Play began here; writers want to end it here, too

When Steve Cosson told his writing partner, Jim Lewis, that he wanted to do a play on American evangelicalism, Lewis knew exactly where to start - the city in which he was raised, Colorado Springs.

After months of interviews at the city's churches, religious organizations and military facilities, The Civilians theater troupe had binders bulging with stories. Working with Colorado College students, the group threw a rough production together in two days.

"We knew we were going to turn it into a full production later, but we didn't have the time then," Lewis said. "We just had to pick and chose little pieces based on the people we found most interesting. We didn't have any illusion that it was ‘the show.' It was a chance for us to see and hear the material."

Workshopping the project for more than a year, "This Beautiful City" moved from Colorado College to Louisville and from there to the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab. The play took on a life of its own, evolving and adapting to meet the needs of the divergent audiences. Jokes and dialogue that brought the house down in Colorado Springs had to be amended for audiences unfamiliar with the cultural context.

"The great thing about doing it in the Springs," Lewis said, "is that all you need is one word or one line and the audience gets it. But elsewhere you can't do that."

"The story continues to change," Lewis added. "This is not, by any means, the final version. That will be out in L.A."

Between Colorado Springs and this D.C. version, there might be 20 percent that's similar.

"It's a radically different show. It has a whole different feel. I think it's getting there, though," Lewis said. "We're 60 percent happy with it right now. We hope to get to about 75 percent. You're never perfectly happy with your play."

After its run in L.A., The Civilians would love to conclude "This Beautiful City" where it began: in Colorado Springs.