The Denver Heart for the Performing Arts got here roaring again from the pandemic in 2022, and it was an infusion of native performers that put the “Denver” within the Denver Heart at a scale maybe not seen earlier than.
In all, not less than 58 Colorado actors made appearances in 9 totally different Denver Heart productions starting from a young-audiences staging of “Little Purple” to mainstage DCPA Theatre Firm productions of “A lot Ado About Nothing” and “A Christmas Carol” – and that doesn’t even embody all of the native kids showing in that present.
“After practically two years of darkness, this return feels all of the extra triumphant to have so many actors from our area people celebrated throughout all of our programming strains,” mentioned Grady Soapes, a Denver Heart Inventive Producer and Director of Casting.
The 2022 infusion of native expertise was a boon for native actors who, through the years, have typically discovered it laborious to interrupt into the nation’s largest regional performing-arts heart. However this yr, specifically, it was a mutually helpful partnership, particularly contemplating the continued grand immersive experiment “Theater of the Thoughts,” which has drawn fawning media curiosity from around the globe.
“Theater of the Thoughts,” the inventive ardour undertaking of Speaking Heads frontman David Byrne, is basically a solo play that’s being carried out by a rotating group of 14 actors, all from Denver, in 12 intricately designed rooms over 15,000 sq. ft on the York Avenue Yards.
Denver native Jenna Moll Reyes as ‘David’ in ‘Theater of the Thoughts.’
It’s the biggest immersive theatrical journey ever tried in Denver, and the actual fact is, Denver – and the Denver Heart – in all probability don’t get it if not for 2 issues: The DCPA Theatre Firm was uniquely nicely set-up to execute a undertaking of this inventive scale. And there was no want to herald New York actors to carry out the present “as a result of the expertise pool right here in Denver is unbelievable,” director Andrew Scoville mentioned.
As Byrne put it: “For me, the extent of the inventive workforce right here in Denver equals something on the planet that I’ve ever skilled. It’s completely on the extent of something on Broadway. And the parents listed here are much more adventurous, much more keen to attempt new issues out than individuals on Broadway are.”
Byrne mentioned Denver’s rising fame as a hotbed for immersive theater performed a job in his choice to develop the piece right here. That’s taking place largely as a result of unconventional native theatermakers like Amanda Berg Wilson, founding father of an immersive firm known as The Catamounts, usually presents narrative tales in all places from a golf course to a riverbed to an deserted dairy farm.
“Denver is ‘it’ proper now,” mentioned Berg Wilson, who’s each a “Theater of the Thoughts” actor and assistant director. “Due to the work being accomplished by DCPA Off-Heart, The Catamounts, Management Group Productions and others, we now have an entire physique of actors who haven’t solely accomplished immersive work, they’ve a ability set that different nationwide actors in all probability don’t. I believe you’d be challenged to discover a group that has actors who can do this sort of work on the degree that they’ll in Denver.”
This yr, the alternatives for actors to work on the Denver Heart got here in all kinds of how, from performing “Shakespeare within the Parking Lot” at native excessive faculties to a recent cabaret musical known as “The Different Josh Cohen,” staged within the Galleria Theatre.
“I’m thrilled to work with such a excessive degree of proficient actors in Colorado,” Soapes mentioned. “Watching them grace so lots of our phases solely reinforces that Denver is a ‘must-see’ metropolis for the performing arts.”
There’s by no means going to be sufficient work on the DCPA for all the proficient actors on this group, Wilson added. “However there isn’t any approach for an actor to construct a strong profession in Denver with out the Denver Heart being a part of the equation.”
Denver actor Chloe McLeod is taking part in Belle within the DCPA Theatre Firm’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ after having been an understudy for the previous a number of years. Her spouse, Susannah McLeod, can also be within the forged.
Denver Heart lineup of 2022 Colorado linked actors:
Veteran Denver actor Steven J. Burge performs in DCPA Training’s young-audiences manufacturing of ‘Little Purple.’
Identify, Present title(s)
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Shannon Altner, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot, Colorado New Play Summit (“Rubicon”)
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Brett Ambler, “The Different Josh Cohen”
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Jessica Austgen, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Annie Barbour, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Iliana Barron, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot, Colorado New Play Summit (“Cebollas”)
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Amanda Berg Wilson, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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donnie l. Betts, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Brian Bohlender, “A Christmas Carol,” “The Different Josh Cohen”
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Grant Bowman, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot
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Landon Tate Boyle, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot, “A Christmas Carol”
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James Brunt, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Steven Burge, “Little Purple”
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Janae Burris, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Alex Campbell, “Little Purple”
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Vi Dang, “A Christmas Carol”
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Nicole deBree, “The Different Josh Cohen”
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Seth Dhonau, “The Different Josh Cohen,” “A Christmas Carol”
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Jacob Dresch, “A Christmas Carol”
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Logan Ernstthal, “A lot Ado About Nothing”
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Kristina Fountaine, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Abner Genece, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Sam Gilstrap, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Kate Gleason, “A lot Ado About Nothing,” Colorado New Play Summit (“Rubicon”)
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Ben Hilzer, “Little Purple”
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Steph Holmbo, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Lisa Hori Garcia, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Christopher Hudson, “A Christmas Carol”
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Isaac Huerta, “Rattlesnake Kate”
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Valerie Igoe, “The Different Josh Cohen”
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Geoffrey Kent, “A lot Ado About Nothing,” Colorado New Play Summit (“Rubicon”)
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Rodney Lizcano, “A lot Ado About Nothing”
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Sheryl McCallum, “Rockin’ and Rollin’ with Miss Rhythm”
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Timothy McCracken, “A Christmas Carol”
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Chloe McLeod, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot, “A Christmas Carol”
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Susannah McLeod, “The Different Josh Cohen,” “A Christmas Carol”
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Desirée Mee Jung, “A lot Ado About Nothing”
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Brittany Mendoza-Peña, “Little Purple”
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Jihad Milhem, “A lot Ado About Nothing”
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Leigh Miller, “A lot Ado About Nothing”
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Jenna Moll Reyes, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Michaela Murray, “Little Purple”
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Camryn Nailah Torres, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot
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David Nehls, “Rockin’ and Rollin’ with Miss Rhythm”
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Neyla Pekarek, “Rattlesnake Kate”
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Jasmyne Pierce, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot
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Christian Ray Robinson, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot, “A Christmas Carol”
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Marco Robinson, “Rattlesnake Kate,” “A Christmas Carol”
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Jamie Ann Romero, Colorado New Play Summit (“Cebollas”)
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Gareth Saxe, “A lot Ado About Nothing”
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Sean Scrutchins, “Little Purple”
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Ryan Omar Stack, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot
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Peter Trinh, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Neil Truglio, Colorado New Play Summit (“American Quick”)
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Emily Van Fleet, “A Christmas Carol”
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Aaron Vega, “The Different Josh Cohen”
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Justin Walvoord, Shakespeare within the Parking Lot, “A Christmas Carol”
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Maggie Whittum, “Theater of the Thoughts”
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Erin Willis, Rattlesnake Kate, “A Christmas Carol”
Observe: The True West Awards, now of their twenty second yr, started because the Denver Submit Ovation Awards in 2001. Denver Gazette Senior Arts Journalist John Moore celebrates the Colorado theater group by revisiting 30 of the very best tales from the previous yr with out classes or nominations.