For one magical night Colorado’s most generous theatre fans are coming together to celebrate live theatre and its transformative power in our lives. And you’re invited. Join us on June 12, 2021 for our signature gala celebrating the reopening of of our doors with world-class entertainment and a luxury online auction.
The DCPA is reigniting our stages with performers from DCPA Broadway, Theatre Company and Education programs on Saturday, June 12 to raise important funds for our organization, and anyone can join us for free from anywhere! RSVP for the virtual stream below, and bid in our luxury online auction that is currently open and closes at midnight MT on June 13 (immediately following the performances).
The 40-year-old fundraiser has been entirely reconceived in order to adapt to restrictions on public gatherings, but one thing remains unchanged — your support helps us offer nearly 700,000 guest experiences each year through locally-produced plays, Broadway tours, and a wide variety of educational programs. We take great pride in sharing stories that resonate with and reflect the diversity of our vibrant community.
Join us virtually on June 12 at 7:30pm as we reignite our stages with live performances by Broadway & TV Star Norm Lewis, Former Lumineer Neyla Pekarek, 24 year veteran of the DCPA Theatre Company Harvy Blanks joined by DCPA Education students for an evening in support of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
NORM LEWIS can currently be seen starring in the SAG, Critic’s Choice, and NAACP Image Award-nominated Netflix film “Da 5 Bloods” by Spike Lee and in the Hulu miniseries, Mrs. America. He was previously seen in the NBC television special, “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!,” alongside John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Alice Cooper. He recently appeared in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island and as Sweeney Todd in the Off-Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Barrow Street Theatre, receiving the AUDELCO Award for his performance. In May of 2014, he made history as The Phantom of the Opera’s first African American Phantom on Broadway.
He has been seen on PBS in the Live From Lincoln Center productions of Showboat with Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis: Who Am I?, and New Year’s Eve: A Gershwin Celebration with Diane Reeves, as well as American Voices with Renée Fleming and the PBS Special First You Dream – The Music of Kander & Ebb. He can be seen recurring in the VH1 series, Daytime Divas, also alongside Vanessa Williams. His additional television credits include Better Things, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Bull, Chicago Med, Gotham, The Blacklist, and Blue Bloods, as well as in his recurring role as Senator Edison Davis on the hit drama Scandal.
Mr. Lewis is a proud founding member of Black Theatre United, an organization which stands together to help protect Black people, Black talent and Black lives of all shapes and orientations in theatre and communities across the country. He received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production ofThe Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess. Other Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables, Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon, and The Who’s Tommy. In London’s West End he has appeared as Javert in Les Misérables and Les Misérables: The 25th Anniversary Concert, which aired on PBS.
Off-Broadway Mr. Lewis has performed in Dessa Rose (Drama Desk nomination, AUDELCO Award), Shakespeare in the Park’s The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Drama League nomination), Captains Courageous, and A New Brain. His regional credits include Porgy in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (A.R.T.), Ragtime, Dreamgirls (with Jennifer Holliday), First You Dream, Sweeney Todd, and The Fantasticks.
His additional film credits include Magnum Opus, Winter’s Tale, Sex and the City 2, Confidences, and Preaching to the Choir.
Norm’s albums “The Norm Lewis Christmas Album” & “This is The Life” can be found on Amazon.com as well as cdbaby.com.
Neyla Pekarek began playing cello at age 9 in her hometown of Aurora, Colorado. She studied Musical Theatre and earned a degree in Music Education at UNC in Greeley, CO. In 2010, she joined the Denver folk-rock group The Lumineers as a cellist and vocalist, and after 8 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.
I spent 24 years as a Denver Center Theatre Company member during the Donovan Marley era. I cut my teeth as an actor with the DCTC; given the opportunity to play a wide range of roles as a company member. I performed 9 of the 10 August Wilson cannon as well as many dramatic, classical and musical pieces. After sadly departing the DCTC I began to perform in New York and regional theaters. I have enjoyed performing On & Off Broadway as well as numerous regional theaters across the country. I was last seen onstage in the Tony award winning touring production of August Wilson’s JITNEY directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson. Like all theaters across the country, our tour was cut short by COVID19 while we where in Seattle WA.
I miss the theatre.
Trustee Chair: Brisa & Mark Carleton
Corporate Chair: Nicole Ament, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Community Chair: Christine Benero & Brad Busse
Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award 2021 Honoree: The Joan & Phill Berger Charitable Fund
Trustee Vice Chair: Carolina & Manny Rodriguez
Corporate Vice Chair: Kyle Chism, Turner Construction Company
Community Vice Chair: Jackie & Jerome Davis
Peggy Finley, Theatre Company Entertainment Sponsor
Genesee Mountain Foundation, Education Entertainment Sponsor
Ruth Krebs & Peter Mannetti, Broadway Entertainment Sponsor
United Airlines
Westin Denver Downtown
Brisa & Mark Carleton
CIBC
Epicurean
Evergreen Natural Resources
Keith & Kathie Finger
Genesee Mountain Foundation
US Bank
Xcel Energy Foundation
Alpine Bank / HRM Resources
Christine Benero & Brad Busse
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Kevin & Dorota Kilstrom
Marcie & Phil Munishor
Salah Foundation
Turner Construction Company
Katie Behnke & Joel Harris
Capitol Focus LLC
CBS4
Colorado Rockies
FirstBank
HealthONE
MDC Richmond American Homes Foundation
Morgan Stanley
Polsinelli
Semple, Farrington, Everall & Case, PC
Janice Sinden
Stonebridge Companies
UCHealth
Over the last 39 years, Saturday Night Alive tickets, donations and auctions have raised more than $19 million in support of our theatre and education programs. As one of the largest nonprofit theatre organizations in the country, the DCPA entertains and educates nearly 700,000 people each year. Your participation helps us:
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