How a Grant Became an Operetta

In 1877, a mystery swirled through the small Colorado mining town of Beulah. Someone had discovered what appeared to be a petrified giant, a creature unlike anything documented in the scientific world. The discovery made headlines. Newspapers across the region reported on the find with breathless certainty. People flocked to see it, convinced they were witnessing something extraordinary. What they actually witnessed was one of the era’s most audacious hoaxes. The Solid Muldoon, as it came to be known, was fabricated from beginning to end. Yet the hoax succeeded because people wanted to believe it. They wanted the certainty, the sensation, the proof that the world contained mysteries waiting to be uncovered. The lie became more real to them than any truth could have been.

This week, The Solid Muldoon opens at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo. The production runs October 9 through 11, bringing together an ensemble that represents something larger than a single university music department. The operetta is described by its composer David Volk as falling somewhere between opera and musical theater. Both art forms explore how narrative shapes what people believe and how entire communities can become convinced of things that simply are not true.

The collaboration between Volk and librettist Kennedy Pugh began on the United Way board. Pugh approached Volk with a story idea about the Solid Muldoon. When Volk learned about the hoax, he immediately thought of another historical tragedy. Mary was a circus elephant who died in Erwin, Tennessee in 1916, killed by an angry crowd that turned violent when fear replaced reason. Together, they realized something crucial: both stories grappled with the same fundamental question about how misinformation spreads, how narrative shapes reality, how people convince themselves of things that aren’t true, and what happens when that collective delusion breaks apart.

David Volk conducting during rehearsals. Photo courtesy David Volk.

The operetta exists because of a Faculty Seed Grant from CSU Pueblo’s Department of Music. That grant was the ignition point. It convinced the university to invest in an experiment, to support artists taking creative risks, to signal that original work mattered. Volk applied for just under the maximum amount the university allows.

What Volk built from that foundation extends far beyond Pueblo. The beauty of the grant, he said, opened up opportunities to use students, alumni, and community members, but also to collaborate more broadly. He reached out to CSU Fort Collins and brought in professional singers for leading roles. The cast includes performers from both universities, creating an intentional collaboration between the two campuses. Students from different regions and educational backgrounds are learning from each other while Broadway professionals work directly with emerging artists.

For Kennedy Pugh, the work connects to something deeper than entertainment. He is a storyteller and performer who has worked internationally and in New York theater. As he has gotten older, he has wanted to focus more on the production and creative writing side of performance. He sees the arts as essential medicine in a fractured time.

A student performer delivering an emotionally charged moment during rehearsal. Photo courtesy David Volk.

What has struck observers most is how quickly students realize that working professionals are simply people working at their craft. A Broadway pianist who worked with Pugh in New York reached out and volunteered to help with the production. This created something unexpected: direct mentorship between seasoned professionals and emerging artists. Students watching these professionals at work began to understand something fundamental about building a career in the arts.

The partnership between Volk and Pugh shaped the production itself. Volk works by jumping directly into composition once an idea takes hold. He brings sketches and music to their weekly meetings, and Pugh offers feedback that invariably makes the work stronger.

Volk balances a half-time teaching load with administrative responsibilities at CSU Pueblo, directs the Pollo Choral Society, and now conducts this operetta. When asked why he takes on such ambitious projects, his answer is simple but revealing about what drives artists in academia.

The operetta arrives at a moment when questions about truth and misinformation dominate regional conversations. Pugh sees this timing as no accident. The production deliberately explores how people deceive themselves, how fear shapes belief, how individuals respond when collective delusion becomes visible.

When asked what Pueblo gets back from the $10,000 seed investment, Pugh points to something larger than ticket sales. The university connects more deeply with its community through a shared creative experience. The operetta elevates a local story. Students build networks with professionals. The audience experiences something that counters the epidemic of loneliness in public life.

The Solid Muldoon runs October 9 at 7 p.m., October 10 at 7 p.m., and October 11 at 3 p.m. at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. When the curtain rises, audiences will encounter two historical mysteries set to music. They will hear the story of a hoax that convinced an entire town. They will witness what happens when fear and mob mentality override individual thought. They will hear voices trained together, that have learned from each other. They will watch students and professionals share the stage. They will see the result of a $10,000 investment that grew into something far larger than anyone initially predicted.

For tickets and information, visit the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center directly or contact CSU Pueblo’s Department of Music.