It would be easy to look at Boulder as a microcosm for the struggles of the entire Colorado theater community. It would be easy to look at diminishing audiences, affordable spaces and artistic output there and simply blame the economy.
But that would be the easy way out. A question specific to Boulder is whether it really deserves its longstanding reputation as a counterculture haven.
Square Product Theater founder Emily K. Harrison has concluded that “Boulder is not an arts town.”
A tough assessment of the home to the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Naropa University, Boulder International Fringe Festival, Upstart Crow and a host of nomadic troupes like Harrison’s.
But Boulder is on a decline from a theatrical surge in recent years that, from a long-range view, may have been an anomaly. Because “theater in Boulder is struggling right now, big time,” Harrison said.
In just the past month, Theatre 13 folded after three strong seasons, citing massive debt. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival cut three weeks from its upcoming season to save $350,000. BDT was offering 2-for-1 discounts for the entire run of “Nunsense” and its all-male equivalent, “Nunsense A-Men” before they even opened.
And some of the city’s best theater facilities often sit unused, Harrison says, because no one can afford to rent them.
In 2004, the Nomad Theatre was converted into a performing arts high school. In 2007, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art closed its upstairs theater.
That pretty much leaves the Dairy Center, which Harrison believes “is making it too hard on folks like us”; and the University of Colorado’s Atlas Theatre, which can’t accommodate all the demand.
The Dairy, which houses three theaters, can cost about $3,000 for a three-week run in its 100-seat space. Harrison believes the Dairy, as a city-owned space, has an obligation to be more affordable. But while executive director Rich Harris would like nothing better, he says the Dairy faces a $250,000 shortfall of its own this year alone.
Harris believes small companies doom themselves by offering too many performances that are lightly attended and poorly marketed. He believes, lofty artistic aspirations aside, that any theater not in survival mode right now might as well be in suicide mode . . . even in Boulder.
He says Theatre 13’s decision to stage “Art” at Christmastime “was like putting a stake through its own heart.”
Harrison wonders what that says not only about Boulder but also Boulderites. The city has one of the highest incomes per capita in the U.S., yet it ranks near the bottom in charitable giving, she said. “While Boulderites like living among artists,” she says, “they often don’t want to invest in their arts community — not even when it’s free.”
The two most prominent remaining companies using the Dairy are the Upstart Crow, which for 29 years has staged known classics, and Stephen Weitz‘s Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. He’s not apologizing for doing plays audiences have wanted to see, like “The Glass Menagerie” and “Copenhagen.” And he doesn’t blame audiences who don’t want to attend experimental work. Not now.
But he sympathizes with Harrison, who is now staging her own one- woman play, “Tornado Season,” at the Atlas (800-838-3006). Heck, he’s about to stage something called “Morisot Reclining” in April.
“When you choose to do art that’s not popular, you can’t expect people to respond to it popularly,” Weitz said. “Morisot was an artist who knowingly chose to go outside the accepted bounds of his art form, and she suffered for it for the rest of her life.”
But art doesn’t get any more popular than the “Nunsense” franchise. And if Michael J. Duran is offering 2-for-1 tickets, you know he’s scared.
“We’re doing that in response to the economy, for sure,” he said. “But we don’t want people to get out of the habit of coming to the theater.
“Believe me, I would love to do ‘Sweeney Todd’ — but now is not the time.”
This crisis speaks to the fundamental reason artists make art, and Harrison is sticking with Morisot. For now.
“I don’t know how much longer we can hold on,” she said. “. . . Any of us.”
Briefly …
Octavio Solis‘ “Lydia,” premiered last year by the Denver Center Theatre Company, is one of six finalists for the American Theatre Critics Association’s Steinberg Award, which honors the best play produced outside of New York in 2008. Also in the running is Denver native Steven Dietz‘s “Becky’s New Car.” Winner will be announced April 4. . . .
On March 21, I’ll be participating in a panel discussion at this year’s Denver Office of Cultural Affairs’ Create Denver Expo. It’s a talk on how to find your audience, whether you’re an actor, writer, fashion designer, musician, photographer, painter or any other kind of artist. The panel is called “Finding Your Fans,” and runs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The moderator is Westword music writer Eryc Eyl. The rest of the panel panel: Cultural jedi Ashara Ekundayo; actress and community organizer Mare Trevathan; and 101.5 FM radio personality Lynne Ryan. At the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave. To register online, go to:
…
Denver Center Theatre Company alumna January LaVoy has been cast in the world premiere of the new musical “Coraline” at off-Broadway’s MCC Theatre. She’ll play Mother, Miss Spink and Other Miss Spink … Country Dinner Playhouse and Arvada Center alumna Rachel de Benedet has opened the Broadway-bound revival of “A Little Night Music” at the White Plains (N.Y.) Performing Arts Center. De Benedet plays Charlotte …
And finally: You can’t go (it’s sold out), but hot local rockers The Flobots will take on the Buntport Theater ensemble Tuesday in a fun duel of snaps, licks and rhymes.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
This week’s openings
Opening Wednesday, March 18, through May 23: Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s “Nunsense A-Men” (Wednesdays and Fridays only)
Opening Friday, March 20, through May 30: Carousel Dinner Theatre’s “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” Fort Collins
Opening Friday, March 20, through April 5: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center’s “Lend Me a Tenor”
Opening Friday, March 20, through April 25: California Actors Theatre’s “The Odd Couple” Longmont
This week’s closings
Today, March 15: Aurora Fox’s “Hazard County”
Today, March 15: El Centro Su Teatro’s “Bless Me, Ultima”
Today, March 15: The Cody Rivers Show’s “Meanwhile Everywhere” Manitou Springs
Today, March 15: Magic Moments’ “This Just In” Littleton
Saturday, March 16: Square Product’s “Tornado Season” (at CU’s Atlas Center) Boulder
Saturday, March 16: TheatreWorks’ “Urinetown” Colorado Springs
Saturday, March 16: OpenStage’s “The Book of Liz” Fort Collins
Saturday, March 16: Spotlight’s “The Mousetrap”
Saturday, March 16: Vintage Theatre’s “10 Pin Alley” (late nights)
Saturday, March 16: LIDA Project’s “Rain of Terror”
March 22: National touring production of “Phantom of the Opera,” Buell Theatre
March 22: Arvada Festival Playhouse’s “Beauty, Brains and Personality”
March 22: Union Colony Dinner Theatre’s Altar Boyz” and “Grease” Greeley
This week’s video podcast:
Running Lines at . . . “Sixteen Wounded”
This week, Denver Post theater critic John Moore talks with playwright Eliam Kraiem and captures highlights from the opening night talkback with Evergreen Players director Len Matheo along with cast members including Richard Beall, Wadi Muhaisen and David Blumenstock. Run time: 9 minutes. Recorded Match 6, 2009.
This week’s best bet
“Leadville or Bust” and “The Black Box Burlesque”
For the first time since the 1930s, a dedicated burlesque theater is opening in Denver. Reyna Von Vett presents “Leadville or Bust” early evenings at the New Denver Civic’s cabaret theater, before turning things over (most nights) to Burlesque As It Was, the iconic company established in Denver a decade ago by Vivienne VaVoom (Michelle Baldwin). “Leadville” is a playful revue of genuine 1880s burlesque tunes like “Ragtime Cowboy Joe,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “Seeing Denver.” The night of double-entendre and can-can dancing is hosted by “Cora Vette,” who takes us back to a time when sex and scandal were all about corsets, tights and bawdy songs. The all-new late-night show, “The Black Box Burlesque,” taps into the 1930-60 classic era of burlesque, when the art form was much more tease than strip. The show features classic samples of the fan dance, screen dance and the balloon-pop number. It promises to be a sparkling extravaganza. “Leadville” plays 7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; “Burlesque” plays at 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays only through May 31 at 721 Santa Fe Drive. $15-$25 each (discount for both). 303-309-3773, King Soopers stores, , or , or .
Most recent theater openings
“Beauty, Brains and Personality”
In this Emmett Loverde comedy, three girlfriends who meet for a monthly dinner party learn to define themselves beyond any one-dimensional view. Through March 23. Arvada Festival Playhouse, 5665 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., 303-422-4090 or
“Nunsense” and “Nunsense A-Men”
Can you believe those five zany nuns from Hoboken are still trying to raise money to bury their felled fellow sisters, done in by tainted soup? Women perform the musical on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Starting next week, men (of the “A-Men” title) will perform the exact same musical on Wednesdays and Fridays. Through May 23. Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 5501 Arapahoe Ave., 303-449-6000 or
“Steel Magnolias”
Robert Harling’s ubiquitous Southern weeper about small-town Southern women who come to Truvy’s Beauty Salon to chat, counsel, criticize and comfort one another. Through April 4. E-Project, 9797 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, 303-232-0363 or
“This Just In”
Magic Moments’ annual pop-music revue integrates disabled and able-bodied cast members of all ages and experience. This year’s show is set in a Baltimore TV station, and the 250-member cast takes on songs like “It’s Raining Men” and “Rock This Town.” Through Sunday. Littleton High School, 199 E. Littleton Blvd. 303-607-7555 or
Compiled by John Moore
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
Re-cap: This week’s theater coverage in The Denver Post
John Moore’s column: With theater in decline, is Boulder really an “arts town”?
Children’s theater: A roundup of current offerings around town.
REVIEW: Curious’ “Eurydice” ***1/2
REVIEW: Evergreen Players’ “Sixteen Wounded” ***
AUDITIONS: Complete list, updated up to three times a week.
Hey, we started a theater blog
We present a daily topic, plus a rundown of the most recent news of the day. Bookmark us:
New-play reading samples
10-PIN ALLEY:
“BELOW THE FOLD; A BLOG ON STAGE”
And introducing … The Running Lines blog
You can now find John Moore’s roundup of daily theater news and dialogue at blogs.denverpost.com/runninglines
