DCPA NEWS CENTER
Enjoy the best stories and perspectives from the theatre world today.
August theatre rages against the dying of summer sunlight
‘Mountains Made for Us,’ a Bollywood-style romantic comedy set in Colorado, is about to make history at the Vintage Theatre.
From One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in a prison to Colorado’s first Bollywood comedy: August theatre is about to get very interesting
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at a prison in Sterling. Colorado’s first Bollywood-style romantic comedy. Our Town staged in three acts in three different locations. A play about bowling pins at a Wheat Ridge restaurant. The Denver Immersive Retrospectacle. Three new-play festivals. The 15th annual Boulder International Fringe Festival. Ten new plays or readings – one written and performed by film star Bill Pullman.It’s hard to remember a more interesting month in the Colorado theatre community than August promises to be. At the Denver Center, Anastasia visits the Buell Theatre as The Second City returns to the Galleria. Off-Center’s Mixed Taste finishes up another fun summer of anachronistic tag-team lectures while its escape-room adventure The Last Defender continues its extended run into September. And, by the by, if you want one last chance to visit the Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins, note that it closes August 3 with Take to the Highway: A Celebration of James Taylor. Here is our monthly list of intriguing theatregoing options throughout the state for August, followed by a complete list of all openings and ongoing productions:
The Studio Loft above the Ellie Caulkins Opera House is home for Phamaly’s ‘Chicago.’
1. Chicago. Phamaly Theatre Company, which exists solely to create performance opportunities for actors with disabilities, launches its 31st season with the classic Broadway musical about infamous dame Roxie Hart, who murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband to take the rap. It’s the ultimate cynical and timeless take on the “American Dream”: Fame, fortune and acquittal. Note new location in The Studio Loft at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. That’s just above the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at 14th and Champa streets. August 1-25. Call 303-893-4100 or go to denvercenter.org
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The University of Denver Prison Art Initiatives will present Ken Kesey’s subversive story of institutional oppression and the indomitable human spirit at Sterling Correctional Facility – a men’s maximum security prison located 130 miles northeast of Denver. The cast is made up of an ensemble of incarcerated artists there – And it’s open to the public. Randle McMurphy’s epic psychological showdown with Nurse Ratched is considered one of the defining dramatic conflicts of the 1960s. “We are working so hard and we can’t wait to share with you a truly incredible, rich, thought-provoking story,” says co-creator Julie Rada. “I have a feeling you all will be deeply moved.” The director is Ashley Hamilton. August 29-31. Click to attend
Everything you need to know about the Denver Immersive Retrospectacle
3. Mountains Made for Us. Roshni is the name of a new local theatre company in Aurora that will debut with what is being billed as Colorado’s first Bollywood-style romantic comedy. This new play by Deepali Lindblom and local playwright Luke Sorge is the unlikely love story between an Indian dancer and a Coloradan entrepreneur despite differences in culture and opinions. The moral of the story, Lindblom says, is that “one’s culture should not be a strict set of rules one is forced to follow. It is simply a roadmap that leads us all back to who we are.” The play is co-produced by Vintage Theatre and the Control Group Productions dance company. August 8-18 at 1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-856-7830 or vintagetheatre.com
The cast of CenterStage’s ‘Our Town.’
4. Our Town. CenterStage Theatre Company presents one of America’s best-known plays in a whole new immersive way. Thornton Wilder’s classic small-town story about the Gibbs and Webb families starts at the Louisville Center for the Arts, which served as the Louisville grade school at the time of Wilder’s play. For Act 2, the audience moves to the Louisville Historical Museum grounds, and Act 3 takes place in the company’s black-box theatre on historic Front Street. Directed by Jeanie Balch and Hannah Richards. August 1-11. Start at 801 Grant Ave. Call 1-800-838-3006 or go to centerstagetheatrecompany.org
Bill Pullman is back in Denver with his newest play. Photo by Daniel Chowen
5. Seeking Charlie Russell. Bill Pullman, perhaps best known for “Independence Day,” continues his long creative association with Denver’s Visionbox Studios on August 2 when he performs his new play exploring the life of turn-of-the-century cowboy artist, storyteller and author Charles Marion “Kid” Russell. The piece is not so much a biography as “an expedition into the essence of a man bearing witness to the end of an age.” 4 p.m. at the McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. Info at visionbox.org
6. Suicide Lies. A woman struggling with mental illness and a toxic lifestyle takes the audience on a spiritual journey through three stories that shed light on the insidious nature of suicide. “Because suicide lies,” says playwright Karon Majeel. “It lies in wait for you or your loved ones. It lies to you – and it possibly lies within you.” The play is directed by Hugo Jon Sayles with a multicultural cast featuring Rav’n Moon, Maria Rodriguez, Iliana Barron, Laura Chavez, Angelica Rivera, OD Duhu, Esther Pinales, Camryn Nialah Torres, Ladios Muhammad, Shadi Kafi and Adrianna Franklin. August 22 through September 7 at Su Teatro, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 720-238-1323 or thesourcedenver.org
7. Dogfight. BDT Stage, which is presenting Beauty and the Beast through September 21, takes a creative detour for two weeks this month when it presents this unlikely contemporary military musical on Monday and Tuesday nights, when the theatre otherwise would be closed. It’s 1963, and a group of Marines are celebrating their last night stateside before shipping out to Vietnam. They play a game called The Dogfight, where the Marine with the ugliest date wins the prize money. Only this time an unlikely romance blossoms. Directed by longtime BDT Stage favorite Tracy Warren and featuring a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land and The Greatest Showman) with a book by Peter Duchan. August 5-13 at 5501 Arapahoe Ave. Call 303-449-6000 or go to bdtstage.com
Everything you need to know about the Boulder Fringe Festival
8. We Still Like You. Buntport Theater launches a new monthly program featuring guest performers on August 19, when top Denver comedians and storytellers will share their most embarrassing and shameful moments – only to be forgiven with a rousing cry of “We still like you!” It’s a raucous celebration of being able to recognize that we’re all idiots. Featuring Anthony Bartolo, Christie Buchele, Adrian Holguin, Ben Kronberg, Lily Ostberg and ShaNae Ross. Hosted by Allison Rose with live art by Christian Pierre. $5-$7. Every third Monday at 717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388 or buntport.com
9. Creede Repertory Theatre’s Headwaters New Play Festival. Creede Rep’s eighth annual celebration of new, western-themed plays will feature readings of two developing new scripts over the weekend of August 23-24 in the San Juan Mountains about 250 miles southwest of Denver. Each year, one play is chosen to be fully staged on the next season. This year’s world premiere is Beth Kander’s Hazardous Materials, which runs August 16-September 13. Her story is set in one apartment in two different eras: In 1955, two widows explore a blossoming connection against all odds. Then in 2015, two reluctant co-workers sift through the belongings of a mysterious Jane Doe. 124 Main St., Creede, 719-658-2540 or creederep.org
10. 10 Pin Alley. Colorado’s newest theatre company is alphabetically its last: The Wheat Ridge Theatre Company, founded by Maru Garcia (formerly of the 73rd Street Theatre) will present plays in nontraditional spaces, starting with this revival of local playwright Gene Kato’s one-hour comedy about 10 terrified bowling pins who dread the charge of their archenemy, the Black Balls. It’ll be performed from August 21-September 11 at Alma Restaurant, 4101 Kipling St. Call 720-244-5204 or go to wheatridgetheatre.com
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.
Victoria Bingham and Joy Franz in ‘Anastasia.’ Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade.
AUGUST THEATRE OPENINGS AND EVENTS IN COLORADO:
August 1-25: Phamaly Theatre Company’s Chicago
At The Studio Loft at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Champa streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
August 1-11: CenterStage Theatre Company’s Our Town
Performances start at the Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant Ave., Louisville, workingcenterstage.bpt.me
August 1-4: Red Rocks Community College’s The Wizard of Oz
At Westminster High School, 6933 Raleigh St., 303-914-6548 or rrcc.edu
August 1-10: Fountain Community Theater’s Tom Sawyer, Detective
326 West Alabama Ave., Fountain, 719-233-5192, fountaintheater.org
August 2: VisionBox Studios’ Seeking Charlie Russell, written by and featuring Bill Pullman
McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 West Colfax Avenue, visionbox.org
August 2-11: Bas Bleu Theatre’s Of Monsters and Mountains
401 Pine St., Fort Collins, 970-498-8949 or basbleu.org
August 2-17: Theatre Company of Lafayette’s Shorn
Mary Miller Theater, 300 E. Simpson, 720-209-2154 or tclstage.org
August 3: square product theatre company’s Dance Nation (reading)
At The Wesley Chapel, 1290 Folsom St., Boulder, brownpapertickets.com
August 4: Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s Original Practices presentation of King John (sold out)
At the Mary Rippon Amphitheatre on CU-Boulder campus, 303-492-0554 or coloradoshakes.org
August 4: One Night Stand’s Law and Disorder, an evening of crime and punishment stories
1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-856-7830 or onenightstandtheater.org
August 5-13: BDT Stage’s Dogfight
Mondays and Tuesdays at 5501 Arapahoe Ave., 303-449-6000 or bdtstage.com
August 7-18: National touring production of Anastasia
At the Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
August 8-18: Roshini’s Mountains Made for Us (with Vintage Theatre and Control Group Productions)
1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-856-7830 or vintagetheatre.com
August 8-11: The Catamounts’ The Last Apple Tree
At Semper Farms, 9215 Pierce St., Westminster, thecatamounts.org
August 9-18: Counterweight Theatre Lab’s The Tempest
The Cellar at Carter Payne, 320 S. Weber, Colorado Springs, (719) 445-8302 or counterweighttheatre.com
August 9-24: Millibo Art Theatre’s The Kiss: A Circus of the Night
1626 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, 719-465-6321 or themat.org
August 9-31: Equinox Theatre Company’s The Great American Trailer Park Musical
At the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St., 720-984-0781 or equinoxtheatredenver.com
August 10-September 15: Jesters Dinner Theatre’s Les Misérables (Saturdays and Sundays only)
224 Main St., Longmont, 303-682-9980 or jesterstheatre.com
August 12: And Toto Too Theatre Company: American in Hiding (reading)
The Black Buzzard, 1624 Market St., 720-583-3975 or andtototoo.org
Melanie Moseley, formerly of Denver’s Promethean Theatre, returns to perform her one-woman ‘Sexology: The Musical!’ as part of the 2019 Boulder International Fringe Festival.
August 14-25: Boulder International Fringe Festival
At venues throughout Boulder, box office located at 1237 Pine Street, BoulderFringe.com
August 15-17: Shelby Simpson Presents Bad in Bed Live
Byron Theatre at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver, 2344 East Iliff Ave., BadinBed.Live
August 16-September 15: Lake Dillon Theatre Company’s Every Brilliant Thing
460 Blue River Pkwy, Silverthorne, 970-513-9386 or lakedillontheatre.org
August 16-September 13: Hazardous Materials
124 Main St., Creede, 81130, 719-658-2540 or creederep.org
August 17: The Rocky Mountain Puppet Palooza
At the Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St, Aurora, katywilliamsdesign.com
August 20: Buntport Theater’s The Great Debate, dumb-and-dumber inconsequential debates held every third Tuesday
717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388 or buntport.com
August 21: Buntport Theater’s The Narrators, a monthly live storytelling show and podcast held every third Wednesday
717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388 or buntport.com
August 21-September 11: Wheat Ridge Theatre Company’s 10 Pin Alley
Alma Restaurant, 4101 Kipling St., wheatridgetheatre.com or 720-244-5204
Rachel Runnels and a touring production of ‘Bad in Bed Live’ are coming to the University of Denver.
August 22-September 8: TheatreWorks’ The Mountaintop
At the Ent Center, 5225 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, 719-255-3232 or theatreworkscs.org
August 22-25: Vintage Theatre’s Third Annual New Play Festival
1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com
August 22-September 7: The Source Theatre Company’s Suicide Lies
At Su Teatro, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 720-238-1323 or thesourcedenver.org
August 22-31: Feral Assembly’s The Never Summer
At Theater 29, 5138 W. 29th Ave., theater29denver.com
August 22-30: The Royal Players Guild’s Escape
Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-440-7826 or thedairy.org
August 23-25: Su Teatro’s Northside
At the Su Teatro Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-296-0219 or suteatro.org
August 23-24: Creede Repertory Theatre’s Headwaters New Play Festival
124 Main St., Creede, 81130, 719-658-2540 or creederep.org
August 23: Coal Creek Theater of Louisville’s Front Range Playwrights’ Showcase
Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant St., 303-665-0955 or cctlouisville.org
August 23-September 1: Breckenridge Backstage Theatre’s Little Shop of Horrors
121 S. Ridge St. 970-453-0199 9 or backstagetheatre.org
August 29-31: University of Denver’s Prison Arts Initiative’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
At Sterling Correctional Facility, 2101 CO-61, Sterling, click to attend
August 30-September 7, 2019: Colorado ACTS’ Steel Magnolias
11455 W. I-70 Frontage Road North, Wheat Ridge, 303-456-6772 or coloradoacts.org
August 30-September 22: Lake Dillon Theatre Company’s Barefoot in the Park
460 Blue River Pkwy, Silverthorne, 970-513-9386 or lakedillontheatre.org
August 30-September 28: Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre’s Always … Patsy Cline
800 Grand Ave., Grand Lake, 970-627-3421 or rockymountainrep.com
August 31-September 28, 2019: Firehouse Theater Company’s Three Tall Women
John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. 1st Place, 303-562-3232 or firehousetheatercompany.com
CONTINUING THEATRE PRODUCTIONS IN COLORADO:
Archie Archuleta as Hamlet, aka son of Kurt Cobain, in ‘Nirvamlet. Photo by John Moore.’
Through August 3: Band of Toughs’ Nirvamlet
Performances Thursdays in July and August 1-3 at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, starting in the parking garage above the Limelight Supper Club, 1400 Curtis St., bandoftoughs.org
Through August 3: Midtown Arts Center’s Take to the Highway: A Celebration of James Taylor
3750 S. Mason St, Fort Collins, (970) 225-2555 or midtownartscenter.com READ MORE
Through August 3: Senior Housing Options’ Jerry’s Girls: The Broadway Musical Revue
At the Barth Hotel, 1514 17th St. eventbrite.com
Through August 3: Theatre Aspen’s God of Carnage
The Hurst Theatre, 470 Rio Grande Place, 844-706-7387 or theatreaspen.org
Through August 4: Little Theatre of the Rockies’ Into the Woods
Presented in repertory in the Norton Theatre on the University of Northern Colorado campus, 970-351-4849 or littletheatrerockies.com
Through August 4: Sasquatch Productions and Parker Arts’ The Full Monty
20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker, 303-805-6800 or parkerarts.org
Through August 4: Little Theatre of the Rockies’ First Date
Presented in repertory in the Norton Theatre on the University of Northern Colorado campus, 970-351-4849 or littletheatrerockies.com
Through August 4: Vintage Theatre Company’s Crowns
1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com
Through August 4: Jesters Dinner Theatre’s You Can’t Take It with You (Saturdays and Sundays only)
224 Main St., Longmont, 303-682-9980 or jesterstheatre.com
Through August 4: Millibo Art Theatre’s Ice Cream Theatre
1626 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, 719-465-6321 or themat.org
Through August 5: Evergreen Players’ The Wedding Singer
At Center/Stage, 27608 Fireweed Drive, 303-674-4934 or evergreenplayers.org
Through August 8: Creede Repertory Theatre’s Ripcord
124 Main St., Creede, 81130, 719-658-2540 or creederep.org
Through August 10: Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s As You Like It
At the University Mainstage, CU-Boulder campus, 303-492-0554 or coloradoshakes.org
Through August 10: Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s Romeo and Juliet
At the Mary Rippon Amphitheatre, CU-Boulder campus, 303-492-0554 or coloradoshakes.org
Through August 10: Iron Springs Chateau’s One Bad Apple, or As the Worm Turns
444 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-5104 or ironspringschateau.com
Through August 11: Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s Twelfth Night
At the Mary Rippon Amphitheatre, CU-Boulder campus, 303-492-0554 or coloradoshakes.org
Seth Dhonau as Prince Harry and Shunté Lofton as Jess in Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s ‘King Charles III.’ Photo by Jennifer M. Koskinen.
Through August 11: Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s King Charles III
At the University Theatre, CU-Boulder campus, 303-492-0554 or coloradoshakes.org
Through August 11: Lake Dillon Theatre Company’s MAMMA MIA!
460 Blue River Pkwy, Silverthorne, 970-513-9386 or lakedillontheatre.org
Through August 11: Breckenridge Backstage Theatre’s Into the Woods
121 S. Ridge St. 970-453-0199 or backstagetheatre.org
Through August 16: Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre’s The 39 Steps
At the Famous Performing Arts Center, 131 W Main St., Trinidad, 719-846-4765 or scrtheatre.com
Through August 17: Theatre Aspen’s Guys & Dolls
The Hurst Theatre, 470 Rio Grande Place, 844-706-7387 or theatreaspen.org
Through August 17: Theatre Aspen’s Little Shop of Horrors
The Hurst Theatre, 470 Rio Grande Place, 844-706-7387 or theatreaspen.org
Through August 17: Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre’s The Last Five Years
At the Famous Performing Arts Center, 131 W Main St., Trinidad, 719-846-4765 or scrtheatre.com
Through August 17: Funky Little Theater Company’s Monty Python’s Spamalot
1367 Pecan Street, Colorado Springs, 719-471-4462 or funkylittletheater.org
Through August 17: Lost and Found Productions’ Richard III
John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. 1st Place, lostandfoundproductions.net
Through August 18: Vintage Theatre’s Emma
1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com
Sheryl McCallum in Miners Alley Playhouse’s ‘Fairfield.’ Photo by Sarah Roshan.
Through August 18: Miners Alley Playhouse’s Fairfield
1224 Washington St., Golden, 303-935-3044 or minersalley.com
Through August 18: Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre’s Grounded
At the Famous Performing Arts Center, 131 W Main St., Trinidad, 719-846-4765 or scrtheatre.com
August 19: The Source Theatre’s Monday! Monday! Monday! Cabaret (every third Monday)
At the Su Teatro Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 720-238-1323 or thesourcedenver.org
Through August 23: Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
800 Grand Ave., Grand Lake, 970-627-3421 or rockymountainrep.com
Through August 24: Creede Repertory Theatre’s Peter and the Starcatcher
124 Main St., Creede, 81130, 719-658-2540 or creederep.org
Through August 25: DCPA Cabaret’s It’s Not You, It’s Me – The Second City
At the Garner Galleria Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
Through August 25: Creede Repertory Theatre’s Little Shop of Horrors
124 Main St., Creede, 81130, 719-658-2540 or creederep.org
Through August 25: Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s Disney’s Tarzan
4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown, 970-744-3747 or coloradocandlelight.com
Through August 30: Thingamajig Theatre Company’s Jekyll and Hyde, The Musical
2313 Eagle Drive, 970-731-7469 or pagosacenter.org
Through August 31: Off-Center and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s Mixed Taste
At the Seawell Ballroom, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
Through August 31: Thingamajig Theatre Company’s The Who’s Tommy
2313 Eagle Drive, 970-731-7469 or pagosacenter.org
Through September 1: Thingamajig Theatre Company’s Mamma Mia!
2313 Eagle Drive, 970-731-7469 or pagosacenter.org
‘The Last Defender’ has been extended by popular demand. Photo by Johnny Knight.
Through September 8: Off-Center’s The Last Defender
Beneath the Patagonia retail store at 1510 Blake St., 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org OUR INTERVIEW WITH CREATOR NATHAN ALLEN
Through September 14: Creede Repertory Theatre’s Pride and Prejudice
124 Main St., Creede, 81130, 719-658-2540 or creederep.org
Through September 15: Thingamajig Theatre Company’s Ring of Fire
2313 Eagle Drive, 970-731-7469 or pagosacenter.org
Through September 21: BDT Stage’s Beauty and the Beast
5501 Arapahoe Ave., 303-449-6000 or bdtstage.com
Through September 29: Jesters Dinner Theatre’s Nunsense
224 Main St., Longmont, 303-682-9980 or jesterstheatre.com‘
Through October 12: Springs Chateau’s Prairied Treasure, Or: Are You Sirius?
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.
