That three-year plan to open a $10 million performing-arts institute for Theatre Aspen has now grown into more of a $50 million project that will include other local arts organizations.
The city-approved plan will allow Aspen’s renowned outdoor summer theater company to expand to a year-round, six- play season in two newly built theaters with capacities of 300 and 150. It calls for educational programs and a Sundance-like lab for developing new projects.
“Developing new work will be at the heart of much of what we do,” said artistic director David McClendon, “but now the scope of the project is truly a performing-arts center for all of Aspen” – one that will include the Aspen Film Festival, Jazz Aspen and possibly Aspen Ballet.
In the past year, Theatre Aspen has doubled its budget to $1 million and draws upon artists from the Denver Center Theatre Company. This year’s crew includes actors Elizabeth Rainer (“The Misanthrope”) and Rick Stear (“Lobby Hero”), costumer Kevin Copenhaver and scenic designers Rob Morgan and Charles R. MacLeod.
Upon completion, Theatre Aspen will become the state’s third member of the League of Regional Theatres, ranking it alongside the DCTC and Arvada Center as the state’s largest professional companies.
PHAMALy expands
PHAMALy, Denver’s esteemed handicapped theater company, is expanding beyond its one annual summer musical extravaganza (this year’s “The Wiz,” opens July 14 at the Denver Center). PHAMALy will soon announce an unprecedented collaboration with the Aurora Fox on an annual play. First up: “Our Town,” running Jan. 11-Feb. 4.
CCA theater grants
No one has taken a bigger hit in this space over the years than Gov. Bill Owens, who gutted the Colorado Council on the Arts in 2003, denying arts organizations $1.5 million in state and federal matching dollars.
To his credit, Owens has allowed the CCA to slowly rebuild, last week awarding $999,350 to 94 organizations in 31 counties. Theater grantees included Boulder’s Colorado Shakespeare Festival ($22,500), Fort Collins’ OpenStage ($22,500), Creede Rep ($22,500), Fort Collins’ Bas Bleu ($15,000), the Denver Center for the Performing Arts ($14,400), Telluride Rep ($12,000) and Grand Lake’s Rocky Mountain Rep ($11,250).
Sloan a happy Fox
John Sloan, who appeared in three DCTC plays including “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” has been cast in a leading role on Fox’s fall ensemble comedy “Happy Hour.” You’ve seen the ubiquitous promo: Sloan’s Henry Beckman is looking for an apartment after losing his job, girlfriend and apartment.
TV journalists have been pressing Sloan, all of 31, to explain what he’s been doing all his non-TV life. Theater, he’s been saying. In response to the question, “Are there any particular plays that are your favorites,” Sloan has cited his bloody turn as Mairtin in the DCTC’s “A Skull in Connemara.” …
Briefly ….
Buntport Theater just received an anonymous $25,000 donation. It’s expanding its board of directors and, best of all, is installing a cooling system that will allow for summer programming. Buntport’s next original production, “Something’s Rotten” – a “Hamlet” with sock puppets – bows at Boulder’s International Fringe Festival before full productions at Buntport (Sept. 8-30) and TheatreWorks in Colorado Springs (Oct. 20-29) …
This won’t be announced until August, but “The Light in the Piazza,” the most Tony-nominated musical of 2005, is coming to Denver. We know this because University of Colorado grad (and Theatre Aspen director) David Ledingham is signed to perform in the national tour, and Denver is on his itinerary …
Julie Reiber, named last week a Henry Award winner for the Arvada Center’s “Aida,” is playing Faith in the national touring production of the Denver-born “Brooklyn.” The cast also includes Lee Morgan, who played Taylor in the initial Denver run. There are no plans for the tour to stop in Denver …
After seven seasons, Grand Junction’s Greenshoe Theatre Company is calling it quits following its run of “An Evening With the Incorrigibles 2” July 12-22 (970-243-6919) …
No Holds Bard performs plays the way they were presented in Shakespeare’s day: Lines are not memorized as a full script. Each actor only receives his specific lines and cues in advance. On the day of the show, the actors briefly rehearse only fights, dances and music. The rest of the play unfolds as it unfolds. “The Merchant of Venice” will be performed at 6 tonight in front of the Elitch Theatre (720-252-6182 for more upcoming dates).
And finally …
Don’t always trust those adverts quoting a critic. In an ad for the Civic’s “The Yiddish Are Coming,” I was quoted as having said: “A Jewish ‘Nunsense’… an outrageously good time.” What I said was … “This slight, silly mess was commissioned as a Jewish ‘Nunsense.’ … Scatterings of the opening- night crowd did have an outrageously good time. I didn’t get the jokes, so I didn’t.”
I was tempted to write back to the creative team, “Your ridiculous twisting of my pan of your inept production would be laugh-out-loud funny if not for the stunning dishonesty behind it.” But I was afraid my missive might show up in an ad somewhere claiming … “laugh-out-loud funny … stunning!”
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-820-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
This week’s theater openings
THU-AUG. 17|Lake Dillon’s “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” (Thursdays only at the Pavilion)|KEYSTONE
THU-JULY 22|A Theatre Group’s “Dirty Work at the Crossroads”|SILVERTON
FRI-AUG. 18|Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s “The Tempest”|BOULDER
FRI-AUG. 12|Victorian Playhouse’s “Steel Magnolias”
FRI-AUG. 19|Rocky Mountain Rep’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”|GRAND LAKE
FRI-SEPT. 2|Theatre Aspen’s “The Adventures of Johnny Appleseed”|ASPEN
JULY 9-AUG. 19|Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s “As You Like It”|BOULDER
This week’s theater closings
SAT|Night Hawk Productions’ “A Folded Flag” (at John Hand Theatre)
SAT|Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret’s “Pure Piaf”
SAT|CSU Summer Theatre Festival’s “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”|
FORT COLLINS
SAT|CSU Summer Theatre Festival’s “The Miracle Worker”|FORT COLLINS
SAT|Metro Playhouse’s “Clue, the Musical”|GRAND JUNCTION
JULY 9|Germinal Stage Denver’s “Tennessee Williams in Three Keys”
