So I’m sitting in the New Denver Civic Theater at last week’s opening of “Hats” wondering, “Now, who owns this place again?”
It’s a question that has caused many an eye to cloud in confusion since Sibling Entertainment magnate Mitchell Maxwell took control of the building in 2002, wiping out more than $1 million in pre-existing debt.
So would you believe me if I said Zbigniew Mania?
He’s the Denver businessman (he goes by Greg) who in March 2004 bought all of the Civic’s real estate, property and equipment for $1.465 million. Mania is a staunch Civic supporter, but buying the Civic gave him big relief from capital-gains taxes on a separate real-estate transaction.
Buying the Civic allowed the “Denver Civic Theatre” – the Sibling subsidiary that operates the building – to remain a nonprofit, and also to pay off the $400,000 loan it owed the city of Denver. As a sale requirement, “721 Santa Fe Realty Co.” was formed by Sibling so that Mania could lease the theater back to it for 49 years, with the option to repurchase the theater at the original sale price.
721 turned around and subleased the theater back to DCT, which consists of four people from Sibling – Maxwell, his sister Victoria, and board member Jay Cardwell, all of New York, and Denver businessman Richard Bernstein. On July 7, 2005, Sibling paid $35,000 to acquire the rights from both “721” and DCT to one day repurchase the theater.
Since then, “Sibling has continued to loan DCT monies to support its operations and remains committed to DCT,” said Cardwell. “We expect to make ongoing improvements to the property, including hopefully the addition of a café.
“We believe we have put DCT on a path to full recovery and independence that will allow it to continue to flourish,” added Cardwell, who said the DCT has not forgotten its overdue promise of adding local citizens to its board of directors.
So, in short, the title rests under Mania’s name, held by a bank against a new mortgage. But the use, control and operation of the theater reside with DCT. “It is not too different from the city of Denver owning the land and buildings in the Denver Performing Arts Complex – but the use and operation of the complex still resides with DCPA,” Cardwell said.
The “Hats” impact
People ask whether it’s that big a deal when a city like Denver hosts the world premiere of a new show like “Hats,” which at one time was slated to bow in Virginia.
You bet: It enhances our reputation as a national player in the cultural arts scene … and also lines its presenters’ pockets.
“One of the things regional theaters get from presenting the original production of a new work is royalties and net profits from future productions,” Cardwell said. That means Sibling gets a piece of every future production of “Hats” anywhere in the world.
“We hope this will effectively endow the Denver Civic Theatre for a very long time,” Cardwell said, “just as ‘Annie’ did (in 1977) for the Goodspeed Opera House” in Connecticut.
Smoking ban date set
An Oct. 30 hearing date is set in Denver District Court for Curious Theatre Company’s lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Curious seeks an exemption from the statewide smoking ban for live performances …
Julia Cho’s “Durango,” a play set in southwest Colorado, gets its world premiere at New York’s famed Public Theatre opening Nov. 19. It’s the story of a Korean man named Boo-Seng Lee who is laid off after 25 years on the job, so he takes his two sons on a road trip to Durango. The play is described as “a thought-provoking examination of the fears, fantasies and failures of a family standing in the shadow of the American Dream.”…
The Paragon Theatre Company will read Josh Hartwell’s award-winning new play, “Nothing but Skin” at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Phoenix Theatre, 1124 Santa Fe Drive. The reading will feature Debbie Johnson Lee, Martha Harmon Pardee and Tyee Tilghman. And it’s free.
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
This week’s theater openings
WED-JAN. 14 | Country Dinner Playhouse’s “Phantom” | GREENWOOD VILLAGE
THU-NOV. 18 | El Centro Su Teatro’s “The Day Ricardo Falcon Died”
FRI-OCT. 31 | Backstage’s “Cannibal! The Musical” | BRECKENRIDGE
FRI-NOV. 11 | Coal Creek Community Theatre’s “Grease” (at Manhattan Middle School) | LOUISVILLE
FRI-DEC. 31 | Union Colony Dinner Theatre’s “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” | GREELEY
This week’s theater closings
TODAY | Town Hall Arts Center’s “Cabaret” | LITTLETON
TODAY | Miners Alley Playhouse’s “1984” | GOLDEN
TODAY | Country Dinner Playhouse’s “Moon Over Buffalo” | GREENWOOD VILLAGE
TODAY | Fine Arts Center’s “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” | COLORADO SPRINGS
TODAY | Longmont Theatre Company’s “Radio on Stage: ‘War of the Worlds’ and ‘Sorry, Wrong Number”‘ (as one-act radio plays)
TUE | Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s “Forever Plaid” (Mondays and Tuesdays only)
SAT | Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s “Sweet Charity” | BOULDER
SAT | Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Living Out” (at the Space Theatre)
SAT | Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Amadeus” (at the Stage Theatre)
SAT | Greeley Community Theatre Troupe’s “Wait Until Dark”
SAT | California Actors Theatre’s “Deathtrap” | LONGMONT
OCT. 29 | Modern Muse’s “Turn of the Screw” (at the Bug Theatre)
OCT. 29 | Buntport’s “Something Is Rotten” (at TheatreWorks) | COLORADO SPRINGS
OCT. 29 | Festival Playhouse’s “Doctor Jekyll, No Place to Hyde” | ARVADA
