Most teachers don’t hear “thank you” often enough, so Durango High School alumna Krisi Olivero wants to make sure everyone knows how grateful she is to two of her former teachers.
“I learned a lot about creativity and embracing passion projects from my experiences in the theater program at DHS with Mona Wood-Patterson and Charles Ford, now of Merely Players,” said Olivero, who graduated in 2006. “All of the amazing things they taught me have finally paid off in a big way.”
Her documentary, “I Will Dance,” will premiere Wednesday on Colorado Public Television Channel 12 in Denver. The film, which took her all the way to Selma, Alabama, features the Random Acts of Theater Co. as its members travel to New York City to perform.
“It’s about using theater and dance to promote diversity in struggling towns,” Olivero said.
Olivero said her own best memories from high school were in the DHS auditorium, whether she was acting as Catherine in “Proof,” choreographing “Into the Night” or becoming a puppeteer for “Peter Pan.” After graduation, she went on to major in writing and directing for film and television at the University of Colorado at Denver. She began her career as an editor and now works as a writer and producer.
Although this is her first feature-length documentary, Olivero also worked on the film “The Cove” and produced several shorter documentaries for nonprofits in Colorado.
“I’d love if there was a way to do a small shout-out about the piece, to thank them for everything,” she said about Wood-Patterson and Ford. “They are truly Durango icons.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
To watch
“I Will Dance” will debut on Colorado Public Televison Channel 12 at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The documentary will soon be listed at www.tugg.com, where people can crowdsource to bring the film to their own theaters; or to arrange a community or college screening, email alicia@iwilldancemovie.com.
To learn more about the documentary, visit www.iwilldancemovie.com.
