Photos from ‘Miscast 2017,’ which raised nearly $7,000 for the Denver Actors Fund on Sept. 25 at the Town Hall Arts Center. To see more, press the forward arrow on the image above. All photos are directly downloadable and may be freely used on social media. Photos by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter.

Three actors battling cancer help Denver Actors Fund raise almost $7,000 with help from dozens of local theatre artists

By John Moore
Senior Arts Journalist

Last year, Miscast 2016 gave birth to the Killer Kids. This year unleashed the Cancer Warriors.

Miscast, a popular annual community-wide benefit held Sept. 25 at the Town Hall Arts Center, raised $6,842 for the Denver Actors Fund, which provides financial and practical relief when members of the Colorado theatre community find themselves in situational medical need.

In just three years, this grassroots nonprofit has distributed more than $128,000 in direct aid to help local artists.

More than 30 local actors performed in roles they would never normally be cast to perform. The event was hosted by Steven J. Burge and Eric Mather, and directed by Robert Michael Sanders, who has produced and presented Miscast in its entirety for four years as his personal contribution to the Denver Actors Fund. Since 2014, Sanders’ efforts have now raised $20,011 for the grassroots nonprofit. 

The most inspiring moment of this and perhaps any other Miscast took place when actors Jona Alonzo, Daniel Langhoff and Norrell Moore, all at various stages of their personal own cancer battles, performed an original variation of the song “Tonight,” from West Side Story. The number was put together by Langhoff and his (pregnant) wife, Rebecca Joseph.

The evening included the return of “The Killer Kids of Miscast,” who were given that name after a remarkable performance at last year in which they performed a twisted variation of “The Cell-Block Tango” from Chicago, accompanied by Donna Debreceni. Most of the kids played a traditional storybook characters such as Little Orphan Annie and Peter Pan. In the year since the performance, a video of that performance has been viewed nearly 500,000 times on YouTube and Facebook. 

This time, Evan Gibley, Kaden Hinkle, Hanna Katz, Darrow Klein, Hannah Meg Weinraub and Rylee Vogel performed a more Denver-centric parody of “Hey Officer Krupke” from West Side Story, in which the same storybook characters sing of getting older and lament not yet being seriously considered for adult roles. (Photo at right by John Moore. Video to come.)

Those same six kids – and seven others – are also preparing to present a fully stage, self-produced staging of Jason Robert Brown’s 13 the Musical, entirely as a benefit for The Denver Actors Fund. Brown also wrote The Last Five Years. Performances are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center. Information.

The hosts also engaged audiences in participatory games including Match Game and The Dating Game (with Guest Host Avery Anderson, a college journalist from The Met Report). As guests entered the Town Hall lobby, they were asked if they wanted to be entered into a drawing to play in several on-stage games. Those who did paid $5 – sparing audience members with no desire to leave their seats.

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

Abner Genece, an actor from the Arvada Center, delivered remarks on behalf of The Denver Actors Fund. In June, Genece was in a life-threatening car accident that resulted in many surgeries and left his 12-year-old son with a broken neck. The Denver Actors Fund has provided more than $6,000 to the Genece family, and volunteers have helped him with groceries and household chores as he recovers.

Many area merchants and theatre companies, including the nearby Melting Pot restaurant and iN-TEA shop in Littleton, contributed more than $1,000 in prizes for the event. Participating theatre companies included included the Denver Center,  Arvada Center, Aurora Fox, Benchmark Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre, Cherry Creek Theatre Company, Creede Repertory Theatre, Miners Alley Playhouse, Midtown Arts Center and Performance Now.

For more information on the Denver Actors Fund and its services, or to donate, go to DenverActorsFund.Org.

MISCAST 2017:

Hosts:
Steven J. Burge
Eric Mather
Shannan Steele

Program:

• Steven J. Burge, Eric Mather, Robert Michael Sanders and Megan Van De Hey, “The Circle of Life,” from The Lion King
• Jackson Garske, “Waiving Through a Window,” from Dear Evan Hansen, as a Starbucks barista
• Destiny Walsh, “Whatever Happened to My Part,” from Spamalot
• Jalyn Courtenay Webb and Rylee Vogel, “I Know Him So Well,” from Chess, as a (surprise) love song to Denver Actors Fund founder John Moore
• Jeremy Rill, “Everybody’s Girl,” from Steel Pier
• Reace Daniel, “Out Tonight,” from Rent
• Jose David Reynoza and Randy Chalmers competing for the lead role in Funny Girl
• Hope Grandon, Kenny Moten and Margie Lamb as the three Fionas singing “I Know It’s Today,” from Shrek the Musical
• Jona Alonzo, Daniel Langhoff and Norrell Moore, singing a variation of “Tonight” from West Side Story as a battle cry against cancer, altered lyrics written by Daniel Langhoff and Rebecca Joseph. Directed and choreographed by Rebecca Joseph.
• Killer Kids of Miscast: Evan Gibley, Kaden Hinkle, Hannah Katz, Darrow Klein, Hannah Meg Weinraub and Rylee Vogel singing a variation of “Hey Officer Krupke,” from West Side Story, about coming of age in the local theatre community. Choreography by Piper Arpan
• Group finale, “I Will Survive”

Video: The Cancer Warriors at Miscast 2017:

Performing here are Jona Alonzo, Daniel Langhoff and Norrell Moore, all at various stages of their personal own cancer battles. Video by John Moore.