Popular fundraiser returns on June 12, 2021 with in-person and virtual viewing options

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ annual Saturday Night Alive gala returns to the social calendar on June 12, 2021. The 40-year-old fundraiser is designed to thrill audiences with a smorgasbord of entertainment that showcases a wide range of the organization’s programming options. In addition to musical numbers by DCPA Education’s students which will include former winners of the Bobby G High School Musical Theatre Awards, Saturday Night Alive will feature performances by:

NORM LEWIS: SAG & Tony Award-nominated Broadway and television star, Norm Lewis,

returns to Denver after starring as King Triton in the pre-Broadway debut of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Currently appearing in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods (Netflix) and “Mrs. America” (Hulu), Lewis has a host of additional credits to his name including TV hits such as “Scandal,” “Better Things,” “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Bull,” “Chicago Med,” “Gotham,” “The Blacklist” and “Blue Bloods.” On Broadway, he made history as the first African American actor to be cast in the title role in The Phantom of the Opera and also starred in The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess (Tony nomination), Sondheim on Sondheim, Les Misérables, Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party and Side Show among many others.

NEYLA PEKAREK: Colorado’s own Neyla Pekarek began playing cello at age 9 and earned a degree in Music Education from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. In 2010, she joined the Denver folk-rock group The Lumineers as a cellist and vocalist, and after eight years, touring and recording with the band, Neyla parted ways and began pursuing her own musical endeavors. In January 2019, she released her debut album, Rattlesnake, on S-Curve records, and was commissioned by the Denver Center for Performing Arts to develop her album into a musical production entitled, Rattlesnake Kate. Neyla is a proud member of Sweet Adelines International and The Barbershop Harmony Society, two organizations that nurture the craft of Barbershop Quartet Singing.

HARVY BLANKS: Longtime DCPA Theatre Company member Harvy Blanks performed in all of August Wilson’s ten-play Century Cycle, including Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson, Gabe in Fences, Loomis in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Turnbo in Jitney and West in Two Trains Running. He received accolades for his radio performances in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and roles in August Wilson’s Century Cycle, both performed with New York Public Radio. Harvy is a recipient of the Drama Desk Award for the Off-Broadway hit Tabletop.

For the first time ever, the DCPA will offer guests the opportunity to attend in person or watch virtually from the comfort of their homes. With the easing of COVID restrictions, a total of 450 guests will enjoy dinner and entertainment onsite with half being the first audience in the newly-renovated Marvin & Judi Wolf Theatre while the remaining 225 will be seated in the Seawell Ballroom. Extremely limited tickets are available starting at $1,000. Visit denvercenter.org/sna for details.

Simultaneously, the DCPA will broadcast the evening’s event live from the Seawell Ballroom. While available at no charge, guests will have the opportunity to bid on luxury items, which epitomize the Saturday Night Alive auction. Individuals wishing to view the event remotely are asked to RSVP online at denvercenter.org/sna.

This year, the silent auction will be available online starting May 24 at noon and culminate at midnight immediately following the event. Those bidding in the auction do not need to attend the event in-person to win. Once again, highly-coveted items will include hotel destinations courtesy of Westin Denver Downtown, airline travel from United Airlines, exclusive Broadway tickets, one-of-a-kind theatre opportunities, a foursome at Sanctuary Golf Course and a Colorado Rockies/AEG ticket package.

In addition to the auction and performances by stars of the stage, all guests will be able to celebrate the presentation of the Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award to the Joan & Phill Berger Charitable Fund, which will be accepted by Phil & Marcie Munishor. The award is given annually to an individual or organization that advances the mission of the DCPA.

Over nearly four decades, proceeds from Saturday Night Alive have contributed an estimated

$21 million to support the DCPA’s theatre and education programs, welcoming approximately
2 million students — a testament to the volunteers, donors, sponsors and attendees who have made this event a success.

Saturday Night Alive Gala Chairs are Trustee Gala Chair Brisa & Mark Carleton; Corporate Gala Chair Nicole Ament of Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck, and Community Chairs Christine Benero & Brad Busse. The fundraiser is sponsored by Premiere Sponsors United Airlines and The Westin Denver Downtown; Entertainment Sponsors Peggy Finley, Genesee Mountain Foundation, and Ruth Krebs & Peter Mannetti; Top Table Sponsors include Brisa & Mark Carleton, CIBC Private Wealth Management, Epicurean, Evergreen Natural Resources, Keith & Kathie Finger, Genesee Mountain Foundation, US Bank, and Xcel Energy Foundation.

To attend Saturday Night Alive — in-person or online — please visit denvercenter.org/sna or call 303.446.4821. All proceeds benefit the DCPA’s theatre and education programs.

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