Acting up

When CU Boulder freshman Makai Kartchner tells his friends he’s performing in a play about the university’s 150th anniversary, their reactions are less than enthusiastic.

“That sounds boring,” one friend told him. 

Kartchner understands. He initially had the same reaction when cast in the production.

“I don’t really see anyone lining up to learn about, ‘Oh, this building was built in 1892,’” he says.

Fortunately, The 150 Project, a world-premiere production running Nov. 6-15 at CU Boulder's historic Old Main Chapel, isn't particularly interested in commemorating old buildings. Instead, the university's Department of Theatre & Dance is collaborating with the acclaimed Tectonic Theater Project, creators of The Laramie Project, to explore 150 years of student activism.

Through archival research, interviews and an experimental theater-making process, 13 student performers are uncovering stories of their predecessors who challenged authority, confronted injustice and helped reshape the university. 

“It really made me feel like this is something that could inspire change,” Kartchner says. “That element to me is the most important part of this project.”

Making history theatrical

Director Kevin Rich, CU Boulder's Roe Green Endowed Chair, began developing the production while considering how the theater department could participate in the university's 150th anniversary celebration.

Rather than create another chronological account of institutional milestones — akin to the documentary film about CU Boulder’s history that was already in the works and set to premiere in January 2027 — Rich met with the university's Heritage Center to discuss a project about student life on campus.

Rich found his angle in the recordings of past students, preserved in the archives of the Carnegie Library and Maria Rogers Oral History Program archives. “Stories of student activism, stories where students made a difference or made change,” he explains. “Or tried to create change.”

He then contacted Tectonic Theatre Project and convinced company artist Jimmy Maize to join as a devising consultant. Working alongside playwright Sam Collier and dramaturg Aaron Klass, Rich and Maize spent the summer gathering archival material and interviewing alumni and university community members.

The developing script spans generations of student activism, from hunger strikes in 1969 and 1994 to Vietnam War protests, demonstrations against the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant and movements for women's rights and racial equality. Instead of arranging these events chronologically, the production moves between eras, highlighting connections between generations confronting similar challenges.

The production begins with contemporary students exploring Old Main Chapel, located inside CU Boulder's original building. As they discover historical objects, stories from earlier generations come to life.

“The general idea is that they are encountering ghosts from the past,” Rich says, “students who have walked the same halls and sat on the same benches and sat in the same classrooms.” 

Second-year student Anishka Sharma sees the production as an opportunity to preserve stories that might otherwise be forgotten while encouraging audiences to consider their relevance today.

“The fact that we are bringing up tableaus of protest and themes of igniting change is really powerful and will leave a real impact with people,” Sharma says. “The students we’ve heard the stories of have such heart and such passion. I hope and want to be able to honor their legacy.”

From past protests to present action

The play’s themes feel particularly relevant for students amid recent Israel-Palestine protests at CU Boulder, disputes over student journalists' access and tensions surrounding police enforcement at student house shows. While the issues have changed, the conflicts over authority, free expression and student activism remain familiar.

“There's all this stuff that we have successfully stopped with protests, but then there's still so much ongoing stuff that still needs to be addressed,” Kartchner says. “The community and CU student body really need to come to our play and see that we used to not stand for this. We took action. So why are we okay with this now?”

Sharma believes The 150 Project offers a reminder that meaningful change requires persistence, particularly when immediate results are difficult to see.

“This play will remind not only the students, but hopefully everyone who has a connection to CU, that change comes slowly, and that we are all a part of the bigger picture,” she says.

Inspired by the cast's enthusiasm, Rich secured funding for free student tickets and is encouraging faculty across disciplines to bring classes to the production. The performers were particularly eager to reach their peers after discovering the university's history of activism.

“We have made change in the past,” Kartchner says, “and we can do it now.” 

ON STAGE: The 150 Project. Nov. 6-15, Old Main Chapel, 1600 Pleasant St., Boulder. Tickets $25