Today we continue to explore our love of theatre with more stories from Denver Center employees about plays that changed their lives. Feel free to add comments with your stories about life changing plays as well!

DCPA Employees - May 2010

Name:

Chris Wiger

Position @ The Denver Center: Public Relations Manager, Denver Center Theatre Company

Life Changing Play: The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman

Why: No question. The play that changed my life was the Denver Center world premiere of The Laramie Project. Working so closely with Moisés Kaufman and the interviewer/actors who told the story of Matthew Shepard’s beating in Wyoming was something I will never forget.

Name: Wid Horner

Position @ The Denver Center: Phone Campaign Manager

Life Changing Play: The Post Opera

Why: My first memory and probably my fondest one is my family going to The Post Opera in Cheesman Park in the summers with a picnic on the lawn. This was a wonderful family time together and I was fascinated by all the sets, costumes, and lights. Also, going to Central City to see the operas in the summer was a huge inspiration. I even became a bell ringing usher for The Central City Opera one summer. All of this inspired me to eventually get a Master’s of Fine Arts in Technical Theatre and Design and go into theatre, now, for more than 30 years.

Name: Bob Orzolek

Position @ The Denver Center: Scene Shop Foreman, Denver Center Theatre Company

Life changing play: Time of Your Life by William Saroyan

Why: When I was a freshman in high school I saw my neighbor playing the role of the drunkard in William Saroyan’s Time of Your Life. Nick the bartender was about to throw the drunkard out of the bar for the third time when the drunkard stopped him by putting out his hand and revealing the money that he intended to use to pay for his drink. Nick went back behind the bar and the drunkard slammed the money down on the bar. One of the coins popped out of his hand and rolled onto the floor where it circle around a few time and came to a stop. The drunkard’s eyes never left the escaped coin; his head slowly wobbled back and forth and came to an abrupt stop just as the coin came to rest.

I was so impressed with this 15-year-old kid’s focus and ability stay in the moment. I thought that if my neighbor could do that I could do it too. I auditioned for the next high school play and was cast as William Roper in A Man for All Seasons along with Lucy Roucis, of PHAMALy, who played Alice. 35 years later I am still very excited to be working in theatre.

Name: Dawn Williams

Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in RENT.

Position at The Denver Center:

Manager of Venue Sales and Marketing

Life Changing Play: Little Shop of Horrors and Rent

Why:

Little Shop of Horrors – off-Broadway in 1987 with my art class from Wheat Ridge High School — the fabric vines dropped from the ceiling and it was unbelievably cool! The performance was top notch and I knew I would be hooked on theatre from then on.

Rent — On Broadway with the original cast with my best girl friend in NYC — 1996 — what a powerful and alive performance. Molly Ringwald sat behind us and we left singing “525,600 Minutes” for the rest of the night and trip to New York.

Name: Amie Cavarra

Position @ The Denver Center: Marketing Department Volunteer

Life changing play: Living Out by Lisa Loomer

Why: Living Out still haunts me. I have two young children and probably too often make the mistake of putting work or self-centered obligations before them. While it is healthy to have some personal time, sometimes I get in too deep and I’m often haunted by this play. It reminds me that nothing should be more important than our kids and families. We need to make sacrifices both for work and against work, but always remember that our parenting role is the most important.

Name: Genevieve Miller

Position @ The Denver Center: Public Relations Manager, Denver Center Attractions

Life changing play: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

Why: After my sophomore year in college, I had a grant to do an internship at an urban non-profit of my choosing. I was deciding between working for the Environmental Protection Agency or Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. When I went to meet the folks at CSC, it dawned on me for the first time that there was a whole world of theatre professionals out there who weren’t performers, stage managers or design artists. There were people who were dedicated to the business side of theatre, on selling the tickets and keeping the organization running. After my interview, they gave me tickets to see their production of Midsummer that night and another light bulb went off. I was watching the most accessible, invigorating Shakespeare I’d ever seen. I had no idea it could be done like this – simple costumes, tiny stage, but a whole world developed from the language of Shakespeare. I did not choose to work at the EPA that summer. And I’ve been an arts administrator ever since.

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