Volume 4, Issue 6
March 7 - April 3, 2002
By Geoff Weisenberger
Photos By Sean Hartgrove
Listen up here people -- locate March 23 (this Saturday) in your day planner, palm pilot, sticky note collection or photographic memory and flag it as the night you are going to go out and see a play. That's right, YOU are going to take a break from your usual Saturday night routine and take in some live theatre and you're lucky enough to live in a town that provides plenty of opportunities to feed the drama critic within you.
What's the significance of March 23, you ask? It happens to be the Colorado Theatre Guild's Theatre Night Out, an event promoting patronage of live theatre in the Denver area. It's a friendly reminder that there are theatres of all shapes and sizes in our fair city that perform all types of comedy and drama.
For those of us fortunate enough not to have to work on Saturday nights, the majority spend this night as spectators of some sort. Whether we're sitting in front of a television, movie screen, live band, or two teams battling it out on Astroturf, ice, or wood, our eyes and ears are probably tuned in to someone else doing something. The evening might start with, end with, or consist entirely of imbibing alcoholic beverages, but even most bars have TVs these days.
What many of us haven't taken the time to explore (or might not even be aware of) is the multitude of live theatre in Denver. As an occasional actor, I can tell you that one of the best feelings possible while performing comes from doing so in front of a packed house. In a town like Denver, unless you're part of a well-publicized production or performing at a well-publicized theatre, large audiences can be hard to come by.
But for better or for worse, countless actors take the time to memorize lines, rehearse scenes, practice costume changes, and transform themselves into different people every weekend (sometimes even during the week). Besides that, there's a whole army (sometimes a very small army) of stagehands, set designers, lights and sound workers, and a director who have worked hard to put together a show worth watching. And they want people to watch their show, despite the reaction. Each performance is different. No matter how many times a play is put on, it will never be performed exactly the same way twice. On the same note, every audience is different, so when you attend a play, you are taking part in a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Perhaps I should mention the most crucial part of the Theatre Night Out promotion --discounts! That's right, in order to get your ass off of the couch and into a red velvet seat, several theatres in Denver are offering discounts from $2 off the ticket price to two tickets for the price of one to lure you into their dramatic clutches.
The idea for Theatre Night Out was conceived last October at a meeting of the Colorado Theatre Guild (CTG). According to Guild Vice President Gloria Shanstrom, the idea came, in part, as a reaction to the events of September 11. "It was kind of a 'what now?' type of meeting," Shanstrom said. "Theatre attendance was down, not just in Denver, but everywhere. We started talking about various things we could do to counter the 9/11 effect. One of them was the Theatre Night Out event, similar to the monthly First Friday events that the local art galleries hold."
Theatre Night Out is one of the first endeavors undertaken by the recently resurrected CTG (formerly, the Colorado Theatre Producers Guild). They are also planning a fall Theatre Night Out date and may eventually make Theatre Night Out a quarterly event. Most of the theatres Shanstrom contacted were very interested in the idea of Theatre Night Out, but some theatres, such as the Arvada Center, didn't have shows planned for March 23. Shanstrom hopes that the expected success of the inaugural Theatre Night Out, as well as plenty of advance notice, will encourage theatres to plan shows around future Theatre Nights Out.
CTG's first major project was publishing a theatre directory for the Denver area last year. They also held a combined audition for actors last year for several local theatres in conjunction with the Denver Center Theatre Company (DCTC). Two weeks ago, CTG hosted the Celebrate Theatre gala at the Country Dinner Playhouse. More than 250 people from the Denver theatre community attended the gala, raising $4,000. The gala was not only a meeting of theatre minds, but also an opportunity for actors from 11 theatres to perform highlights from their 2001 seasons.
According to Shanstrom, getting people into the theatre for the first time is the first step in getting them to become regular theatre attendees. "We know that a lot of regular theatre-goers are going to take advantage of this," she explained. "What we're hoping is that out of all of the people who are calling about the discounts, some of them aren't regular theatre-goers. We want to reach those people that are always saying that they want to go to the theatre, but never do."
Denver theatre has a lot of competition when vying for the public's attention and time, Denise Maes, CTG's treasurer and executive director/owner of the Bovine Metropolis Theater, said. "We live in a city with a strong sports and entertainment base," she said. "We're surrounded by sports bars and people love to go see sports, and they also love recreation in the mountains, and we have to compete with these very well-marketed entities. How do we get people to go out and see theatre? Denver and the surrounding area have two million people. With all of those people, we should be able to fill all of our theatres every weekend."
Shanstrom added that part of the challenge for smaller theatres to gain audiences is that the only plays that show up on much of the general public's theatre radar are the Broadway touring shows. "It would be nice to snag some of those people who think the only quality theatre is the Broadway touring stuff. Having worked at the (Denver Center) complex and being part of the whole Broadway touring thing for 15-18 years, I can't tell you how many times I have seen Broadway shows that have come through, then seen a local production and thought that it was so much better than the Broadway show."
Maes pointed out that people will pay a lot of money for such shows which should make local shows look like a bargain. "The fact that people pay $60 for theatre tickets is actually encouraging," she said. "If people will put down $ 60 to see a Broadway show, they'll be able to pay $15 to see a local show."
"We've got to turn around that "Broadway" mentality to make people realize that you can get quality for $15-20 just like you can get quality for $60, Shanstrom said. "When you're paying only $15-20, it's a lot less of a risk."
Various Denver-area theatres are participating in Theatre Night Out with different voices represent- ing different types of shows from different types of venues. "Theatre is something where you develop a habit --you either go see plays or you don't. But in many cases, it only takes one play to get people hooked," said Kathy Maes, chair of the Department of Theater, Film, and Video production for the University of Colorado at Denver. In addition to her administrative position, Maes is also the director of UCD's performance of the Aristophanes play Lysistrata , a classic Greek comedy that involves the title character and her female compatriots withholding sex from their men for the purpose of stopping a war.
Maes sees Theatre Night Out as a positive thing for Denver theatre. "Anything you can do to get people into the theatre is good, and this gives them some more incentive," she said.
Having a quality space definitely helps people develop that theatre habit. The King Center for the Performing Arts opened on UCD' Campus in 2000. Before the facility opened, UCD was the only college of its size in the state without a performing arts center on campus. "We were performing in our little black box in the arts building and also rented the Acoma Center for performances," Maes said.
Kirk Anderson also understands the importance of a good space. He and friends Dave and Jane Shirley, co-owners of Rattlebrain Theater Company, opened not only a new theatre company, but a new theatre space in the basement of the D&F Clocktower on the 16th Street Mall just three weeks ago.
As a new theatre company, Rattlebrain's owners are obviously anxious about getting people to come see their shows (two are currently playing: Ride , an improv show, and Spackle the Crack , a series of comedy sketches). But Anderson stressed that he doesn't want audiences to come for the wrong reasons. "I don't like talking about 'supporting' theatre. I don't want people to 'support' theatre. I want them to enjoy it. I don't want people to feel like it s a sick relative that they have to go see."
He also realizes that while the general public is aware of theatre, that awareness can be fleeting. "People know that theatre is there, they just don't have it in their face all the time, so it's easy to forget. I'd like it if a new segment of the Denver area was reminded that there's something else to do besides see movies--that there is entertainment that is live and real and every bit as exciting as the latest blockbuster."
Nita Froelich, the executive producer of Community Artists Theatre (CAT) in Northglenn and the producer/co-director of CAT's production of the popular musical Godspell, agrees with Anderson and also points out that maintaining a high level of quality is essential to keeping the theatre-going public's attention. "I think the support continues to grow as long as you produce good shows that the public is interested in seeing," she said. "The harder nuts to crack are people who have never been exposed to live theatre. I find that if a non-theatre-goer attends a well-done live theatrical production, they enjoy the experience and will return." Froelich feels that Theatre Night Out is a worth-while endeavor, but hopes that it accomplishes its goal of getting new blood into the seats. "I think it is worth a try if for nothing more than letting the public know that there is a wealth of live theatre available in the metro area covering all areas of theatre," she said. "My fear is that it will only be noticed by actors or other theatre-related people and not the general public."
Elgin Kelley, an actress who has performed in theatres all over Denver and has acted frequently with the Denver Civic Theatre, cites many contributing factors to the success or failure of a show. "While it's true that each company has its own following based off of the demographic they strive to reach, as well as the 'general theatre community,' I find that good and great theatre often suffers from a low turn out, depending upon that particular production's marketing, reviews, cast size, venue, and so forth."
Kelley plays the role of Echo in the Aurora Fox's production of Eleemosynary . "For Eleemosynary , because of strong reviews, our publicity and word of mouth, audience numbers are growing, including the regulars who attend shows at the DCPA and Arvada Center that don't necessarily venture to other theatres." Eleemosynary is the story of three generations of women who try to find the true meaning of the word "eleemosynary" (defined as "of pertaining to alms; charitable").
Like the others, Kelley hopes that Theatre Night Out will not only generate new theatre-goers, but will really turn them on to a medium that they might not have been previously aware of. "I'm extremely pleased with the idea of a Theatre Night Out, and laud the CTG for giving it a shot," she said. "I think maybe people just don't realize how great live theatre is and how affordable it is and how it can change your life, or maybe just your day, if you give it a chance."
John Ashton is the owner of the Avenue Theatre on 17th Street, a member of CTG, and a star of Avenue's hit comedy Sylvia . He plays Greg, a man who is going through a mid-life crisis "relationship" with his dog (Ashton will be out of town for the Theatre Night Out performance of Sylvia , so an understudy will fill in for him). Ashton echoed the feelings of his fellow Guild and theatre community members. "We want people who don't normally go to the theatre to take a chance. Hopefully, some of them will say, 'Hey--this is a great way to spend an evening. It's much better than what's on television!"
Lysistrata, Ride, Spackle the Crack, Godspell, Eleemosynary , and Sylvia will all be performed on Theatre Night Out at varying discounted ticket prices. With all of these opportunites ( and many others) to see some great shows at discounted rates, there's no excuse not to. Go see one!
To aid you in your search for a dramatic destination on Saturday, here is a list of all of the theatres participating in Theatre Night Out and their Saturday night performances. If you're planning to see a show, we highly recommend calling the theatre first as many are expected to sell out and some theatres require advanced reservations. When making reservations, mention the Colorado Theatre Guild to find out what sort of discount is being offered.
Death and the Maiden
at El Centro Su Teatro, 8:05 pm,
4725 High St. , 303-296-0219 ( Spanish Version)
Arsenic and Old Lace
at the Country Dinner Playhouse,
6875 S. Clinton St., 303-799-1410
Eleemosynary
at the Aurora Fox, 7:30pm,
9000 E. Colfax, Aurora 303-361-2910
Paddywack/ Tir Na Nog, an Irish Theatre
at LIDA Project Theater, 8 pm,
2180 Stout St., 720-231-1258
Sunday in the Park with George
at Nomad Theatre, 8 pm,
1410 Quince Ave, Boulder, 720-406-6991
They're Playing Our Song
at the Town Hall Arts Center, 8 pm,
2450 W. Main, Littleton, 303-794-2787
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
at the Longmont Theatre Co., 7:30 pm,
513 Main St. , Longmont, 303-772-5200
Fuddy Meers
(Curious Theatre Co) at the Acoma Center, 8 pm,
1180 Acoma St. , 303-623-0524
Lysistrata
(University of Colorado at Denver Theatre) at the
King Center on the Auraria Campus, 7:30 pm, 855 Lawrence Way, 303-556-2296
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
(Denver Center Attractions) at the Garner Galleria
Theatre, 7:30 pm, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 303-893-4100
Simple is as Simple Does
at the Bovine Metropolis Theater, 8 pm,
1527 Champa St., 303-758-4722
Almost Heaven: Songs and Stories of John Denver
(DCTC) at the Stage Theatre, 8 pm,
Denver Performing Arts Complex, 303-893-4100
Cabaret
at the Theatre on Broadway, 7:30 pm,
13 S. Broadway, 303-860-9360
The Miss Firecracker Contest
at the Ascot Theatre, 7: 30 pm,
9136 W. Bowles, 303-904-3334
Beach Bop A Go-Go
(Paper Cat Theatre Co.) at Buntport, 8 pm,
717 Lipan, 303-320-0966
Spackle the Crack ,
7: 30 pm, and Ride , 10 pm, at Rattlebrain Theater, D& F Tower at Arapahoe and
16th St. (on the 16th St. Mall) , 720-932-7384
Sylvia
at the Avenue Theatre, 8 pm,
2119 E. 17th Ave. 303-321-5925
Godspell
(Community Artists Theater) at the D. L. Parsons Theater, 7: 30 pm,
11801 Community Center Drive, Northglenn, 303-425-5109.
Five Women Wearing The Same Dress
at the Everyman Theatre Co. , 8 pm,
1900 W. Littleton Blvd., 303-347-1900
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