GOLDEN — The community in Golden will see some familiar faces in its new children’s theater program.
Miners Alley Playhouse launches the program this week with the help of members of Golden’s former
“When I had a chance to start a children’s theater again, I thought, what better people to do it with than people I had been working with for years and years who truly understand what children’s theater is all about?” said Rory Pierce, a Heritage Square alum brought on to head Miners Alley’s new children’s programming.
For the theater’s first children’s play, Pierce adapted the classic fairy tale, “Rumpelstiltskin,” to include plenty of audience participation. Audience members will help the miller’s daughter play hide-and-seek with the king’s herald and create a magic spinning wheel to help her spin straw into gold.
Joining Pierce in the theater’s first production for children is T.J. Mullin, Annie Dwyer and Alex Crawford on stage and Randy Johnson behind the music, all formerly of Heritage Square. Also on the bill are Alaina Bethreel and Luke Tredinnick.
“Rumpelstiltskin” is the kind of interactive theater with which the Heritage Square actors are familiar.
“For many of the kids in the past, it would be their first experience with theater,” said Mullin, who founded Heritage Square Music Hall in 1988 and started children’s theater there in 1990.
Now, Mullin looks forward to helping Miner’s Alley’s program grow. The beginning will be modest, with about six shows per production that will coincide with each regular adult theater production both in schedule and sets. But Pierce said they hope to eventually bring productions into classrooms at area schools and work with teachers.
Miners Alley’s executive director Len Matheo said that in addition to filling the void left by Heritage Square, the children’s productions help fill a void in his playhouse’s schedule.
“One of our goals in 2015 is to utilize time when the theater wasn’t being used,” he said.
This year will be Matheo’s second full season as the co-artistic and co-executive director of the community theater along with Brenda Billings. He took the reins from the former directors, husband and wife Ricky Bernstein and Paige Larson.
Miners Alley has introduced improv comedy, acoustic music nights, two musicals and, now, the children’s theater. Visitors to downtown Golden can also expect to see a new neon marquee soon, thanks to funding help , all in an effort to push the theater to the forefront of Golden’s art community.
“We’re trying to push the value of the arts in general,” Matheo said. He recently spoke before on the value of the theater, making the case for a subsidy on the theater’s rent in the centrally located Foss building.
“Not just art for art’s sake,” he said. “Art for business’ sake, and the economic impact it has.”
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JosieKlemaier
“rumpelstiltskin”
When: 1 p.m. Saturday through March 7
Where: Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden
Tickets: $10
More information: 303-935-3044 or
