Upworthy · 14 hours ago

Colorado Elementary School Puts on 75-minute Phish musical, and It Was Delightfully Epic

When a Colorado elementary music teacher decided to stage Phish's mythic *Gamehendge* rock opera with his K-5 students, he wasn't just putting on a show - he was offering something rare. Kirk Kubicek, working in small mountain schools without the resources of wealthier districts, believes his students "have heart, they have courage, and they deserve every bit as much ambition and opportunity as anyone else." The result was 75 minutes of DIY costumes, cardboard sets, and kids throwing themselves into a fantastical world about stolen wisdom and community with zero self-consciousness. What shines through isn't just the spectacle, but how fully the children inhabited the story's themes - that "knowledge shared becomes more powerful" and "true importance comes from connection rather than control" - turning a legendary jam band saga into something unexpectedly profound about what children can do when someone believes they're capable of more.