Rita Maria Aires

Rita Maria Aires

Sophisticated Ladies

JANUARY 27 — MARCH 5

What excites you about Sophisticated Ladies and the role you are playing?

What excites me about Sophisticated Ladies is the artists in the room. This is by far one of the most authentic creative spaces I have had the pleasure and privilege to be a part of.

I am a part of the dance ensemble in this show, and as a long time lover of concert dance in many of its forms, I am excited to have this chance to explore storytelling in this fulfilling way, especially through the movement from the mind of Christopher, our director and choreographer.

What’s your biggest challenge about taking on this role?

Physical health! Concert dance is no joke, and concert dancers are serious athletes. Amidst the joy of dancing, I have to remember to hydrate, eat, rest, and recover from our rehearsals and shows!

What type of audience would you say Sophisticated Ladies is for? Who do you think it will appeal to most?

Sophisticated Ladies is for BIPOC folks to see themselves and celebrate their excellence. It is for artists, musicians, dancers, and jazz lovers. It is for anyone who wants to experience a night of joy and celebration. 

You recently played John Webster in last year’s Shakespeare in Love! How did you feel when the run ended? How did you feel about it as a whole? Any interesting takeaways?

When Shakespeare in Love ended, I felt extremely grateful for the experience, and I remember I also felt excited to jump into whatever my next project was at the time. As a whole, I was particularly grateful for my cast and for the fun little character of John Webster.

I’m sure you hold all characters you play close to your heart, but when it comes to Shakespeare in Love and Sophisticated Ladies, are you liking one of the characters over the other? Why or why not?

I always like to say whatever role I'm working on at present is the role I like more, and that holds true here. In the case of comparison, all I'll say is being a dancer and working as an artist in a devised setting connects much more to who I am as an artist much more than working on any traditional play in a traditional way ever will.

What have you been doing in-between Shakespeare in Love and this production? Work? Other performances?

Since Shakespeare in Love, I have been continuing to discover who I am as an artist and what my life looks like as a relatively full time artist. I performed in three Shakespeare shows at a Shakespeare Festival over the summer in Vermont, I performed in my second TYA show with Miners Alley Playhouse, I played Boy/Peter in Cherry Creek Theatre's production of Peter and the Starcatcher, I performed in Theatre 29's last new play festival, I performed, directed, wrote, and sound designed for a 24 hour queer festival produced to raise money for the victims of the Club Q shooting, I assistant stage managed the 2022 Henry Awards, I joined the Colorado Theatre Guild's Communication Committee, I joined Grapefruit Lab's production team, and I started planning some exciting projects for 2023. I saw some beautiful local theatre, concerts, and art; I loved, I lived, I cried, I laughed, I fought; and I found magic in the Divine all around me and in me. Life is freaking cool.