Watch CBS News

Colorado Stage Performance Of Airline Tragedy Emphasizes Personal Stories

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - A new play in Boulder revisits the tragedy of United Airlines flight 232, the Denver-to-Chicago plane that crashed in 1989, killing 111. "The Catamounts: United Flight 232," performed at Boulder's Dairy Arts Center, is about many Coloradans who were on the flight, which departed from Stapleton Airport and crashed in Iowa.

"Many of these survivors live here, in the community with us," said Amanda Berg Wilson, Flight 232's Director.

Berg Wilson said the play revisited the horrific crash, while immersing the audience in the timeline of that day. The play focuses on the lives lost and how those who survived came together to support one another.

232 4
(credit: CBS)

With many of those on the flight from Colorado, Berg Wilson said the play should carry even greater meaning to Coloradans. The show takes place in a small theater. While the audience is not pulled in to the performance, the actors do move around the seats to create the feeling of the audience being on the plane.

"It is significant in this history of this community, because it did touch so many of the lives of the people who live here," Berg Wilson told CBS Denver's Dillon Thomas. "It is really the story of how ordinary people take care of each other in extraordinary crisis."

United Flight 232
(credit: CBS)

Actress Tresha Farris plays the role of a flight attendant from Colorado, who she had the pleasure of meeting before the performance. Farris said her mother likely crossed paths with the woman she was portraying on the day of the crash, as she worked at Stapleton Airport.

"This play definitely brings everyone together," Farris said.

232 3
(credit: CBS)

"It's definitely had an effect on how we see the piece, because it is so personal and interwoven with this community," said Austin Terrell, an actor in the play.

Flight 232 opened on Saturday night in Boulder. Tickets are on sale, and the performance will continue through the beginning of March.

232 1
(credit: CBS)

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.