When Fort Lewis College student Caden Martinez heard a familiar voice during rehearsals for the Durango PlayFest, she could not immediately place it.
Then she realized it belonged to Wendie Malick, the actor behind one of the characters in “The Owl House,” a show Martinez watched growing up.
For Martinez, a second-year musical theatre major and Native American and Indigenous Studies minor, working alongside Malick was one of many unexpected moments during a summer internship that placed her in the room with accomplished actors, directors, playwrights and stage managers from across the country.
“It was kind of a full-circle moment for me,” Martinez said.
The annual Durango PlayFest brings professional playwrights, actors, and directors to Southwest Colorado for a week of developing new theatrical works. The plays evolve through intensive rehearsals before staged readings and audience talkbacks. The 2026 festival featured artists from Los Angeles, New York, and elsewhere, including Emmy Award-winning and Emmy-nominated actors.
Through a partnership with FLC, students do more than observe the process. They work as part of the professional production team.
Martinez served as an assistant stage manager for “A Deal Picked Just for You,” working under professional stage manager Harper Hadley and alongside a cast that included Malick and Brenda Strong. Martinez helped coordinate rehearsals and support the actors, director and playwright as the new work changed throughout the week.
“I didn’t quite realize it until I got to Durango PlayFest,” Martinez said. “People were telling me, ‘We’re from LA. We’re from New York.’ I was like, ‘What is everybody doing in Durango?’”
For Felicia Meyer, chair of Performing Arts and associate professor of theatre at FLC, that mix of professional artists, students and community members is what makes PlayFest distinctive.
“I took a pause and took in what we’ve all built together at PlayFest,” said Meyer, who also serves as the festival’s artistic director. “It has grown into something very meaningful. It’s this gathering that happens with the artists and the students.”
Rediscovering the spark
Martinez initially hesitated to apply for the internship. Participating meant giving up some of her summer break and time with her family. She was also coming out of a difficult semester and questioning whether she still wanted to pursue stage management.
Martinez had spent years acting, stage managing, designing lights, codirecting and building sets, but she said she had begun to lose the enthusiasm that had drawn her to theater.
“I was debating if I still wanted to stage manage or continue in this line of work because I had lost that spark for a little bit,” she said. “I was worried going into Durango PlayFest. I thought, ‘How am I going to put my heart and soul into this when I don’t feel like I’m fully there?’”
The experience changed that.
Working with professionals who welcomed her questions and treated her as a colleague reminded Martinez why she loved theater. Rather than feeling burned out, she found herself energized by the pace and collaboration.
“This was the first project I’ve ever worked on where I didn’t get exhausted or burned out,” she said. “I was having so much fun, it didn’t even feel like work.”
Martinez said the professionals involved in the festival were eager to talk with students about subjects ranging from acting and voice work to building a sustainable career in theater. Those conversations also gave her professional contacts in major theater markets, including Los Angeles and New York.
“Each of these actors, directors and playwrights was so willing to help and teach you,” she said. “They were willing to sit down with you and tell you how it works.”
That access is especially meaningful for students early in their college careers, Martinez said. At a larger program, students may wait years for significant production responsibilities. At FLC, she began receiving those opportunities during her first years on campus.
“There are so many more opportunities to go around,” Martinez said. “I can’t tell you how many opportunities I’ve gotten because I went here that I would have never gotten somewhere else.”
Bringing her identity into the work
Martinez’s contribution to PlayFest extended beyond her stage management responsibilities.
After noticing that part of a recorded land acknowledgment was mispronounced, she approached Meyer. Meyer asked whether Martinez would be willing to deliver the acknowledgment live.
Martinez agreed, presenting it before nearly every reading while wearing pieces of her regalia, including ribbon skirts, three-tier skirts, and jewelry. Audience members later approached her to thank her and ask about the acknowledgment and her clothing.
The experience connected Martinez’s work in theater with her commitment to Indigenous representation and advocacy.
“I want to advocate for the Indigenous community as much as I possibly can in every space,” she said. “I want to help Indigenous youth become stage managers, lighting designers, and actors. I also want to see more shows that share Indigenous cultures and stories.”
Martinez said she carried practical lessons from PlayFest back to her work at FLC, including the importance of organization, patience, and clear communication. She learned to adapt her approach to different people and to remain flexible when a production changes quickly.
Her biggest lesson, however, was more personal: Do not allow fear to close the door on an opportunity.
“Take every opportunity that comes to you, even if you’re scared or nervous,” Martinez said. “If I had said, ‘I’m not good enough. I don’t think I can do this,’ I would have never gotten to go on this amazing adventure.”
For Meyer, helping students build that confidence is central to the partnership between FLC and PlayFest.
“We have the opportunity to play a part in cultivating the next generation of artists and thinkers,” Meyer said.
At PlayFest, that next generation is not waiting in the wings. FLC students are already helping bring new American theater to the stage.