distant, habitable planet. When a mysterious blue entity appears, causing Davis to investigate he is detached from the ship. Battling dwindling oxygen and a sassy AI the BLUE being threatens to end it all if Davis and humanity cannot confront the truths they've hidden from themselves and each other.
The production features Janet Lo as Commander Ye and Chance Fuerstinger as Kolby Wills, lead astrobotanist and Davis's loving husband. The show asks: What does art mean in a world defined by survival? What makes us matter, and what legacy will we leave behind?
"SPECTRA is a personal public confession of my HIV+ status as a gay man," Cowan said. "It represents a reclaiming of the narrative - from the years I felt like a virus, to the belief that queerness meant isolation - and healing those lies through storytelling and performance."
Tickets are free to the public as an Artist in Residence at JUMP. First come first serve. RSVP HERE
Boise Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
RENT (Lake City Playhouse)
31.3% of votes
2.
URINETOWN (Stage Coach Theatre)
13.5% of votes
3.
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (The Huckleberry Star Theater)
13.4% of votes
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