By Cara Miale, Fourth Wall member

Cast members Megan Byrne and Chris Mixon judging sweaters.

Thanksgiving came and went kicking off another holiday season and all that it brings: family dysfunction, snowflake sweaters, shameless re-gifting, drunken uncles, and oh yes – cheer.

If your holidays are anything like mine, an Ugly Sweater Party and Absurd Holiday Extravaganza with  FOURTH WALL, The Denver Center’s new group of culture lovin’ 20- and 30-somethings, is a more-than-welcome occasion.

At a recent event, friends and members of Fourth Wall mixed and mingled, caught a performance of Absurd Person Singular and rang in the holidays with cathartic cocktails at a lively after party. If Fourth Wall’s party felt different than the usual holiday events, it might be because:

• No one’s judging you – just your ugly sweater. Cast members Megan Byrne and Chris Mixon of Absurd Person Singular had quite the task at hand as official judges of the Ugly Sweater Contest. Fourth Wall Members came dressed to impress in an array of hilariously hideous holiday sweaters, including one with pockets for Christmas cards.
• It Was Nothing Like Little Sister’s Holiday Play. Nope, no two hour Frosty the Snowman medley or snoring grandma at this show.  We laughed our faces off (and not because someone peed their pants on stage) at a performance of Absurd Person Singular, a hilarious comedy featuring some strangely familiar dysfunctional couples at Christmas.
• … of the White Elephant in the Room. No dancing around uncomfortable subjects at the dinner table. The only elephant in the room at the Fourth Wall party was wrapped in tinsel with a bow on top. Our white elephant gift exchange featured piles of fun and festive gifts; even tickets to Spring Awakening – now there’s something worth stealing from a friend. Of course, not every present was equally amazing – someone did go home with a box of rotten bananas. 
• There was Mixing and Mingling with Other Grown Ups – Cool Ones.  Students from the National Theatre Conservatory stopped by the Fourth Wall party for a meet and greet. Yes, real celebrities. As much as we all enjoy the cheek-pinching and Q&A sessions that are par for the course at family gatherings, nothing beats an evening out with other 20- and 30-somethings who appreciate a little culture and a little cocktail.

Happy Holidays from Fourth Wall, and join us at our next event for EVENTIDE on January 30!

Josh Rael and Heidi Bosk in their best sweaters.

Popularity: 17% [?]

By Amanda J. Bucher,  Dancer

Irresistibly Wicked | Sat, Oct 31 | Seawell Ballroom

On Halloween night, as the Rocky Mountain Rockstarz Dance Team walked into The Denver Center’s Seawell Grand Ballroom, eyes lit up with anticipation and excitement. As a new member of the Rockstarz, I can honestly say that I did not know what to expect from the organization and its affiliates. I found myself hypnotized by the hustle and bustle of the crew while they delicately draped green, white, black and gold décor throughout the ballroom making it a magical, mini Emerald City. As I observed the careful and strategic preparation of music, food, entertainment, and drinks, my heart skipped a beat and I immediately knew that performing at the Irresistibly Wicked Party would be an experience I would never forget.

After hours of practice at our own facility, it was now time to transfer our routines into this new, magnificent space. At this point, I began to realize that we were about to perform in front of the talented Wicked cast members. The thought of performing in front of performers proved to be both exhilarating and terrifying. I believe it’s safe to say that we all stepped up to the challenge.

Around 9pm, the eager party-goes began to trickle in. As we mingled through the crowd, it became increasingly clear that this was the place to celebrate Halloween 2009! Finally the party exploded into full swing and we were given the cue to make our way back to the dressing room in preparation for the opening performance. Nerves escalated while we stretched our sore and anxious muscles. This was it; almost time to go on!

We quickly changed from our cute and sassy Halloween costumes into the Rockstarz signature white-men’s button up shirt and tie, cute black shorts and leg warmers. While we danced to “I Put a Spell on You,” the crowd reveled at this unexpected treat on the dance floor. We had broken the ice with a solid routine and now we were ready to escalate our game. The intimacy of our performance was a little intimidating. Dancing pretty much on top of our audience was something that many of us hadn’t experienced since our pro-dance team days. Again, it was both refreshing and scary all at once.

Our next performance was to Shakira’s “She Wolf.” Our costumes for this piece seemed to match the overall color scheme of the party perfectly. We enthusiastically changed into our black vests, green tutus, bright-green gloves, chokers and accents. This routine pumped up the crowd immensely. We played off of each other’s energy and felt the success of the performance even before the crowd’s profound applause. Two down, one finale to go!

As we set up for Michael Jackson’s classic Halloween song “Thriller,” members of the Wicked cast playfully poked and prodded my pseudo-dead, lifeless, hanging body. I tried my best to keep a straight face because, after all, we were performing in front of amazing actors and actresses! Later on in the dressing room, we all got a great kick out of this. Our costumes consisted of old, torn-up prom and bridesmaid dresses, which we took lighters, mud, leaves and red lipstick to. We wanted to create the “fresh-out-of the-coffin look” that we all know and love! The piece was a big hit. The crowd and cast-members’ approval radiated as we ghoulishly dragged Michael Jackson’s girlfriend (from the video) off the stage. The performance was a hit and we couldn’t have been more thrilled —no pun intended!

Popularity: 12% [?]

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: 27% [?]

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: 35% [?]

At the SATURDAY NIGHT ALIVE kick-off party last Thursday, Stan and Sara Sena did what chairs do best — build anticipation.

“Spanning a 50-year career, our entertainer has had 37 Top 40 hits, a Grammy, a Soul Train Music Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and not one but two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame” — drumroll please — “Smokey Robinson.”

Instantly the room was buzzing with anticipation and champagne corks were flying because anyone who bought tickets to the March event that night received a bottle of champagne.

Here’s to a smokin’ event — cheers!

Popularity: 19% [?]