Stories have the power to help us see ourselves, and others, more clearly. The 2026-27 theatre season at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is bringing three powerful stories to this community: stories of isolation and connection, difficult choices, identity, grief, belonging and the search for meaning.
The plays are connected to the experiences that shape our mental well-being, which is why we’re excited to announce a new, season-long partnership between NAMI Colorado Springs and the FAC. The latter’s productions of Come From Away, Grounded and Dear Evan Hansen will be augmented by special initiatives and programs that will lift up conversations around mental illness, address stigma, and bring mental health conversations into a space where people are already gathering to listen, feel, question, laugh, grieve and connect.
Stepping into another’s story
At its best, theatre does something very similar to what NAMI’s mental health support does: It invites us to look beneath the surface of a person’s experience.
Onstage, we encounter people whose lives may look completely different from our own. We hear their fears and hopes. We see their relationships unfold. We witness moments of loneliness, uncertainty, loss, joy, courage and connection.
For a few hours, we’re asked to stay with these people — and as we do, we change.
Research has found that active participation in theatre can improve empathy, communication, tolerance, and social interaction. These effects extend to viewers as well.
But we don’t have to think of theatre as therapy to appreciate its value. It can give us language for experiences that can be hard to name. It can remind us that other people struggle, too. And sometimes, as we look at those characters who first appear so different from us, we can see our own experiences reflected in what they’re going through — underlining that we’re not alone.
As of this writing, we’re still sorting out many of the details of our two organizations will work together. But in the meantime, here’s a little snapshot of the shows themselves.
Finding connection in Come From Away
Now through Oct. 4, 2026
This Tony Award-winning musical is based on the true story of thousands of airline passengers stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. At its heart, it’s a story about what happens when people who are suddenly far from home discover that they don’t have to face uncertainty alone. To honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the FAC extended 200 free tickets to first responders, including local law enforcement officers who completed Crisis Intervention Team training in August.
Considering identity in Grounded
Feb. 11 through March 7, 2027
Grounded follows a fighter pilot whose career changes after an unexpected pregnancy. She is reassigned to operate military drones from a trailer outside Las Vegas, creating a complicated collision involving military duty, motherhood, identity, isolation and the psychological consequences of her work.
Spotlighting the teen experience in Dear Evan Hansen
May 20 through June 13, 2027
The season closes with Dear Evan Hansen, a musical about a teenager who has spent much of his life feeling invisible, only to have a tragedy thrust him into the center of his community’s attention. It’s an exploration of the stories we tell ourselves, and our need to belong.
Connecting with the stories in our community
The Fine Arts Center’s theatre slate brings an opportunity to explore these important themes, and also a chance to get out in the community and be part of something bigger than ourselves.
Ultimately, by giving these stories our attention, we’re acknowledging and honoring the stories of people in our community. Because Colorado Springs is full of people whose experiences with mental health won’t make it onto a stage — even though they could. They are parents learning how to support a child who is struggling. Young people figuring out who they are. Veterans and first responders carrying experiences that others may never fully understand.
The arts provide a window into stories that matter, not least because they can inspire all of us to share our stories. That inspiration is one of the outcomes we hope to foster in this partnership. Not simply an opportunity to talk about mental health, but opportunities to talk with each other about what it means to be human.
The Fine Arts Center aims to create spaces to tell stories of different experiences, backgrounds, and viewpoints so that audiences can “empathize, grow, and dream together.” That touches the heart of our work, too, at NAMI Colorado Springs. So this season, we are excited to be a part of opportunities for our community to listen, reflect, connect, and share.
As the season goes on, we’ll be announcing details of what those opportunities will look like — how we’ll explore mental health-related themes, connect audiences with local resources, and bring the conversation beyond the stage and into our community.
