‘Water by the Spoonful,’ a contemporary veterans’ story, opens this week at Colorado College theater

By Jay McKinney

After wars end on the battlefield, new issues can arise when veterans return home and struggle to reclaim a sense of normalcy.

One thought-provoking play that explores this sensitive subject is “Water by the Spoonful,” which will be presented by the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College from Feb. 15 to March 3. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play was written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and tells a contemporary story that should resonate with a broad audience.

Water by the Spoonful
Where: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
When: Thursday, Feb. 15, through March 3
Cost: Tickets start at $26. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more, students and military service members.
Questions: 719-634-5583.

The play is centered around Elliot, a Puerto Rican Iraq War veteran who is struggling with his identity and the trauma of war. He finds solace through an online chatroom where recovering addicts share love and support for one another as they strive for a better future. In the play, notions of family, forgiveness and community are challenged as characters find the empathetic support they need through the limitless confines of cyberspace.

This production of “Water by the Spoonful” is directed by renowned actress, singer, dancer and director Elise Hernandez Santora. Santora has an impressive resume, having worked on Broadway, and acted in television shows such as “Orange is the New Black,” “The Manifest,” “New Amsterdam” and others. During the 2022-23 theater season, she directed “In the Heights,” a play also written by Hudes, and she has also acted in FAC productions such as “Elf: The Musical.” Despite her national success, she considers the FAC her “home theater.”

“My first show here, back in 2019, gave me a sense of the place that was welcoming, creative and respectful of the work I have done and what I still had to offer to their stage,” Santora says. “From the production staff to the tech crew, to the box office, there has always been a full-fledged support and love for the art of theater and my voice in it.”

While “Water by the Spoonful” gives audiences a glimpse into the troubles that veterans go through, Santora has experienced some of the issues within her own family, which makes the story very personal for her. To direct another play written by Hudes and present it at the FAC is a serendipitous experience for Santora.

“It’s thrilling for me to have the opportunity to invest my creative approach in a piece that reflects some of the pain, struggle, recovery and possibly redemption for those, like my family and hers (Hudes), that have suffered PTSD and drug addiction,” Santora says. “I am excited as an elder to be a conduit on this piece, for the community here in the Springs, and present the work of a young playwright that is a clarion Latina voice for this generation.”