Kent Thompson has made it a priority in his first year as Denver Center Theatre Company artistic director to open the doors of communication with the rest of the local theater community, as he proved again Monday when he addressed the general membership of the Colorado Theatre Guild.
His talk was akin to a “state of the American theater” address. And that state is flux. “After Sept. 11 was a very perilous time in the theater,” he said. But just when troupes seem to have gotten back to pre-9/11 attendance and donor levels, he warned, “We could be entering into another rather uncertain economic time.”
With gas prices going up along with inflation and federal interest rates, he said, “People are hunkering down again, and that tends to affect us a lot in the performing arts. And the idea of our contributions going down again as gas prices rise is a frightening proposition.”
Theaters responded to 9/11 with small-cast shows, or titles perceived to be popular, traditional or uncontroversial. There is a paradox and a danger in that, which Thompson equates with comfort food.
“There is a lot of pressure on all of us, from our boards, funders and audiences … that we need to produce a lot of comfort food,” he said.
“Well, if you think about comfort food, most of the meals are not that memorable, and you feel kind of sleepy and not innervated after the meal. … If the theater only pursues work that is comforting, we are in danger of boring people,” he said.
“The other danger is that we are largely becoming like film, and particularly like television, when we do that. And I believe we are therefore less likely to attract audiences to leave their homes to attend live performances. I believe fewer people will invest in our work through subscriptions and contributions if we can’t find a way to make the live experience both more meaningful and exciting.”
The future of the American theater, he said, “is really going to be based on our ability to speak to people in terms of what they care about. We need to find out what they want and what they need. The challenge is to somehow be popular and at the same time exciting; to be challenging and also to be fulfilling; to entertain and enlighten; to charm and provoke.”
DCTC goodbyes
As Thompson continues to assimilate and broaden the mission of the DCTC, some popular actors will inevitably find themselves without upcoming projects that suit their talents. Next season’s most significant departures, though hopefully temporary, are Bill Christ and Mark Rubald, two bedrocks who represent 28 seasons between them.
“I want to diversify the company more,” said Thompson. “We need to get more artists of color here – not just for one show, but into our core company. That’s going to take time over several seasons.”
Christ will leave after playing Austrian emperor Joseph II in the season-opening “Amadeus.” Rubald was the rare example of a local actor who penetrated the DCTC inner circle. Both just had spectacular seasons.
“It was a sweet ride while it lasted,” said Rubald, a Thomas Jefferson grad who joined the DCTC in 1991. “Now I’m living a much more realistic life as an actor in Denver. It was a gift.”
Said Thompson: “Bill and Mark have done amazing work, and the door is always open for them to come back. But I suspect that in the future, we will have people coming and going with more frequency.”
Awards season
Tony Award nominees with local ties: Tyne Daly (actress, “Rabbit Hole”), starred in the first DCTC show ever, “The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” in 1979; Howell Binkley (lighting, “Jersey Boys”) designed “Barrio Babies” for the DCTC in 1999. Ironically, Denver was set to launch best actress nominee Chita Rivera’s “The Dancer’s Life” on its way to Broadway last year, but our run was bumped by an investor dropout. …
Winner of an Obie Award: longtime DCTC vet Byron Jennings, for “Stuff Happens.”
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-820-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
