Capital Classics Announces Production Of WATER BY THE SPOONFUL In Interactive Conversation Series

Capital Classics Theatre Company continues its popular Contemporary Classics Conversations series with a production of Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes, combined with moderated conversations on the theme "From Adversity, We Advance."

This one-of-a-kind theatrical experience combines interactive conversations before and after a fully-staged production of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Performances will be held January 25-29, 2023, at the University of Saint Joseph's Hoffman Auditorium, 1678 Asylum Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Somewhere in Philadelphia, Elliot has returned from Iraq and is struggling to find his place in the world. Somewhere in a chat room, recovering addicts keep each other alive, hour by hour, day by day. The boundaries of family and community are stretched across continents and cyberspace as birth families splinter and online families collide. Water by the Spoonful is a heartfelt meditation on lives on the brink of redemption.

Water by the Spoonful was originally commissioned as part of Quiara Alegría Hudes' Aetna Voices Fellowship at Hartford Stage who subsequently produced the world premiere of the play in 2011. Spoonful received the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 2008, Hudes was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for In the Heights, which she collaborated on with Lin-Manuel Miranda. She adapted In the Heights for the screen. In 2021, Hudes released her memoir My Broken Language which she subsequently adapted for the stage, a production that recently concluded an acclaimed run at New York's Signature Theatre.

In its review of Water by the Spoonful, The Hartford Courant stated, "A complete and satisfying work...A quartet of wounded yet fiercely bright characters who are trying to stay sober communicate over the internet. Those who feel the web is a cold connection may change their opinion after they see the very hot limbo in which these characters live and interact...This is a very funny, warm, and, yes, uplifting play with characters that are vivid, vital, and who stay with you long after the play is over."

Capital Classics' production will be directed by Christopher Andrew Rowe, a veteran of Capital Classics' productions of The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It, and Sweat. Rowe is a graduate of the Hartt School and is currently employed by Hartford Stage, where he was the assistant director of Lost in Yonkers and Dishwasher Dreams.

The cast and conversation moderators will be announced soon.

About Contemporary Classics Conversations

Contemporary Classics Conversations uses the medium of theater as a springboard to explore topical and timeless social issues. In 2020-2021, Capital Classics performed scene readings from Athol Fugard's Victory for online book clubs, theaters, social groups, libraries, and schools to examine the long-term effects of institutionalized racism. In 2022, Capital Classics staged Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Lynn Nottage, combined with moderated conversations during the show around the theme of "Power and Poverty."

"We're excited to bring back our Contemporary Classics Conversations program for its third season," says co-founder Geoffrey Sheehan. "Water by the Spoonful is a story filled with hope for us as individuals, families, and communities, as we all face adversity. It is the perfect springboard for the conversations with our audience members about challenges we face and ways we move forward."

The 2023 Contemporary Classics Conversations program is funded in part by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and by the Connecticut Office of the Arts, with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development.

Capital Classics' Contemporary Classics Conversations: Water by the Spoonful will be held January 25-29, 2023, with performances offered Wednesday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the University of Saint Joseph's Hoffman Auditorium, 1678 Asylum Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Tickets will be sold at the door and in advance at CapitalClassics.org. Tickets are $20 for adults, $14 for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.

Capital Classics, a non-Equity professional theatre company, was founded in 1991 to enrich the cultural environment of Greater Hartford through the theatre arts. We are committed to providing classical entertainment that is affordable, accessible and engaging; serving the community with cultural and educational programming; and providing job opportunities and training to Connecticut's professional theatre artists. Learn more about Capital Classics, its Contemporary Classics Conversations program and the production of Water by the Spoonful at CapitalClassics.org.

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