It’s Texas Independence Day AND the first Tuesday of March, which means it’s time for a new episode of “10 Minutes to Curtain”!

This month, go behind-the-scenes with the creators of the world premiere musical Mama Hated Diesels, learn about how costumes are designed and created for the upcoming production of Shakespeare’s Othello, catch up with 11-year-old local Bryce Baldwin before he joined the national Broadway tour of Mary Poppins, and don’t miss highlights from Charlie’s Colorado New Play Summit video blogs.

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Today was the final day of the 5^th Annual Colorado New Play Summit.   What a journey!

Our day started with a moving  reading of The House of Spirits by Caridad Svich.  This play, based on the novel by Isabel Allende, looks at four generations of political and social upheavals in Latin America through the powerful lens of memory.   After the reading we heard from actor Randy Moore and the playwright herself, Caridad Svich:

Next we took a break for lunch followed by the Panel Discussion in the Seawell Grand Ballroom where members of the American Theatre Critics Association discussed the relationship between new works and the critics.  Here, Charlie talks to critics John Moore, Jeffrey Eric Jenkins and Chris Jones:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwA0w65HXpo

For our last theatrical event of the summit, we attended Eventide in The Stage Theatre.  Read at the New Play Summit last year, this companion piece to Plainsong is based on a book by Kent Haruf and adapted for the stage by Eric Schmiedl.  The play had the audience in tears of sorrow and joy at the end – a great way to end the Summit.

Following the play, a bittersweet Closing Reception commenced in the Seawell Grand Ballroom.  What a great festival.  We hope to see you all next year for the 2011 Colorado New Play Summit.  Also, stay tuned for the announcement of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s 2011 Season next month, which is sure to feature some of the plays read at this year’s Summit.

We’ll wrap things up with some comments posted on Facebook and Twitter this week about the Summit:

Carole Healey The Play Summit rehearsals have begun and I am doing the wonderful new play, Map of Heaven. We read through Michelle Lowe’s gripping script and then, Scott Schwartz, our director led us through a fascinating discussion of themes, characters and we opened up a discussion of topics ranging from health care to art and it…’s meanings…It is going to be an intense week, full of discovery. This is why we love the theatre. Carole Healey

cars21  (answering the question “What was your favorite reading at the Summit and why?”) @DenverCenter HOUSE because it paints a landscape I want to see fully realized & introduced us to a family I want to learn more about.

xagoeson  “Eventide” @DenverCenter was really, really good. You have 2 more weeks. Go see it.

bestplays  After one fully staged production, three play readings and s playwright’s slam, it’s clear that DCTC exists in no other theater’s shadow.

corteseatwork 7th inning stretch for Ken Weitzman’s THE CATCH at the New Play Summit! First act was knocked out of the park!

corteseatwork Full house for EVENTIDE tonight, the final event of the New Play Summit; some great theatre packed into these past few days!

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Phew!  What a long (yet glorious) day of new plays.  Here’s a run-down of our activities today:

10am – Coffee in the lobby (Yessss…).

11am – First reading of the day in The Ricketson Theatre – Map of Heaven, a new play by Michele Lowe.  Michele is best known in Denver for Inana, which was read at the Summit in 2008 and premiered at The Denver Center in 2009.  Map of Heaven is a powerful story of an artist and her husband, a radiologist, and the devastating consequences that occur as a result of a single lapse of judgment.   Afterwards, Charlie Miller caught playwright Eric Schmiedl and director Scott Schwartz for their reactions on the play:

1:30pm – Lunch time!  Everyone gathered in the lobby of the Bonfils Theatre Complex for delicious sandwiches by Jay’s Hot Ticket Café.  Yum!

3pm – Back down to The Ricketson Theatre where we saw the reading of The Catch by Ken Weitzman. The play follows a failed dot-commer as he pots to regain his fortune by catching a star slugger’s record-breaking home run ball.   Here, Literary Manager Doug Langworthy and dramaturg Mike Sablone give their thoughts about the play:

5:30pm – Time for dinner in the Seawell Grand Ballroom.  Between bites, we had the opportunity to learn more about Civilization: (All You Can Eat), by Jason Grote.  Jason also wrote 1001, which premiered at The Denver Center in 2007:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxVVNVHzffc

7:30pm – Again to The Ricketson Theatre for the final reading of the day – Civilization (All You Can Eat).  What a unique show!  The play is a fierce burlesque of America’s love/hate obsession with food.  Here are some reactions to the show:

10pm – Finally, we ended the day with the Playwrights’ Slam in The Jones Theatre.  What a great way to wrap up a long day: Over drinks, several of our commissioned playwrights read excerpts from their plays in the works.

Now – off to bed!   Check in tomorrow night for our final summit recap.

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And we’re off!  The Colorado New Play Summit has officially begun.  First on the agenda tonight was a performance of the world premiere production of When Tang Met Laika, a play by Rogelio Martinez read at the Summit last year.  Because it takes place largely on the International Space Station, the play has a lot of interesting technological elements (video projections, turntables, moving scenery, etc), but they don’t distract from Rogelio’s compelling story.   The audience loved the show;  Actor Ian Merrill Peakes, who plays Patrick, said “The show was great tonight, we had a full house of smart, savy theatre-goers.  It was awesome.”

Before the performance, Charlie Miller had a chance to hear from Artistic Director Kent Thompson and playwright Jose Cruz Gonzalez:

After returning from their (theatrical) journey to space, festival attendees went up to the Seawell Grand Ballroom for the Opening Reception.  DCTC Artistic Director Kent Thompson gave a brief welcome to the enthusiastic crowd and mingling ensued.   At the reception, Charlie chatted with several theatre professionals about When Tang Met Laika:

That’s all for today – check back tomorrow for the next daily recap of the Summit.

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It’s Groundhog Day AND the first Tuesday of February,  which means it’s time for a new episode of “10 Minutes to Curtain”!

This month, Charlie explains why he’s only had time to make 2.5 Minutes to Curtain (hint: it has to do with his work on the new production of When Tang Met Laika). Then, get an exclusive backstage tour of The Denver Center’s Space and Stage theatres, home to the world premiere productions of WHEN TANG MET LAIKA and EVENTIDE. And don’t forget to tune in next week for live video blogs from the 5th Annual Colorado New Play Summit.

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It’s George Washington’s 251^st wedding anniversary AND the first Tuesday of January, which means it’s time for a new episode of “10 Minutes to Curtain”

The Denver Center celebrates the New Year with the opening of two world premiere productions; this month, Charlie gives you a behind-the-scenes look at both shows. Meet NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless, who talks with the cast of WHEN TANG MET LAIKA about life in zero gravity, and hear from the cast and creative team of EVENTIDE as they revisit familiar characters. Then, look back on five years of the COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT and don’t miss the auditions for the coveted role of Laika the dog.

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It’s World AIDS Day AND the first Tuesday of December, which means it’s time for a new episode of “10 Minutes to Curtain”!

 
With Thanksgiving past and the holiday season upon us, one thing is certain at The Denver Center: A CHRISTMAS CAROL is up and running. Charlie goes backstage to talk with some actors about the real drama in the production, then climbs up to the catwalks to give you an exclusive birds-eye-view of the complicated scene changes in ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR. Then, join Ann Kron for a tour of her living room on the WELL set and learn about the upcoming world premiere productions of EVENTIDE and WHEN TANG MET LAIKA.

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It’s Culture Day in Japan AND the first Tuesday of November, which means it’s time for a new episode of “10 Minutes to Curtain”
 
 
Charlie begins this episode with a theatrical exploration inspired by Well, a play about the creation of a play. Then join the characters from Absurd Person Singular in couples therapy as they deal with the stresses of the holidays. And get an exclusive look at A Christmas Carol kid auditions and find out what it takes to be Denver’s next Tiny Tim.

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By Charlie Miller, Resident Multimedia Specialist

If you haven’t seen our Online Fortune Teller yet, you MUST go check it out!

Here’s the deal: I wanted to create something entertaining and interactive online that

Kathleen Brady as our Fortune Teller

would allow audiences to browse through the season’s plays and learn about the different aspects of the productions. We came up with different categories and realized it would be fun for people to choose a category and find their play from there. There are some fun interactive card tricks on YouTube and from that we decided to turn the categories into tarot-like cards, inspired by the awesome season artwork. But then who would read the cards?

Growing up in Denver, I saw a lot of productions at the Denver Center Theatre Company. One of my favorites was Thorton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, which was produced when I was in high school in 2002. I’ll never forget Kathleen Brady (a favorite resident actor) as the Fortune Teller in that show. When I found out the costume was still in storage and Katheen was willing to do it, all of the pieces fell into place and the online Fortune Teller was born!

Well, first it took many hours of planning, filming, editing, and programming. Using 181 cards in her deck, the Fortune Teller invites viewers to choose categories of plays that pique their interest. Each category leads to another set of options, and eventually the Fortune Teller predicts which of the Denver Center’s ten productions the viewer will attend. The Online Fortune Teller is comprised of 62 final videos, averaging 55 seconds each, that are linked together using 188 YouTube buttons. With dozens of categories from which to choose, there are 124 possible outcomes.

I am really excited about the Online Fortune Teller because it is a fun and interactive new way for audiences to explore the plays in our season. We are always trying to find new methods of engaging people, and these interactive videos are really unique. Plus, Kathleen Brady is hilarious!

Click here to try it out:

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By Daniel L. Ritchie, Chairman and CEO, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Welcome to The Denver Center’s BLOG! We are really exited to launch this new part of our website where you can hear from many of the different voices at The Denver Center. This is a new way for you to connect with the Center, so read posts, look at behind-the-scenes pictures and videos, and don’t forget to interact, too. We’d love to hear from you, so please leave comments and ask questions.

I was so excited about the launch of our blog that I had to make a video to celebrate. Make sure you watch this—it’s a side of me you’ve never seen and are not likely to see ever again!

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