Strangely enough, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts can trace its roots as far back as the booming Gold Rush era of the late 1800s when a man by the name of Frederick Bonfils and his partner bought one of a dozen “scandal sheets” of the day — The Denver Post.

Donald R. Seawell. Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

Bonfils turned that yellow journalism into the state’s leading and longest running newspaper. In a story almost as sensational as a tabloid, Frederick bequeathed the Post to his daughter Helen, but it was nearly lost in a hostile takeover attempt led by her estranged sister, May. Helen — philanthropist, actress and producer — called upon New York lawyer Donald Seawell to save the day…which he did, but not before Helen fell ill and passed away. The ultimate victor,  Seawell sold the Post and directed Helen’s estate toward the creation of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

From that day forward, the histories of the DCPA and The Denver Post have been forever entwined, which is largely what Seawell told media mogul William Dean Singleton when he bought the paper in 1983 to add to his MediaNews Group, a national newspaper chain that once boasted over 60 daily newspapers and more than 160 non-daily publications in 13 states.

In a previous interview with the DCPA, Singleton recounted his initial introduction to Seawell. “I remember him saying, “Young man, the DCPA and The Denver Post are family and you’ve got to take as good of care of this part of the family as you do the newspaper part of the family.”

William Dean Singleton

And Singleton took him at his word. In 2000 he became Publisher of The Denver Post and promptly joined the DCPA’s Board of Trustees on which he still serves to this day. Over the years, he has deepened his involvement with the DCPA serving as Secretary/Treasurer of the Board, President of its Helen Bonfils Foundation, member of both the Best of Broadway and Directors Society premium subscription groups, contributor to the DCPA’s Education programs and donor to the organization’s recent Grander Opening capital campaign where he named both the 200-seat Singleton Theatre and Dean’s Bar in the main theatre lobby.

Singleton volunteered to Chair the Grander Opening campaign where he made early requests of the City of Denver.

“When we knew we needed to spend major amounts of money because we needed to upgrade the theatres, I early on sat down with [then-Denver Mayor Michael] Hancock and talked about the needs we had,” Singleton recounted. “The Mayor said, ‘Look, I don’t know how we’ll do it, but the City will raise half if you can raise the other half.’

“Since I’m the one who first approached him on it, I felt the need to show my commitment for what he and I talked about needed to be done,” Singleton continued. “To me the importance of contributing to and helping the rebuild of DCPA is keeping a promise to Don. But it’s not just that. I love the place. I love the theatre. I love the Trustees. I love the people we work with all the time. It’s an easy commitment to keep because it’s enjoyable to keep.”

Just as Singleton is committed to preserving the original intention of his friend and DCPA founder Don Seawell, so too is he determined to ensure the future of theatre for generations to come.

“The beauty of DCPA is not only do we produce world-class theatre with world-class talent and we bring the best of Broadway to Denver, but we educate kids in our community so that they can appreciate world-class theatre as they grow up. It’s open to everybody.”

Philanthropist, publisher, and friend Dean Singleton has named the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in his estate plans where he will not only ensure his legacy, but those whose vision made this organization possible.

“Through Helen Bonfils and Don Seawell’s dream, we have the finest theatre Complex and the finest theatre in America for a city our size. Don Seawell and Helen Bonfils did the heavy lifting. Now it’s our job to see that it continues in perpetuity.”