Stories are one of the most human things we do. They are vital to the human experience. The Romero Theater Troupe made me realize just how powerful stories can be.

Back during my time in graduate school, I stumbled upon a little theater troupe in the Denver area. At the moment, and after several major life setbacks, I was uncertain if I was even going to finish my graduate degree. It as one of the more difficult periods of my life and I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other. I was in a kind of limbo, but I was looking around for a project so I could complete my Master’s research in anthropology and move on.

A friend recommended I check the Romero Theater Troupe out. At the time I was unsure of what to think. A theater organization with no actors? A group that just told stories about the community? It sounded interesting but I was unsure of what to do. So, I reached out to James Walsh, the founder of the Troupe and we got coffee.

A side note, I will never forget that morning, partly because of my introduction to Jim and partly because I accidentally ordered bagels and lox… which I had never had before and biting into it as I was talking to Jim I was shocked to realize I was eating fish. I like Bagels and Lox now, but it was one of those silly moments where you eat something unexpected and are trying to keep a straight face to a total stranger.

After meeting Jim, I was felt a sense that something interesting was going on with him and this Troupe. He simply radiated a kind of joy that I hadn’t encountered very often in my life. He spoke of how important community stories were and having read Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” I was intrigued, so, that weekend I went to the rehearsal.

I was shocked. What they called a ‘rehearsal’ was a lot of time in the beginning with the community checking in. They circled up and everyone talked about issues they were facing, story ideas, community activism events and then, and only then, when everyone had their say, did they begin working on scenes.

The very first scene I saw them work on, was the life of a conscientious objector to the First World War named Ben Salmon (I am currently working on a short form documentary about his life) and how despite being tortured by the military and abandoned by his church, he never wavered in his courage to say ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’

But there were more stories, a lot more, and over the next weeks and months as I began my research and filming the documentary Unbound: The Story of the Romero Theater Troupe, these stories changed me forever. There were stories about mothers and children being driven apart by a broken immigration system. Stories about a man who nearly lost his life at the hands of the police for apparently making an illegal left turn. Stories about a group of Janitors on the very college campus where they were rehearsing facing terrible workplace abuse and total apathy from those around them. A story of a homeless man who died alone and in the cold because of our apathy. With each story, I heard, I found myself rethinking my views on the world. With each story I heard, I began to understand how powerful sharing your story is and how amazing a community can be to help one another.

Fast forward to this week. The teachers in Denver went on strike and, like they often do, The Romero Theater Troupe reached out to them to give them a space to share just what they go through every single day as a teacher. They accepted and, even though the strike ended quickly, the Troupe insisted that it was important for teachers to share their story, to show the world just what it’s like to do one of the most demanding jobs out there. In this vein, the Denver Paper, The Westword heard about what the Romero Theater Troupe was doing and did an article on them and the Teachers Strike. You can find that article here.

The Romero Troupe will be performing their new play in support of teachers on February 22nd on Auraria Campus at 7pm in the North Classroom Building room number 1130. The play is free but donations to teachers will be accepted.

I often tell people what the Troupe taught me, stories are what will save the world. If you can, share yours. You have no idea how powerful sharing your story can be, both to heal, and to show people that they are not alone in their struggle. Write it down, tell a friend, record a video, whatever form it takes, share if you can and are ready. We are all in this together and you would be surprised how often someone has a story similar to your own.