By Emily Edwards, Audience Development Intern

Since the age of nine The Denver Center for the Performing Arts has thrilled me with its theatrical performances. Luckily I grew up with parents who shared with me their interest in the theatre.  One of the first shows I remember seeing here was Cats. The lights, music, and amazingly cat like furry leotards remain vivid in my memory. Fortunately CATS  will be coming back to The Denver Center for a limited time in January 2010.

This experience early on in life has kept me coming back for more. I have enjoyed various other performances through Denver Center Attractions, and over the last couple years I have become more familiar with the Denver Center Theatre Company and the quality work they provide for the community. One perk of being a student in Denver is the student rush ticket price of just $10 available an hour before these shows with a student ID. I most recently joined other students taking advantage of this offer for The Voysey Inheritance and on Halloween will be joining other 20 and 30 somethings for a Denver Center Fourth Wall event centered on A Raisin in the Sun.

I would like to say that I have come to know about all of these events by way of my own exploration, but being an intern in the marketing department at the DCPA has certainly helped. I encourage you to take the initiative and browse the website to find out about all the present and upcoming shows and events.  You don’t want to miss out!

Popularity: 26% [?]

Last week, we had the exclusive opportunity to go backstage with CBS4’s Greg Moody to see Donna Vivino, who plays Elphaba in WICKED, get painted green before the show.  Makeup artist Christina Knapp told us they use a green paint that’s very simple – green coloring with cream, powder and water.  They paint it on with very soft, broad calligraphy brushes – one wet with paint and one dry to buff it into a sheer green skintone.  The actress’ face, shoulders and hands are all that’s painted green – her bodysuit and costumes cover the rest.  After the paint is applied, making an all over green skin tone, the beauty makeup is applied, including highlighting eye shadow and purple blush.  It’s an amazing transformation.  As Christina noted, Elphaba is supposed to be a beautiful girl who happens to be green.  So the beauty makeup really helps bring out that effect – she begins to really look like a gorgeous – yet green – girl.

Popularity: 49% [?]

Shauna Miles, “Actor B” in Well and Third-Year Student of the National Theatre Conservatory

Shauna Miles, National Theatre Conservatory Student

My experience in WELL thus far has been fantastic! My initial two years of training at the NATIONAL THEATRE CONSERVATORY have been in preparation for an opportunity like this; every rehearsal has given me a chance to take all I’ve learned and put it to practical use. The role of “Actor B” has been challenging, but also incredibly exciting and satisfying. I’m tasked with creating 5 distinct characters. Everyday I call upon my first year training in Larry Hecht’s “Extended Character” class to guide and inspire me in my development of each of these very different and very specific people.

And of course, working along side a Denver Center Theatre Company veteran like Kathy Brady has been a wonderful bonus. I love watching the way she continually uncovers the depth and humanity of the character she’s crafting. Bearing witness to the nuances and choices of each of the actors in this production has been absolutely invaluable; it’s a wonderful culmination to my time here at the NTC and I feel so fortunate to have been afforded this experience as I prepare to re-enter the “real world” of acting.

Popularity: 44% [?]

By Jill Behr, 1982 Chair of Saturday Night Alive

Behind the scenes stories were told by Past Chairs of Saturday Night Alive at a recent luncheon honoring them for their role in orchestrating the annual signature event for The Denver Center for Performing Arts. Anticipating the upcoming 30^th SNA anniversary it was a time to celebrate the $10 million raised over the years to bring the Arts in Education program to 250,000 children all over the Front Range.

Saturday Night Alive. Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

Jill Behr, 1982 Chair for the second ever Saturday Night Alive, was the hostess and welcomed guests at Steakhouse #10 who co-sponsored the luncheon along with the Denver Center Alliance. It was a time for reminiscing about the past. Jill recounted how the event was named after “Saturday Night Live,” which started airing on NBC in 1974. Both entities have had a long tradition and are still going strong.

The stories included the good, the bad and the surprise elements of producing a major event. Sue McFarlane, 1986 co-chair with Gini Chrisco, shared that Billy Crystal was inadvertently announced in the press as the entertainer when a conflict occurred where he couldn’t commit. Carolyn Dunn Kepner, 1994 Chair, had Nell Carter as the entertainer. She had problems breathing and walking in the thin Denver air and asked the audience “How do people live here?” She also lost all her wigs while traveling to the Mile High City. Shirley Smith, 1993 chair, was alerted that her entertainer Mandy Patinkin, while a great showman, was going to give a lecture on stage about a controversial 1993 amendment.

Liz Frawley’s year introduced the computer auction concept. Martin Marietta was a corporate sponsor and they adopted the theme “It’s Out of this World.” The company even donated a space suit for the event. Keeping with the high tech theme, Mike Wood, one of Martin Marietta’s employees wrote the software for the computerized auction. He eventually bought the rights from Martin and started Automated Events Solution, which today is used at many a fund raising events.

Saturday Night Alive has had many fun-filled themes for the evening’s décor. Leslie Farkas, 1988 Chair, oversaw the year that was built around an Ocean Liner – they had a cake designed of a ship. Joan Swineheart 1995 Chair’s theme was “We’re Taking you to the Stars” with Tony Bennett as the entertainer. Jaylene Smith 2001 Chair’s theme was “Up, Up and Away.” She prescreened her entertainment Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. at a show in Las Vegas to make sure they were a hit. They were. Kristina Davidson 2002 Chair’s theme was “Strictly Sizzling” with the female guests each receiving a feathered boa. The event was a great success, although there was no patron party that year in recognition of the after effects of 9/11. “Under the Rainbow” was the theme for Cindi Burge’s year of 2006 paying tribute to the entertainer Linda Eder. The theme “Get Your Groove On” was Sandee LaPedis’s theme in 2007 with entertainment by the Neville Bros.

Smokey Robinson

Gail Johnson, 2004 Chair,  had the thrill of featuring an up and coming super star before he became a known entertainer who recently just appeared on “Oprah.” Michael Bublé was still playing bar clubs when he was nabbed to sing for SNA in 2004. Gail said, “He was sick as a dog the night of his performance – red nose and all. However, those who heard him recognized a star in the making. Another star who had a major come back was Frankie Valli who was a natural choice for Gayle Novak; 2008 Chair, as Jersey Boys was a huge broadway hit touring the country including a stop in Denver. Gayle is this year’s President of the Denver Center Alliance. She has created many new and exciting events for Alliance members.

Maintaining the tradition of great entertainment, the March 6, 2010 SNA will feature award-winning Smokey Robinson. This year’s Chair, Sarah Sena, reported that ticket sales have “Taken on a life of their own”; the event is more than 70% sold. Patron and corporate tables are still available.

Proceeds go to support The Denver Center’s theatre education programs such as Student Matinees, in-school residencies for K-12, drama classes any much more.

Popularity: 20% [?]

By Sarah Hom, Group Sales Manager

Where did the time go?  Doesn’t it feel like we went from July straight into October (and the end of October at that)?  Usually this is the time of year when I start panicking.  Thanksgiving arrangements to be made, Christmas shopping to finish (or start), New Year’s Eve parties to organize, party outfits need to be planned, and Halloween!

Irresistibly Wicked | Sat, Oct 31 | Seawell Ballroom

What on earth am I going to do for Halloween?!  Well this year I can cross one big thing off of my overwhelming list.  The Denver Center is throwing a spectacular Halloween Party and that’s where I’ll be with all of my friends AND members of the cast of WICKED!  Awesome music, a costume contest with cash prizes ($500,$300, $200), and sexy flying monkey go-go dancers?  You couldn’t keep my Wicked-loving heart away.

Get your tickets before they’re gone!  www.irresistiblywicked.com

Oh and I forgot the best part, all proceeds from this party support The Denver Center.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Former Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung has taken his music career in a new direction.  He’s composed the music and lyrics for the new 101 Dalmatians musical, which is headed to The Buell Theatre next summer.  The show – a completely new musical – is currently rehearsing on 42nd Street in New York City in preparation for its national tour.  Check out this video for some rehearsal footage and get the inside scoop on how they’ll be portraying the dogs and humans on the stage.

101 Dalmatians logo

Popularity: 26% [?]

FOURTH WALL, a new monthly play series for 20 and 30-somethings, has been just launched by the Denver Center Theatre Company (DCTC) as part of its ongoing efforts to engage the next generation of theatergoers. This new initiative to cultivate long-term patronage and make The Denver Center a cultural hub for young people is an audience development program for the 21^st Century that provides an alternative to the traditional subscription model.

Fourth Wall members playing our interactive Ponzi scheme game at the inaugural Fourth Wall event on September 26, 2009.

The Denver Center hosts Fourth Wall events the last Saturday of every month during the regular theatre season. Each event includes a performance of a DCTC production followed by a fun and engaging social event relating to the themes and ideas of the play. For example, the inaugural Fourth Wall party in September featured a performance of David Mamet’s adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance, a play about a century-old Ponzi scheme, and an evening-long interactive Ponzi scheme game played with Monopoly money and chance cards.

This program was designed and created by The Denver Center Young Professional Advisory Board, a group of 18 young professionals who volunteer their time helping the DCTC develop new strategies for engaging a new generation at the theatre. Members of the Board co-chair each Fourth Wall event, planning and executing the night’s activities with Denver Center staff support.

Fourth Wall memberships cost $50 and include discounts at the theatre and local restaurants, special Denver Center offers, and a USB membership card with free downloads at each event. Members can purchase $25 tickets to every Fourth Wall event (that’s 50% off regular prices), and $40 tickets are available to non-members.

For more information about Fourth Wall, visit http://www.denvercenter.org/fourthwall or contact Jamie Alexander at jalexander@dcpa.org.

Popularity: 36% [?]

By Kurt Van Raden, Assistant Stage Manager, Denver Center Theatre Company

The set for A RAISIN IN THE SUN

PROPS, PROPS, PROPS! My role on this show is all about the props…. Some shows I work with moving scenery and coordinating when it moves and who moves it. This show demands different talents. Welcome to A RAISIN IN THE SUN. Set in a cramped apartment with hundreds of little props (doilies, pictures, knickknacks, papers, rugs, silverware, etc.)

Look around your apartment/home/office and imagine if everything was packed away would you know the exact placement of each of those items? What angle was the phone at? Where was the red pencil? What drawer had the postcards in it? How many stamps are in there too?

These are the questions that I record and know the answers to.  So many times on a ‘set’ we have items that never move. In those cases we attached the items to the set so they never have the possibility of falling over or getting moved. In A RAISIN IN THE SUN the family begins to pack all their items and eventually the entire apartment is packed and put away.  We as stage managers have to know where each item goes back to at the end of the night and where each item is during the scene.  Where the tea cup got placed on the sink, who set it there and when it happened.

I hope that if you come see us that you won’t have any idea how much work goes into setting the stage each night.  If so, we did it right.

Popularity: 52% [?]

IN THE HEIGHTS is an original musical and is the brainchild of Lin-Manuel Miranda, who starred in the original Broadway cast and won a Tony for the show.  Check out the video below where he teams up with his original Broadway cast co-star Karen Olivo (currently in Broadway’s West Side Story) and the actor playing the lead role of “Usnavi” in the tour – Kyle Beltran – to tell us how they’re going to “Run This Tour.”  Let us tell you, we around The Denver Center are big fans of this show and are LOVING this video!  The show isn’t quite as dark and intense as this, but the video gives you an idea of how fun and different this musical is – full of freestyle rap, insanely cool dancing and some amazing singing.

Popularity: 24% [?]

By Sean Lyons, Third-Year Student, National Theatre Conservatory

Sean Lyons, Third-Year Student at the National Theatre Conservatory

If you were a Third-Year student at the NATIONAL THEATRE CONSERVATORY, you would most likely have the opportunity to understudy a part in a Denver Center Theatre Company production. Some of you would actually understudy several parts in one show. Others of you would be cast in one show while understudying a part in another show at the same time — it can get rather tricky; but the opportunity is valuable in its lessons of discipline and professionalism, not to mention simple line memorization, typically the least of your worries.

If you were a Third-Year, you might be only an understudy for a certain show, so attending rehearsals in that case is not required. You would merely attend of your own volition to learn the movement of your character(s) and perhaps get a better understanding of your lines. The only requirement is a scheduled “Understudy Rehearsal,” where the Stage Manager will basically lead all of the understudies through the show on the set with the props. Other than that, there is a lot of freedom, but you’d better be ready if called upon because you never know. Several years ago, a student understudied Hamlet. He did go on, and he did great.

If you were a Third-Year, you would still have classes most of the week at nine in the morning. Whether it is directing, voice, movement, or showcase, attendance is mandatory and sleeping is not. You would also be in the midst of planning fundraisers for your class to earn some desperately needed extra cash as you will most likely venture into the wonderful world of unemployment after graduation – but hopefully not for long.

If you were a Third-Year, some of your class might be lucky enough to receive larger roles than others — it is simply the nature of the business. But most importantly, what you’ll find is the chance to build relationships with an excellent group of actors who have been around the block a couple of times. Whether you are a lead, a servant, a spear carrier, or just a tree in the background, you will get to know what it’s like to work with a professional ensemble, the ins and outs of an Equity production, and the fact that everyone has to start somewhere.

National Theatre Conservatory instructor Robert Davidson (foreground) teaches a movement class. Photo by Eric Laurits.

If you were a Third-Year, you’d slowly be transitioning out of the scholastic environment into the professional world, even though the learning never stops. No matter how many classes you take, it’s not until you take that step onto the big stage that a new schooling begins.

And if you’re anything like me, that step will be a great feeling.

Popularity: 40% [?]