The historic Elitch Theatre, described a century ago by Cecil B. DeMille as “one of the cradles of the American theater,” is about to have its second infancy as a playhouse and community resource center.
Groundbreaking is Monday on a $14.2 million renovation of the dilapidated, 115-year-old theater, which still stands, albeit creakily, on the original home of Elitch Gardens in northwest Denver. It has been 15 years since the theater was shuttered and a decade since the 32-acre amusement park it once anchored moved downtown and later took on the Six Flags name.
The theater, modeled in 1891 after Shakespeare’s original Globe, hosted the biggest names in show business, including Sarah Bernhardt, Douglas Fairbanks, Grace Kelly and Vincent Price. It will be reborn as the Center for American Theatre at Historic Elitch Gardens, dedicated to the production and study of American theater. Year-round music, dance and film programming will begin this summer. Plays will begin as soon as 2008.
“We are not simply saving a historic building, we are creating programming there for the next 100 years,” said artistic director Kevin Causey, who has gained broad support for the project, including from Mayor John Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, who is leading efforts to secure $7 million in federal funding.
“Denver has a long, rich history in the performing arts, and the historic Elitch Theatre is one of the jewels of that history,” Hickenlooper said. “The rebirth of the theater will honor north Denver’s tradition while starting a new cultural legacy for our entire region.”
Each year, programming will be themed around one American artist. The 2006 outdoor summer film, comedy and live music series will honor playwright Neil Simon.
“It’s very nice, and I am honored to be the first,” Simon said from New York, adding that, if asked, he will try to accommodate a summer visit. His only regret is that live theater can’t be part of the first year of programming, “because I think some of my plays came out a lot better than the films.”
Entertainment, education
The theater, on West 38th Avenue one block west of Tennyson Street, will have its capacity decreased from 1,300 to 800 for better patron comfort. A second, new 100-seat studio theater is planned for classes, talent showcases and smaller productions.
But first, the theater will have a foundation laid for the first time. Because it was built to last only 40 years and has always operated seasonally, it never has had a foundation or a heating system – until now.
The center will mount two big annual productions itself and solicit outside local theater companies, small operas and touring shows. The center also plans lecture series, a theater and dance school, after-school programs, a young playwrights series and an annual national collegiate theater competition in conjunction with the Kennedy Center in Washington.
The first year of programming after the theater reopens will examine Tennessee Williams and how New Orleans has affected American culture with its theater, literature, music, food and politics. The center will mount “A Streetcar Named Desire,” scored to live music, while its music series will be dedicated to jazz. New Orleans musicians will be brought in to perform in concert throughout the year.
The center’s primary educational partners will be the University of Colorado, the University of Denver, Regis University, Denver Public Schools and the Denver Arts and Technology Academy, a nearby public charter school. The center will offer student internships and performance opportunities. It also will partner with local and national theater companies such as Curious, Shadow, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Magic Theatre in San Francisco.
“We want to serve as essentially the hub of the wheel,” Causey said. “We want to produce theater of the highest quality, but we especially want to reach out to people who have never been to a play in their lives.”
Restoration plus
The Elitch Theatre was home to the nation’s oldest summer- stock company from 1897 to 1963. However, it was never open year-round, so the renovation will include meticulously restoring its original architecture and modernizing it. That means pouring a foundation for the first time, installing a heating system and wiring the theater for state-of-the-art multimedia and broadcast capabilities.
The first phase, expected to take nine months, will focus on the exterior, including a new roof; the second, which will take up to 18 months, on the interior.
Causey believes the theater will sprout new art galleries, restaurants and stores mixing with the many older nearby established businesses.
“A heady mix of the hip and the retro,” he said.
Sandy Gurtler, whose family had owned Elitch Gardens since 1916, sold the property to Perry Affordable Housing in 1996 with the stipulation that the theater be preserved. Nearby residents and preservationists have watched with increasing trepidation for a decade, waiting for tangible evidence that owners Chuck Perry and Jonathan Rose would fulfill their promise as they turned the surrounding property into the Highlands Garden Village.
Their reaction can be summarized in one word.
“Wow,” said Barry Allen, a local resident who has been active in efforts to preserve the theater.
“This is a culmination of everything that’s ever been proposed about the possibilities for the theater,” said Allen, “so who in their right minds who loves the arts and loves that theater wouldn’t look at this plan and say, ‘Yes, this is fantastic’?
“But we’ve been waiting so long, I was starting to think Godot was going to show up before we saw any progress,” he said. “So while I am encouraged, I am going to wait and see before I am convinced all of this is really going to come to fruition.”
Stars backing project
Some question whether a center dedicated solely to American theater is really necessary – and if so, why have it in northwest Denver. For Causey, the answer is simple.
“Because we have the legacy of 100 years of great performances sitting right here,” he said. “Our foundation is this great theater, and besides Broadway, there is not another one like it. ”
The center’s efforts are being backed by Elitch alumnae Debbie Reynolds, Cloris Leachman and Patty Duke, all of whom are on its advisory board. Causey would like to one day offer big stars one-year residencies. At the top of his wish list? Kevin Spacey. Don’t laugh.
“We’ve got a good shot at getting people like that involved simply because of the legacy,” Causey said. “It’s not like nobody of that stature has ever been here before.”
Since the center’s inception in 2002, $5 million has been raised of the $14.2 million it will take to make the center fully operational. That breaks down to $7 million for bricks and mortar, $5 million for an endowment, and $2 million for a programming reserve.
The plan to secure the remaining $9 million, Causey said, “is to hunt for rabbits and shoot at elephants.”
To date, the Denver Urban Renewal Authority has given $2.2 million in tax-increment financing, owners Perry and Rose $600,000, the Colorado State Historic Fund $355,000 and “Save America’s Treasures” $300,000, while grassroots, neighborhood fundraisers have raised $100,000. The next step is to target major foundations and major private donors.
Allard’s efforts to secure a $7 million federal appropriation would all but complete the capital campaign. He has targeted a share of the $340 million the Department of Interior will allocate next year for the restoration of historic buildings.
A similar effort by former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell failed in 2004 but, Causey said, “barring a catastrophe,” Allard believes the grant has a legitimate shot of being included in President Bush’s October budget.
Allard’s interest is civic and personal.
“I have many happy memories of the old Elitch Theatre,” Allard said. “My wife, Joan, and I attended many plays there when we were first dating back in the 1960s.”
Causey will know the grant’s fate by August, but either way, he says the time is right to start programming now.
“We didn’t just roll out this great idea and hoped it would catch fire,” he said. “We have been patiently building this for three years to get us to the point where we will be ready to break ground and move forward on Monday.”
