By: Kahane Cooperman
In Kahane Corn Cooperman’s lyrical CREEDE U.S.A., a remote Colorado mountain mining town becomes an unexpected model for public discourse. For generations, Creede’s residents have held tightly to their heritage and values. But when the town brought in a theater company to revitalize the economy, citizens were introduced to new ideas and perspectives, creating an ongoing tension between tradition and change.
Sixty years and countless performances later, Creede stands as a striking microcosm of America’s current national divisions. Issues like guns in classrooms and gender pronouns spark tense debates, yet the town remains bound by a shared sense of place and community. Weaving stunning cinematography, intimate portraits, charged town meetings and a rich historical lens, CREEDE U.S.A. challenges our assumptions and explores how this evolving community continues to find common ground – both inside and outside of the mining shafts, ranches, and the Creede Repertory Theatre. Hopeful, urgent and exceedingly timely, the film offers a poignant reflection on the challenges and possibilities of coexistence in an increasingly polarized world.
