The spirit of musical exploration is alive and well in Colorado, where students from three elementary schools recently united to stage a theatrical performance that paid homage to the intricate lore of Phish’s Gamehendge. The 75-minute production, performed for friends and family, featured a cast of kindergarten through fifth-grade students and was supported by a five-piece live band led by music teacher and program mastermind Kirk Kubicek.
Kubicek, a prominent figure in the local music community, has built a reputation for staging ambitious, student-driven performances. His previous projects have included tributes to The Beatles and Boulder’s historic Caribou Ranch, a legendary recording studio that hosted icons like Elton John, The Beach Boys, and U2. According to Rolling Stone, the inspiration for this particular production began at the end of the 2025 school year when a student asked, “Mr. Kirk, are we gonna do a Phish show next year?”
To prepare for the performance, Kubicek collaborated with fellow music educator Mark Filoramo, who had previously adapted the Vermont quartet’s material for his own school productions. Building on those foundations, Kubicek’s vision leaned heavily into the deep lore of Gamehendge, creating a cohesive narrative experience for the young performers.
The setlist was carefully curated to showcase different grade levels. The production opened with an all-ages rendition of “The Wedge,” followed by kindergarteners performing “Simple” and second-graders tackling “Sparkle.” The musical journey continued with “Character Zero” from the second grade, “Contact” from the third grade, and “Possum” from the fourth grade. The fifth-grade class took on the complex arrangements of “The Lizards” and “Birds of a Feather.”
“I wanted to recreate what it feels like to be at a Phish show,” Kubicek said. “We had moving lights and a haze machine. I wanted to create a spectacle.”
The performance concluded with collective renditions of “Bouncing Around the Room” and a high-energy “Tweezer Reprise” encore. The full production, titled Nederland, Jamestown, and Gold Hill Elementary Schools Present: The Helping Friendly Book – 5.14.2026, can be viewed below.