DCPA NEWS CENTER
Enjoy the best stories and perspectives from the theatre world today.
April brings Harlem to Arvada, Louisiana to Aurora and London to Boulder
The Pandemic Collective was mailed an anonymous script. So they are staging it.
Trav’lin; Caroline, or Change; and Curious Incident are just three of the seminal Colorado stagings taking place this month
April will bring some of the most eagerly awaited productions of the Colorado theatre season, representing a wide swath of eras, genres and styles. Here are just a few of your intriguing options this month, followed by a complete list of all April openings and ongoing productions on Colorado stages:
- The Aurora Fox’s Caroline, or Change. It has taken 27 years since the first workshop of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori’s seminal musical for anyone in Colorado to have the guts to stage Kushner’s provocative and deeply personal family story of a Jewish family and their African-American maid in 1963 Louisiana. Caroline is a single mother of four who develops a fragile friendship with young Noah Gellman as some of the greatest social advancements of the century are being set in motion outside. The musical blends blues, gospel and traditional Jewish melodies. It is directed by Kenny Moten and stars Denver First Lady Mary Louise Lee. Henry Award-winning actress Sophia Dotson (Miners Alley Playhouse’s Fun Home) will split the role of Noah with Nathaniel Waite-Lutz. Also featuring Betty Hart (who directed Lee in the DCPA’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill), Krisangela Washington, Maggie Tisdale, Ben Hilzer, Rajdulari Landell, Leonard Barrett Jr., Lisa Young, Lee Ann Scherlong, Joel Silverman, Wes Munsil, Kobe Johnson and Owen Zitek (DCPA Theatre Company’s The Who’s Tommy). April 5-May 5 at 9900 E. Colfax Ave., 303-739-1970 or aurorafox.org
Denver First Lady Mary Louise Lee, right, will co-star with her Denver Center director Betty Hart in the Aurora Fox’s ‘Caroline, or Change.’
The Arvada Center’s Trav’lin – The 1930s Harlem Musical. The Arvada Center marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Harlem Renaissance when bands were big and the jazz scene was exploding. Trav’lin celebrates the music of J.C. Johnson, whose songs were recorded by legends such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The story follows the various romances between three couples of three different generations. Directed by Rod A. Lansberry. The cast includes Ian Coulter-Buford, Nick Gordon, Milton Craig Nealy (DCPA Theatre Company’s Oklahoma!), Natalie Oliver-Atherton, Tavia Riveé and Erin Willis (DCPA Theatre Company’s Oklahoma!). April 9-28 at 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org
- The Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. For the first time in its history, BETC will stage a Tony Award-winning best play before anyone else in Colorado when it caps its season with the stage adaptation of Mark Haddon‘s 2003 best-selling novel. This is the company’s most ambitious undertaking ever: Staging a play once thought unstageable without a Broadway-sized budget. It’s the story of a British teen who is a mathematical savant but also falls somewhere on the autism spectrum. He embarks on a dangerous quest to clear his name after the neighbor’s dog is speared in the middle of the night. The National Theatre’s 2012 London production was a sensation for its ingenious technological advances that somehow helped communicate to audiences what might be going on inside the young man’s mysterious and often short-circuiting head. April 25-May 19 at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-440-7826 or boulderensembletheatre.org
- Phamaly Theatre Company’s screening of How to Be a Good _______ to a Person With a Disability. Denver’s acclaimed theatre company that creates performance oportunities for persons with disabilities will premiere six short films that make up its new web series, plus company member Mark Dissette’s acclaimed documentary on Phamaly, There’s Still Hope for Dreams. Shows at 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, April 14, at the Dairy Arts Center’s Carson Theatre, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-575-0005 or phamaly.org
- Three Broadway galas. Through a quirk of the calendar, three Broadway stars will be performing at benefits around the Denver area over five days in late April. Aurora native Gregory Treco (Broadway’s Hamilton and DCPA Theatre Company’s The Twelve) headlines the raucous Fabaganza fundraiser for the GLBT Community Center of Colorado on Monday, April 22, at the Clocktower Cabaret, 16th and Arapahoe streets ($20, 303-293-0075 or clocktowercabaret.com). Megan Hilty (Wicked, TV’s “Smash”) will headline Central City Opera’s “Theatre of Dreams Gala” on Friday, April 26, at the Stanley Marketplace ($350, 2501 Dallas St., Aurora, 303-292-6700 or centralcityopera.org). Betsy Wolfe, who starred on Broadway in Waitress and appeared at the Denver Center in a 2017 concert production of The Last Five Years, headlines the Aurora Fox’s annual gala on Saturday, April 27 ($50, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 303-739-1970 or aurorafox.org).
- Pandemic Collective’s Laveau. Last year, Pandemic Collective received an envelope in the mail with no return address and no name. The envelope contained a script titled Laveau, penned by an unnamed writer. So they’re putting it on. In the tale, Brigitte, a woman in New Orleans, begins having vivid nightmares about the Bayou. As the nightmares become more surreal, a voodoo-esque magic bleeds into her life, blurring the line between dreams and reality. This will be a surreal and spooky piece featuring live shadow puppetry designed by Katy Williams. April 18-May 4 at Theatre 29, 5138 W. 29th Ave., theater29denver.com
- Stories on Stage’s May My Words Fly Free. Stories on Stage joins forces with Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop and Words Beyond Bars to present professional actors reading works written by inmates in Colorado correctional facilities. These stories range from warm and humorous to thought-provoking and challenging to reveal the humanity of writers defiantly proclaiming: “I am more than the crime I committed.” 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in The Studio Loft at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1400 Curtis St., storiesonstage.org
Fearless Theatre Company’s Titus Andronicus. Revenge followed by revenge becomes an inescapable cycle in Shakespeare’s bloodiest (meaning funnest) play. When returning war hero Titus returns to Rome with the Queen of the Goths as a prisoner, the consequences unleash a hellscape of violence. Plus, two characters get baked into pies. Fearless is an upstart company calling its 2019 season “Defiance Vol. 2: Oppression.” Starring Terry Burnsed. April 4-20 at The Bakery Arts Warehouse, 2132 Market St., ticketleap.com- Vintage Theatre’s The Boys in the Band. Mart Crowley’s classic comic drama centers on a group of gay men gathering in a New York City apartment for a birthday party. After the drinks are poured and the music is turned up, the evening slowly exposes the fault lines beneath their friendships and the self-inflicted heartache that threatens their solidarity. This revolutionary play changed theatrical history by unapologetically putting gay men’s lives onstage which had never been seen before in a realistic way. Directed by Bernie Cardell. April 19-May 26 at 1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com
- Lone Tree Arts Center’s Beehive: The 60s Musical. This popular and enduring concert revue conceived by Denver’s Rick Seeber is a toe-tapping musical tribute to the women who made the music of the 1960s, ranging from Lesley Gore to Janis Joplin to the Shirelles to The Supremes to Aretha Franklin to Tina Turner. The score includes “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Be My Baby,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Proud Mary” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” Directed by Broadway veteran Candy Brown with Michael Williams. Featuring an all-local cast of Sharon Kay White, Piper Arpan, Sheryl Renee, Karen Jeffries, Melody Moore and Valerie Igoe. April 3-13 at 10075 Commons St., just west of Interstate 25 and Lincoln Avenue, 720-509-1000 or lonetreeartscenter.org
NOTE: At the start of each month, the DCPA NewsCenter offers an updated list of upcoming theatre openings, spotlighting work being presented on stages statewide. Companies are encouraged to submit listings and production photos at least two weeks in advance to the DCPA NewsCenter at jmoore@dcpa.org.
John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S by American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center’s Senior Arts Journalist.
Keri René Fuller in ‘Cats.’ Photo by Matthew Murphy
APRIL THEATRE OPENINGS AND EVENTS IN COLORADO:
April 3-13: Lone Tree Arts Center’s Beehive: The 60s Musical
10075 Commons St., just west of Interstate 25 and Lincoln Avenue, 720-509-1000 or lonetreeartscenter.org
April 3-April 26: BDT Stage’s Motones vs. Jerseys
5501 Arapahoe Ave., 303-449-6000 or bdtstage.com
April 3: Miners Alley Playhouse’s ScriptProv
1224 Washington St., Golden, 303-935-3044 or minersalley.com
April 4: Stories on Stage’s May My Words Fly Free
Professional actors reading works written by inmates in Colorado correctional facilities
7 p.m. in The Studio Loft at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1400 Curtis St., storiesonstage.org
April 4-20: Fearless Theatre Company’s Titus Andronicus
At The Bakery Arts Warehouse, 2132 Market St., ticketleap.com
April 5-20: StageDoor Theatre’s Rent
27357 Conifer Road, Conifer, 303-886-2819, 800-838-3006 or stagedoortheatre.org
April 5-May 5: Aurora Fox’s Caroline, or Change
9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 303-739-1970 or aurorafox.org
April 6: Phamaly Theatre Company’s Morph Masters: How Disability Made Famous Artists Awesome
At The People’s Building, 9995 E Colfax Ave, Aurora, 303-575-0005 or phamaly.org
April 7: Phamaly Theatre Company’s Morph Masters: How Disability Made Famous Artists Awesome
At Developmental Pathways, 325 S. Inverness Drive, Englewood, 303-575-0005 or phamaly.org
April 7: PACE Center’s ME … Jane: The Dreams and Adventures of Young Jane Goodall
20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker, 303-805-6800 or parkerarts.org
April 8: And Toto Too’s Fractured Moonlight (reading)
At Syntax Physic Opera, 554 S. Broadway, 720-583-3975 or andtototoo.org
April 9-28: Trav’lin – The 1930s Harlem Musical
6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org
April 11-28: Millibo Art Theatre’s Women’s Theatre Festival
1626 S. Tejon St. Colorado Springs, 719-465-6321, themat.org
April 12-14: DCPA Broadway’s The Illusionists Live from Broadway
Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
April 12-14: DCPA Off-Center’s Powered by Off-Center: Jennifer Faletto’s Conspiracy Theory G
Randy Weeks Conservatory Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
April 12-20: Moon Theatre Company’s You Can’t Take It With You
At the Rialto Theatre Center, 228 E. 4th St., Loveland, 970-962-2120 or rialtotheatercenter.org
April 13: Stories on Stage’s Strange Interludes
Allison Watrous, Matthew Schneck and Diana Dresser read of unusual romances for the modern age.
1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Su Teatro Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-494-0523 or storiesonstage.org
April 14: Phamaly Theatre Company’s web-series screening of How to Be a Good _______ to a Person With a Disability
Six original short films plus Mark Dissette’s There’s Still Hope for Dreams
2 and 6 p.m. at the Dairy Arts Center’s Carson Theatre, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-575-0005 or phamaly.org
April 15: Local Theater Company, the university of Colorado and Play On!’s Coriolanus
A new modern English translation by Sean San Jose.
6 p.m. at the University Theater on the campus of The University of Colorado Boulder. Free with RSVP on eventbrite.com
April 18-May 4: Pandemic Collective’s Laveau
At Theatre 29, 5138 W. 29th Ave., Theater29denver.com
April 19-May 26: Vintage Theatre’s The Boys in the Band
1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com
April 19-20: Let the Sunshine in: A Tribute to Galt MacDermot
At the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-440-7826 or dairyarts.org
April 21: Platte Valley Players and Brighton Music Orchestra’s Guys & Dolls in Concert
At The Armory at the Brighton Cultural Center, 300 Strong St., Brighton, 303-227-3053 or plattevalleyplayers.org
April 22: Platte Valley Players and Brighton Music Orchestra’s Guys & Dolls in Concert
First Presbyterian Church of Brighton, 510 S. 27th Ave., Brighton
Video above: Our video visit with Gregory Treco when he appeared in the DCPA Theatre Company’s ‘The Twelve.’
April 22: Clocktower Cabaret’s Fabaganza starring Gregory Treco of Broadway’s Hamilton
Benefiting the GLBT Community Center of Colorado’s youth division “Rainbow Alley”
Clocktower Cabaret, 16th and Arapahoe streets, 303-293-0075 or clocktowercabaret.com
April 24-28: DCPA Broadway’s national touring production of Cats
Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
April 25-May 19: Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-440-7826 or boulderensembletheatre.org
April 25-May 19: Colorado Springs TheatreWorks’ Little Shop of Horrors
5225 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, 719-255-3232 or theatreworkscs.org
April 26-May 26: DCPA Theatre Company’s Sweat
Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
April 26: Central City Opera’s 2019 Theatre of Dreams Gala with Megan Hilty
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Aurora, 303-292-6700 or centralcityopera.org
April 26-May 19: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College’s Bad Dates
30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, 719-634-5581 or csfineartscenter.org
April 26-28: Breckenridge Backstage Theatre’s The Wizard of Oz
121 S. Ridge St. 970-453-0199 or backstagetheatre.org
April 27: Aurora Fox annual gala starring Betsy Wolfe
9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 303-739-1970 or aurorafox.org
April 27: Delicious Orchards’ Wild Home: A Rural American Theatre Odyssey
39126 Highway 133, Hotchkiss (2 p.m., free, no advance tickets necessary)
CONTINUING THEATRE PRODUCTIONS IN COLORADO:
Through April 6: square product theatre’s Everything was Stolen
At Buntport Theater, Denver, 717 Lipan St., brownpapertickets.com
Through April 7: DCPA Broadway’s Hello, Dolly!
Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
Through April 7: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College’s Ben and the Magic Paintbrush
30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, 719-634-5581 or csfineartscenter.org
Through April 7: Evergreen Players’ Silent Sky
At Center/Stage, 27608 Fireweed Drive, 303-674-4934 or evergreenplayers.org
Through April 7: Performance Now’s Crazy for You
Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, 303-987-7845 or performancenow.org
Through April 13: Benchmark Theatre’s 1984
1560 Teller St., Lakewood, benchmarktheatre.com
Through April 13: Curious Theatre’s Skeleton Crew
1080 Acoma St., 303-623-0524 or curioustheatre.org
Through April 14: Bas Bleu Theatre’s Red
401 Pine St., Fort Collins, 970-498-8949 or basbleu.org
Through April 14: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College’s Hands on a Hardbody
30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, 719-634-5581 or csfineartscenter.org
John Ashton. RDG Photography.
Through April 14: Vintage Theatre’s Every Brilliant Thing
1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com
Through April 14: Jesterss Dinner Theatre’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
224 Main St., Longmont, 303-682-9980 or jesterstheatre.com
Through April 14: BiTSY Stage’s The Basque Things in Life
1137 S. Huron St., 720-328-5294 or bitsystage.com (Admission is always free)
Through April 27: Firehouse Theatre Company’s Outside Mullingar
John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. 1st Place, 303-562-3232 or firehousetheatercompany.com
Through April 27: Equinox Theatre Company’s Heathers: The Musical
At the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St., 720-984-0781 or equinoxtheatredenver.com
Through April 27: OpenStage Theatre Company’s Avenue Q
Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St., Fort Collins, 970-484-5237 or www.openstagetheatre.org
Through April 27: Miners Alley Children’s Theatre’s Three Billy Goats Gruff
1224 Washington St., Golden, 303-935-3044 or minersalley.com
Through April 28: DCPA Cabaret’s Xanadu
Garner Galleria Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
Hannah Haller and Laurence Katz. Sarah Roshan Photography.
Through April 28: Miners Alley Playhouse’s Our Town
1224 Washington St., Golden, 303-935-3044 or minersalley.com
Through April 28: Cherry Creek Theatre’s Other Desert Cities
At the Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., 303-800-6578 or cherrycreektheatre.org
March 29-April 28: Town Hall Arts Center’s The World Goes ‘Round
2450 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-794-2787 ortownhallartscenter.com
Through May 3: Denver Children’s Theatre’s The Little Prince
Elaine Wolf Theatre at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., 303-316-6360 maccjcc.org
Through May 17: Arvada Center’s The Diary of Anne Frank
6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org
Through May 18: Arvada Center’s The Moors
6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org
Through May 19: Sin Street Social Club
6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org
Through May 22: Arvada Center’s Ella Enchanted (for children)
6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org
Through May 26: DCPA Off-Center’s Between Us
Various locations around downtown Denver, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
Through May 26: Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s Oliver!
4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown, 970-744-3747 orcoloradocandlelight.com
Through May 26: Midtown Arts Center’s My Fair Lady
3750 S. Mason St, Fort Collins, 970-225-2555 or midtownartscenter.com
Through June 5: Buntport Theater’s Magnets on the Fridge (First Wednesdays)
717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388 or buntport.com
Through August 1: Iron Springs Chateau’s One Bad Apple, or As the Worm Turns
444 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-5104 or ironspringschateau.com
More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter
Onstage Colorado: Your comprehensive online Colorado theatre calendar
Want to know what shows are performing on any specific date? We at the DCPA NewsCenter want to point you Alex Miller’s OnStage Colorado, which offers Colorado theatre news, reviews and a comprehensive, functional and searchable Colorado theatre calendar. You can look for shows by title, date or company. Continue to send your show listings to jmoore@dcpa.org and info@onstagecolorado.com.
