UAH Theatre presents regional premiere of ‘In Darkness, Audio Flowers Bloom’ Nov. 12-16

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) presents the regional premiere of “In Darkness, Audio Flowers Bloom” by Alvaro Saar Rios on Nov. 12-16, 2025. UAH Theatre cast members are, from left, Quincy Wiggins, Matthew Brown, Savannah Lieble, Brandon Price, Zack Banish, Baylee Pounders, Ayania Hunter, Jason Dockstader, Mekhi Stepp and Jaeda Smith.

Ann Marie Martin | UAH

What if your world contained no music? No “Sha-la-la-las.” No “Whoa, whoa-ohs.” No “bop da bops.” You’ve heard rumors of this thing called music, but it’s illegal, and you’re curious.

That’s the setup for “In Darkness, Audio Flowers Bloom” by Alvaro Saar Rios. The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will present the regional premiere of the play and bring the playwright to campus during a five-performance run on Nov. 12-16. Along with attending opening night, Rios will conduct a playwriting workshop and hold a post-performance discussion on Nov. 12. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama System.

“The play takes place about 100 years after music has been outlawed,” said the play’s director, Amy Guerin, associate professor and program director, Theatre & Film Program, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. She’s also co-artistic director and founder of Huntsville Shakespeare.

“The characters in the play don’t know what music sounds like,” she explained. “They don’t know that instruments are called instruments or what the names of instruments even are. They make discoveries through family, oral tradition, folk tales and current events. They’re piecing together a forgotten world that is messy, but it’s free. It’s a great fit for our students.”

Guerin is excited to bring this new play to town and introduce local theatergoers to an award-winning playwright with a national and international reputation.

Rios is associate professor of playwriting at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He’s also a board member of The Children’s Theatre Foundation of America and a co-founder of The Alebrije Writers Collective. He co-founded The Royal Mexican Players with his wife, Michelle Lopez-Rios. The American Alliance for Theatre and Education presented their Distinguished Play Award to his plays “On the Wings of a Mariposa,” “Carmela Full of Wishes” and “Luchadora!”

When Rios started writing “In Darkness, Audio Flowers Bloom” some six years ago, his initial impetus came from his experiences in the U.S. Army.

“There was a point where I thought I was losing my hearing,” he said. “I used to drive tanks in the Army, and I thought that might have something to do with it. Anytime I have these life experiences, I use that as inspiration. So, I started thinking, what if I do lose my hearing? What if I never get to hear music again?”

Because Rios likes to write about younger characters, he shifted his imagination to kids who never got to experience music.

“I feel like some of the most impactful music that people have heard was when they were teenagers because they got to choose their own music. Part of this play is my love letter to the music, even though there’s no music in it.”

During his decades in theater, Rios realized that good theater for young audiences transcends generations.

“I’ve stayed within the realm of young audience theater because, as I’ve told every artistic director, I actually don’t write for kids. I write for families because I want everybody in the audience to get something.”

The UAH Humanities Center is sponsoring the playwright’s visit to UAH. Rios will lead a hands-on playwriting workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 11:20 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. in Morton Hall Room 141. The event is open to the public.

“In Darkness, Audio Flowers Bloom” will be presented at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 12-15, and at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 16, in the Robert E. James Blackbox Theatre in Morton Hall. Admission is $10 for the general public and free for UAH students. For tickets, visit the Theatre & Film This Season page on the UAH website.