Salida’s beloved theatre community, Sventastik Productions, will be presenting Bugsy Malone on March 15th at 6:30 pm; March 16th at 2 and 6:30 pm; and March 17th at 2 pm at the Steamplant Theatre. The company provides several theatrical and musical shows a year and offers various performing opportunities and classes to all ages.
The producer, Kyria Sventastik, has cultivated an inclusive, tight-knit community and a wonderful work environment for anyone interested in expanding their creativity, experience, and social circle. Through the years, the company has put in so much time and effort to bring quality productions and classes in music, theatre, and dance, as well as offering scholarships to those in need of assistance.
Officially opening in January 2020, Sventastik has since been working day and night to bring quality classes and performances to the community of Chaffee County in an affordable and accessible way.
“At Sventastik, we won’t rest until all of Chaffee County has the ability to pursue their passions in the performing arts,” Sventastik said.
Their work is much appreciated, especially by the SHS drama team as they assist in many of our productions and have many overlapping members. Before the making of Sventastik Productions, Sventastik worked twenty-three years with another company, Calliope, run by Jerri Lines. Lines ran Calliope until she was eighty years old and Sventastik noticed the weight straining her, especially after she experienced a stroke.
“Jerri had her stroke during Beauty and the Beast, which was the last show where she was herself in her fullest capacity,” said SHS Director of Performing Arts, Andrè Wilkins who had helped co-direct the production of Beauty and the Beast.
Sventastik went on to explain how the eventual leadership transfer took place. “It took a lot of arguing, meetings, and persuading, but she finally agreed [to let go of the studio]. We signed the contracts and I paid her ten grand and we just started getting to work.”
Sventastik pointed out that they spent a lot of time refurbishing the studio before it was ready. They gutted the entire studio, repainted it, replaced all of the dated lighting, and refinished all of the floors. The studio is located at 932 and 934 E. Rainbow Blvd., next to the Pueblo Bank & Trust, and they’re almost always open.
“We have several talented instructors who teach child, teen, and adult classes in hip-hop, contemporary, African river tribe, and more. We also offer vocal, theatre, piano, and violin lessons,” Sventastik said.
She hopes to have a variety of directors, choreographers, and musical directors in order to be able to swap them out every production so more people can get involved. Sventastik has big plans for the future, as she already has many shows planned and hopes to open a theatre of her own someday.
Kaia Trever, a junior at SHS, is stage managing for Bugsy Malone as well as taking on a few small roles in it. Since Trever got involved with Sventastik, it has helped her narrow down her passion for liberal arts. She now feels like she’ll be involved in theatre forever whether or not she makes a career out of it, and it’s given her a better perspective of what is possible for her to do.
The production of Bugsy Malone has been one of Sventastik’s most recent projects and is described as Little Rascals meets The Three Stooges in the 1920s. It’s funny, ironic, and has a lot of goofy physical humor. The show makes fun of old tropes and involves a lot of pie-throwing and silly string. The director, Timothy Ball, was previously an actor in The Little Mermaid before Sventastik noticed his passion and talents for directing and the performing arts.
