SUPPORTER
HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT
GRATEFUL
Spring is in the air, which means new shows, camps, and classes are coming your way from DCPA! With dozens of production titles each season, it would be hard to find another place in America with more theatrical variety under one glass roof! Our actors, teaching artists, directors, designers and so many more dedicated creatives work yearround to bring inspiration and entertainment to hundreds of thousands of patrons and students from around Colorado.
Whether you’ve been donating since we opened in 1979 (and there are many of you!) or this is your first year supporting live theater in our community, know that we are grateful for each of you. Your donations help sustain inspiration for Colorado every week of the year, which is an invaluable gift.
We are excited to share the impact of your support in the pages of this edition of The Supporter. Among the impact numbers and stories as you read, we also want to share the many ways you can deepen your engagement (and enjoyment) with DCPA. From Premium Memberships to dance-’til-you-drop Galas to behind-the-scenes sponsorships of productions, we try to make supporting live theater and education the most fun you’ll ever have making a donation!
Read on to see how you make inspiration possible and don’t miss our new Premiere Access Membership that gives members premium pre-show dinners and VIP seats for a mix of 4 Broadway tours and 4 Denver Center Theatre Company Opening Nights each season.
With Gratitude,
Jamie Clements
Jamie Clements
Vice President of Development 303.446.4818 • jclements@dcpa.org
WOMEN’S
In 2005, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts launched the Women’s Voices Fund, a first-of-its-kind fund created to foster the work of female playwrights and directors. Since then, the fund has supported 50 works by female playwrights and 52 female directors including this season’s world premiere of The Suffragette’s Murder by Sandy Rustin. Visit denvercenter.org/WVF today to
BOOSTING LITERACY THROUGH BOOK STARS
By Suzanne Yoe
These days, there’s a commemorative day for everything. A quick Google search led to the National Today website, which lists 132 dates dedicated to literature alone.
To celebrate National Library Week (April 6-12), National Poetry Month (April), Drop Everything and Read Day (April 12) and, of course, Edible Book Day (April 1) — because who doesn’t like to nibble on paper and ink? — it’s a perfect time to introduce DCPA patrons to Book Stars.
Statistically speaking, the value of early childhood literacy is enormous. According to Effective Early Childhood Programs: Turning Knowledge Into Action, 37% of children start kindergarten without the literacy skills necessary for lifelong learning and only 2% can read simple sight words. Yet, the National Commission on Reading has identified that the single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.
So, in 2016, DCPA Education & Community Engagement introduced Book Stars, an early childhood literacy program designed for PreK through Kindergarten students. Each year, the Education team carefully selects a variety of beloved
children’s stories to take to area schools and community centers. This year’s selection includes Yoko by Rosemary Wells, The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle, They Say Blue by Jillan Tamaki, and Goodnight Moon by Doreen Cronin among a dozen others.
The team of 15 teaching artists doesn’t just read a book to excited children; instead, they come prepared with props and activities that are used by the children to act out the stories, embody the characters, and solve the problems posed in the plot. Unbeknownst to the children, they are learning literacy concepts for life including print motivation, print awareness, letter recognition, and phonological awareness.
These free 30-minute workshops are so popular that the program currently has a waitlist. In fact, last year the program offered 1,380 workshops for 27,026 children. That’s nearly eight workshops per day throughout the school year. The program continues to see exponential growth, increasing more than 15% in each of the previous years. In total, more than 121,000 students have participated in DCPA’s Book Stars since its inception. Schools and community centers serving PreK through Kindergarten students are encouraged to join the waitlist at education@dcpa.org.
SINCE 2016
16 Books Featured 5,504 Workshops
121,277 Students Engaged
2169%
Total Growth in 9 Years
Learn more about supporting DCPA’s Book Stars and help us keep it a free resource for thousands of Colorado students each year. Contact Jamie Clements for more information: jclements@dcpa.org or 303.446.4818
Book Stars funders: The Buell Foundation, The Phyllis M. Coors Foundation and PNC
THE THREE R’S OF THEATRE REUSE, REPURPOSE, RECYCLE
By Suzanne Yoe
If you’re an avid television viewer, you can often point out reused locations. For instance, University High School in Los Angeles has been used as a location for “Arrested Development,” “7th Heaven,” “Lizzie McGuire,” “My So-Called Life,” and “Even Stevens.”
And these are big budget productions that typically have money to burn.
When it comes to non-profit theatre organizations, the need to reuse, repurpose, and recycle becomes not only a choice, but a necessity.
According to Eric Moore, Technical Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company, nearly two-thirds of set materials are repurposed.
“I’m very proud that we have reused many doors and windows from stock this season — seven alone in The Suffragette’s Murder. Additionally, almost everything in Gutenberg! The Musical is reused except the proscenium (the arch of the stage that separates the stage from the
audience). The spiral staircase in Gutenberg! has been in at least half-a-dozen shows. In fact, it was originally built for The Comedy of Errors in the late 1990s.
“We recycle all the steel framing that can’t be reused, and some is repurposed for storage. For example, the Emma proscenium became seat storage in the Wolf Theatre basement. The Lehman Trilogy mezzanine panels reappeared in Phamaly’s Cabaret and our recent production of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter before being repurposed into shelving.”
The Theatre Company is in the fortunate position to own a 24,000-square-foot warehouse where it can store props, furniture, rugs, scenic elements, and more — all of which are reused in multiple productions. Similarly, costumes, shoes, and wigs fill dozens of storage rooms and lockers in the DCPA’s administrative and production offices.
“While we can’t save everything,” said Lisa Orzolek, Director of Scenic Design, “if we know the design needs for upcoming shows far enough in advance, we can save materials such as walls for future productions.”
For instance, the theatre deck (or stage floor) that was used in the 2024 production of A Christmas Carol will be reused in the current production of Little Shop of Horrors and stay in place for A Christmas Carol next season. And, if you pay close attention, you’re likely to recognize the backdrop of Little Shop of Horrors from the 2011 production of Map of Heaven, the fencing in Little Shop of Horrors from the 2017 production of The Book of Will (which had a previous life as wood bleachers that were purchased on the cheap), and the backdrop in last season’s production of Hamlet, which previously appeared in The Secret Garden (2017) and Quixote Nuevo (2022)
None of these cost-saving measures are intended to limit a designer’s vision or the production values that audiences have come to expect. But “by having department managers who
are also designers,” Orzolek said, “we can make suggestions to our guest designers that will achieve their vision while staying within the budget. Our department heads work together to achieve the ‘idea’ that a guest designer has asked for by first providing options from within our own stock.”
“We always try to pull first, buy second,” said Moore. “And if we purchase something, we try to buy second-hand before we consider purchasing something new.”
Case in point, the blood-thirsty plant in Little Shop of Horrors was purchased from California’s South Coast Repertory. Denver Center Theatre Company artisans then modified the plant to meet our production’s needs including a mechanical overhaul plus new paint, and additional leaves, a much more affordable option than creating such a prop from scratch.
All of these decisions require the cooperation of designers — both resident and guest. “Arnel Sancianco (scenic designer of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter) was okay with
The Lehman Trilogy panels being redressed. Reid Thompson (scenic designer of The Suffragette’s Murder) let us choose a paint treatment instead of a stain so we could re-use old molding to save money, and Alan Muraoka (scenic designer of Little Shop of Horrors) chose patterns for cornice molding, tin ceiling, and brick that we already had molds for so it is relatively cheap and easy to recreate.”
“We did a production of Misalliance back in 1997, which featured what appeared to be a marble floor but was really faux painting by our artists,” Orzolek recalled. “We received many rather heated questions about our budget, and what we said then still holds true. We are frugal, we are creative, we are responsible stewards of the money we receive from patrons and donors.
“And we are grateful for the investment our SCFD community makes in us so that we can provide world-class productions that engage, uplift, and entertain thousands of individuals every year.”
The backdrop in last season’s production of Hamlet, previously appeared in The Secret Garden (2017) and Quixote Nuevo (2022).
SHARE TOMORROW’S STORIES BECOME A PRODUCTION SPONSOR
Over 45 seasons, Denver Center Theatre Company has produced more than 460 plays and musicals. From Colorado musicals like Rattlesnake Kate to works of Oscar winners like Tarell Alvin McCraney, the DCPA unites communities through storytelling. With ticket revenue only covering a portion of production costs, benefactors make impactful theatre possible. Plus, sponsors unlock special
“behind the scenes” benefits with creatives, designers, and the Opening Night experience!”
Become a production sponsor today to share tomorrow’s stories. Production sponsorship levels range from $10,000 to $50,000.
CONTACT: Caitie Maxwell
Rebecca Watson and Brian Vaughn in Hamlet, photo by Jamie Kraus Photography
Raúl Cardona in Quixote Nuevo, photo by Adams VisCom Zoe Manarel in The Secret Garden, photo Credit: AdamsVisCom
IT TAKES A VILLAGE FOSTERING FUTURE CAREERS IN THE ARTS
By Heidi Bosk
More and more often, Colorado is producing top notch talent headed to Broadway. Case in point, Overland High School (Class of 2020) graduate Gabriella Shead who we caught between shows as she transitioned from Company Management Production Assistant on THE WIZ tour launch to Assistant Company Manager on THE BOOK OF MORMON tour.
“Truly, my love of all arts, both performing and visual, is what led me to get my degree in arts administration and eventually led to my career in Company Management,” said Gabriella who graduated this past May from Arizona State University.
Gabriella started dancing at the age of three with fellow SCFD member organization Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. “Dance has been a constant in my entire life, and I couldn’t begin to imagine what my life would be without it.” In middle and high school, she found an additional outlet in the orchestra playing the upright bass and in college, discovered a love for administration.
“When I was in college, my main career goal was to just work at a performing arts facility (like the DCPA) where I could get the chance to interact with all types of performing arts. There
GABRIELLA SHEAD
COLLEEN JENNINGSROGGENSACK
was never any specific job that I was looking for or wanted to do in the future, but I knew that I wanted to work with a venue.
“I had an internship at ASU Gammage where I got to learn a lot more of the behind the scenes of what it takes to put on a show from the venue point of view.” That internship paid off big time when she learned about a Production Assistant job with A Beautiful Noise and landed the job right out of school.
“When I was hired for my second show, Life of Pi, I got the opportunity to learn all of the details and job responsibilities that come with company management.”
Now, just a year out of college, Gabriella is poised to join her third national show, and she fully credits her early success with the opportunities she had as a youth.
“Colorado has such a diverse and fantastic arts scene. If being on the stage isn’t your cup of tea, there are all types of different things that happen behind the scenes. Personally, being immersed in the dance world, I was able to find my appreciation and passion for arts administration. I love dancing and being on stage, but there’s something so rewarding about helping artists from behind the scenes achieve their goals.
“Any form of creative interest can help young people bloom into being well-rounded individuals, whether they pursue the arts professionally or not. The benefits of the arts in youth is such a beautiful thing as it opens a path to self-discovery, growth, and personal expression. The arts is such a welcoming community and can be a creative and safe space for youth to just figure out themselves.”
UPGRADE YOUR NIGHT OUT
Our Best of Broadway Society, Directors Society, and all-new Premiere Access Membership take you “beyond the ticket” to a world of curated pre-show dinners, behind-the-scenes artistic insights, intermission hospitality, and post-show parties.
Upgrade to a Premium Membership today and get as close to the show as you can without stepping onstage yourself!
Contact: Marc Ravenhill, Director of Development, Donor Relations mravenhill@dcpa.org | 303.572.4594
UPGRADE NOW
ANNALEIGH ASHFORD FROM WADERS TO WICKED
Tony Award winner to headline
DCPA’s Gala: Saturday Night Alive
By Suzanne Yoe
Labeled “The Teen to Watch” (Rocky Mountain News) when she was only fourteen, Wheatridge-born Annaleigh Ashford was destined for greatness from an early age. Having studied at the Kit Andreé Dance studio, this hometown girl got her start at the age of nine playing Tina Denmark in Ruthless! at Denver’s Theatre on Broadway.
Now Annaleigh comes home to headline the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ annual gala, Saturday Night Alive on June 14.
Looking back on her storied career, Annaleigh credits her Colorado upbringing with giving her an appreciation of a world that is “bigger than us as human beings,” she told Boulder Weekly. “I’m so grateful I grew up in a place where I got to put my feet in the river and learn how to fly fish. If you put me in the woods for a week, I think I could make it. There’s just a connection to nature from growing up in Colorado.”
But 20 years ago, she traded in her waders for a turn in the spotlight, joining the national tour of Wicked. Since then, her stage career has earned a 2015 Tony Award for You Can’t Take It With You and nominations for Kinky Boots (2013) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023), which also received a Grammy nomination.
Expanding her repertoire, Annaleigh transitioned onto the screen appearing in a full roster of television series including the recently released “Happy Face”, which debuted on Paramount+ in March, as well as the Hulu hit, “Welcome to Chippendales,” for which she was nominated for a 2023 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
However, the small screen just can’t contain all that talent. She added more than a dozen films to her resume, including last year’s thriller, Hold Your Breath, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.
She’s a triple threat. She has been recognized in three of four major award categories. She is one of the greatest performers to come from Colorado.
And she’s generous with her praise.
“When I say I’m from Denver,” Annaleigh told former DCPA journalist John Moore, “the first thing they say is, ‘Oh! Denver is one of our favorite cities to play.’ Always. Not just because we have beautiful sunshine and the mountains are a hop, skip, and a jump away, but because the theatre audiences here are smart, loving, and boisterous. I think that’s quite a great compliment to the town.”
And she, in turn, is a great complement to Colorado.
Saturday Night Alive Gala
A benefit for DCPA theatre and education
June 14
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Morgridge Family Foundation
BUY TICKETS
John C. & Hillary Morgridge of the Morgridge Family Foundation will be honored with the Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award for their generous support of DCPA Education.
CHAIRS AND HONORARY CO-CHAIRS
Everett Schneider & Robert Phifer join with Paul Washington & Nadia El Mallakh to chair the Gala. Retiring DCPA Trustees Bob Slosky and Reggie Washington will be celebrated as Honorary Co-Chairs of the Gala.
UNEXPECTED WAYS TO GIVE
A centerpiece of Saturday Night Alive is its online auction. If you have luxury items or exclusive experiences to donate, please contact Megan Stewart at mstewart@dcpa.org.
OFF-CENTER NATIONAL HUB OF IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
By Suzanne Yoe
While DCPA Off-Center was created in 2010, somehow it still feels new. Maybe it’s the fresh approach to what a theatre experience can be. Maybe it’s that nearly every project is new to Denver. Maybe it’s that each time you see an Off-Center production, the audience interaction is completely unlike the one before.
Off-Center is designed to offer immersive experiences that place the audience at the center of the story. Whether the action surrounds you or you walk through a set, you serve as a catalyst to the experience as it unfolds.
To date, Off-Center has offered 70 productions with 15,040 performances and welcomed more than 593,000 attendees, half of whom are new to the DCPA. The economic impact of this single programming line has been up to $20 million a year, contributing substantially to the vitality of the area.
In the past year, DCPA has been increasingly seen as the national leader of immersive touring productions launching three US tours originating from Canada, Australia, and the UK respectively: Space Explorers: THE INFINITE, Darkfield, and MONOPOLY LIFESIZED: Travel Edition
At the same time, Off-Center has been actively working to take its own original projects to other cities. Camp Christmas traveled to Dallas’ AT&T Performing Arts Center this past December and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre just announced an engagement of Theater of the Mind as part of its centennial season.
Transforming from a small test kitchen to a national leader has taken not only extraordinary vision, but also sizeable investment by foundations and individuals. What’s next for this always-unexpected programming line? Stay tuned to find out.
$13,625,000
HELP US HONOR DECADES OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND GENEROSITY
The Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award
The late Daniel L. Ritchie (1931-2025) led by example. While Chairman and CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (2007-2016), Ritchie expanded education programs, furthered new play development, launched Off-Center, and invited thousands of patrons into creative conversation with their community. He inspired us to dream big, be bold, aim high, and contribute to the betterment of our city. Established in 2019, the Spotlight Award honors Dan’s legacy of support for the arts by recognizing individuals and organizations making lasting change on the creative fabric of our city and state.
2025 Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award Honorees: JOHN C. AND HILLARY MORGRIDGE, MORGRIDGE FAMILY FOUNDATION
John and Hillary are passionate advocates for students throughout Colorado. In addition to their longstanding, integral support of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot and accessibility initiatives at DCPA, they are also helping move the needle with nonprofits focused on nutritional health and overall well-being of children across our state and beyond.
We hope you’ll help us celebrate John & Hillary by attending or donating in their honor.
2025 Honorary Co-Chair: ROBERT SLOSKY
Retiring from Board service after 37 years as a DCPA Trustee, Bob and his wife Carole have supported a remarkable range of programs, productions, and projects at DCPA. Attending and inviting guests to hundreds of performances over the years only begins to scratch the surface of their many contributions to DCPA’s success and culture.
2025
Retiring from Board service after 30 years as a DCPA Trustee, Reggie and his wife Faye have been steadfast champions for DCPA. As a dedicated advocate for the health and well-being of the children and youth of Colorado, Reggie has helped guide dozens of organizations, including DCPA toward a healthier, more creative future for countless young Coloradans
We hope you will help us honor these community champions’ service to DCPA by attending or supporting the matching gift challenge for our Gala on June 14.
SPONSOR A TABLE, PURCHASE TICKETS TO ATTEND OR DONATE TO THE AUCTION
Contact Jamie Clements, Vice President of Development for more details jclements@dcpa.org 303.446.4818
MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE
To bolster community support for DCPA theatre and education initiatives, the Tuchman Family Foundation has offered a matching gift challenge up to $25,000 for donations made during our Saturday Night Alive Gala or in lieu of attendance. Click or scan here to make a gift in honor of these community champions, and help the DCPA grant creative wishes.
Honorary Co-Chair: DR. REGINALD L. WASHINGTON
2025 Gala Co-Chairs
Everett Schneider & Robert Phifer
Paul Washington & Nadia El Mallakh SATURDAY NIGHT ALIVE
per person based on DoubleRoom without Airfare
• 7 Days/6 Nights: Intercontinental Times Square
• 4 Theatre Productions (under consideration): SMASH Buena Vista Social Club Maybe Happy Ending Redwood • 3 Breakfasts & Theatre Talks • 3 Dinners: Tony’s Di Napoli, Sardi’s & Bond 45
• 1 Lunch: Café Un Deux Trois • Frick Collection • 911 Museum
Carnegie Hall Tour
New Victory Theatre Tour
Perelman Arts Center Tour • Lincoln Center Tour or Morgan Library • Brooklyn Botanic Garden • Brooklyn Museum • Top of the Rock/Rockefeller Center
Guided Walking Tours
