Maybe… You know about Jesus and Judas and Samson and Delilah. You read Waiting for Godotonce. You’ve listened to Willie Nelson sing “Pancho and Lefty.” Okay. Now throw in a fox and an owl. What do they have in common?  Here’s a hint:“Those friends thou hast and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy heart with hoops of steel.” Hamlet 1-3.  

Jump-Start Performance Co. presents HOOPS OF STEEL by Mono Riojas Aguilar, a series of five actos (short scenes) and is part of Jump-Start’s INKubator program, an annual project produced by Jump-Start to support new works by San Antonio theater artists.  

Mono Aguilar, playwright and co-director, explains: “Although none of the five scenes in Hoops of Steelconnects to another plot-wise, each addresses themes of loyalty and faith. Some are obvious, such as the struggle Jesus and Judas endure in "Gesthemane." Another scene, "The Fox and the Owl," is not overt with those themes, but they're there; it's a beast fable with a lesson for the 21st century. Loyalty is a dominant theme in my plays; Adelitaand Chato's Bridgewere drenched in it. The religious/spiritual theme in each scene wasn't intended, but it competes with and compliments the loyalty theme. I'm interested in the audience's response to the different ways I depict faith in this play.”  

Hoops of Steel features Julio Alberto Sepulveda, Keli Rosa Cabunoc, Kevin Patrick Dowd, Chris Byrnes, Eraina Porras, Rich Herrera, and Ceasar Dueñas. The play is co-directed by Chuck Squier.