It's a sad day for Durango because two of the three founders of Durango's indigenous theater company, Penumbra, are leaving town. But they're leaving with a final torchlight performance Saturday night, reviving their central mythic figure the Sand Queen.

Alex Oliszewski and Stacey Sotosky are moving to Denver this month because Sotosky will pursue a graduate degree in electronic media arts and design at Denver University. Oliszewski will continue creating shows.

"I want to design them as traveling shows in hopes that I can bring them back to Durango," he said Monday.

Brubaker will remain in Durango creating theater.

The company has put on two shows here, applauded for their sophisticated visuals featuring projected light from the front, back and sides, shone onto scrims and curtains. Mythic figures, masks and puppets have characterized their work.

The new show will be "The Sand Queen's Ceremony, The Seven Dream Candles," written by Oliszewski. It will be directed by all three founders, who met as Fort Lewis students.

The Sand Queen will light seven dream candles, each of which will be a torch six to eight feet high. They should look impressive in the Fort Lewis College Amphitheater.

As is their custom, the producers will use a prerecorded audio track and a video element to accompany the live performers. The music is scored and performed by Mike Cobal and Matt Moon.

Sotosky plays the Sand Queen and her voice is recorded by Malaine Geable. The Sand Queen's Attendants are performed by Katie Brost, Dawson Cole, Welana Fields, and Alex Oliszewski. Oliszewski has mixed the audio and video.

"We'll be in Denver at least two years while Stacey finishes her degree," Oliszewski said. "Then who knows. I've tried to move out of Durango and come back three or four times."

pmiller@durangoherald.com