With the aerial dust still several miles from settling on the Denver Center Theatre Company’s first transition to a new artistic director in 21 years, David McClendon is more than happy to offer his former mates a place to relax for the summer.
“When I ask them, ‘How would you like to spend the summer in Aspen?’ – well, it’s an easy sell,” said McClendon, who is the new artistic director of Theatre Aspen (formerly Aspen Theatre in the Park).
McClendon, who directed “Lobby Hero” and “Boston Marriage” for the DCTC, has a three-year plan to open a $10 million performing-arts institute that would present six plays annually in 300- and 150-seat theaters, educational programs and a Sundance-like lab for developing new projects. He would operate in partnership with the Aspen Film Festival and model some “think-tank” programming after the nearby Aspen Institute.
If all that comes to fruition, Theatre Aspen would qualify to become the nation’s 67th (and the state’s third) member of the League of Regional Theatres.
“We have an opportunity to build something that doesn’t exist anywhere else, in terms of both programming and architecture,” McClendon said.
Theatre Aspen now performs in an outdoor tent on a $900,000 annual budget. That’s up 50 percent from a year ago – an entirely donor-based spike – and much of that will go to housing 24 visiting artists.
This summer, that prestigious list includes DCTC stalwart Bill Christ, who will star opposite a yet-to-be-announced veteran DCTC leading lady in Steve Martin’s “The Underpants,” opening Aug. 4. “Lobby Hero” star Rick Stear returns to headline “The Colorado Catechism,” opening July 14, and former DCTC associate artistic director Anthony Powell will direct “Smokey Joe’s Café,” opening June 30. Kevin Copenhaver, who designed the masks for DCTC’s “Oedipus Rex,” will design costumes and Robert Morgan sets. Dan McNeil and his wife oversaw a $50,000 renovation and expansion of the performance tent from 140 to 180 seats.
Yet to be determined is whether the new arts center will be built in partnership with the city or private interests. That shouldn’t be a hard sell, especially after a recent study by the Red Brick Center determined that the arts have just as much of an economic impact on Aspen as skiing.
“Aspen has some of the premier cultural programming in the world,” McClendon said. “It has the ballet, the music festival, the institute. The missing piece of the puzzle has been theater.”
McClendon said he was approached during the run of “Lobby Hero,” but wasn’t initially interested because his family had just settled into a ranch outside Colorado Springs. “Then (DCTC actor) Randy Moore set out to cajole me and beat me about the shoulders,” McClendon said. “He was quite dogmatic in his insistence that I look into this, and I am very glad now that he did.”
Call 970-925-9313 for information.
Curious snags Kushner
Tony Kushner (“Angels in America”) has signed on to write for the Curious Theatre Company’s March 2006 multimedia collaboration “The War Anthology,” which will make for a perhaps unprecedented association between three Pulitzer Prize winners (Suzan-Lori Parks and Paula Vogel).
That factor alone will make “The War Anthology” among the three most significant theatrical events in Colorado history, alongside “The Laramie Project” and “Tantalus.”
“Honestly, I don’t know when three Pulitzer Prize winners have ever collaborated on anything before,” said Curious director Bonnie Metzgar. That lineup guarantees “The War Anthology” will be looked at closely by many New York producers for later production there.
Metzgar will hear none of that for now.
“Hey, we don’t even know what it is yet,” said Metzgar, who assembled her all-star roster by drawing on the extensive contacts she developed during nine years with New York’s Public Theatre. “Even though this is a subject of great importance to the entire country, we want to let this piece be grounded in Denver, as something that is being held in the hands of this town.
“We have to let the piece become whatever it wants to become rather than commoditizing it before we even know what it is.”
“The War Anthology” roster also includes Denver playwright Melissa McCarl (“Poignant Irritations”), Elaine Romero (“Barrio Hollywood”), and slam playwrights Mildred Ruiz and Steven Sapp, who helped develop “Slanguage” for the New York Theatre Workshop in 2001. The LIDA Project’s Brian Freeland is the project’s videographer. Each piece will be inspired by one photograph depicting America at war in the past 100 years, though Metzgar said Kushner’s piece may be more of a performed essay.
“Tony feels so passionately about the topic of war, and particularly this war we are in right now,” said Metzgar. “He is so committed to so many projects right now, but when he heard about this he said, ‘I’ll do whatever I can. Sign me up.’ That’s an amazing testament to where politics sits on his personal agenda. It’s at the top, and we’re fortunate because of it.”
Briefly …
Rattlebrain, Buntport, A.C.E., Bovine Metropolis, Chicken Lips and The Traveling Susans are among the companies performing in Monday’s Gilda’s Club fundraiser, “It’s Always Something Funny,” from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the new Denver Civic Theatre. Gilda’s Club is a refuge for anyone touched by cancer. Tickets $125 per person; $200 for two (800-316-4660). …
Anthony Powell may be gone as a full-time DCTC staff member, but he will direct “After Ashley” for new artistic director Kent Thompson opening April 13. …
And the fifth appearance by the national touring company of “The Phantom of the Opera” has been extended by two weeks, with run dates Nov. 2-Dec. 4 at the Buell Theater (303-893-4100).
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-820-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
