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Actress, Ilasiea Gray to Star as
Sleeping Beauty
at the Denver Children’s Theatre
Opening March 8 at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center
Celebrating its 21st
anniversary, the Denver Children’s Theatre presents the classic fairytale, Sleeping Beauty starring Denver actress Ilasiea Gray in the title role. This fanciful live-action theatre production for children and families opens on March 8 and plays Sundays at 1 p.m. and most weekdays at 10 a.m. through May 4 at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center in Denver. Ilasiea Gray plays the character of Briar Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty) a sassy, strong and independent heroine. In this new production of Sleeping Beauty, Director Steve Wilson has reimagined the familiar story, of good versus evil, building on the themes of non-traditional heroes and the power of friendship. To that end, Gray has been non-traditionally cast in the role of Sleeping Beauty and is pleased to represent people of color to the young children attending the show. “When I got the news that I had been cast as Sleeping Beauty, I was so excited,” said Gray. I ended up turning down a great part at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts because I believed so strongly in accepting a role like Sleeping Beauty, where I could be a role model for children, especially for those who will see themselves in me. That is everything I stand for.” A busy professional performer and teacher, presenting theatre programming that educates young audiences
has always been at the forefront of Gray’s career. As an actress, Gray prides herself in accepting roles in plays that have social justice themes. She recently starred in the play, “Detroit ‘67” by Dominique Morisseau at Curious Theatre Company. The show takes a hard look at the racial divide during Detroit’s Motown renaissance. Further illustrating her commitment for social change, Gray is also a role-playing actor for law enforcement training and she performs in the Curious Theatre’s touring production of Black (With a Capital B), by Lamaria Aminah, a show which elicits community discussions about race. When not acting, Gray is a Teaching Artist for young performers at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and a senior director
Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – March 2018
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at the company KidStage where she has directed more than 20 theatrical productions at schools throughout Colorado. Gray has also taught acting workshops for children at different companies, including her own classes which are how she began her teaching career. She continues to coach several young professional actors on an ongoing basis and takes great pride in all of her students’ successes. Gray is especially proud of one former student who stars on the sitcom “Fuller House.” Gray says of her work, “I believe it is crucial, more than ever in today’s society, for our young people to have positive experiences that encourage confidence and self-worth, both on stage and off.” Sleeping Beauty, written by Charles Way, tells the story of Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) who is an in-yourface kind of princess and her best friend and companion Gryff, a smartaleck half-dragon. When Briar Rose pricks her finger on the spinning wheel and goes to sleep, Prince Owain and Gryff join forces on a funny and adventurous quest to save her, battling troublesome fairy-folk, competing witches, and a riddling Spider King along the way. The award-winning Denver Children’s Theatre prides itself in producing quality educational theatre for young audiences, presenting fullymounted main stage productions featuring some of the finest adult professional actors in Denver. In addition to Ilasiea Gray, the cast of Sleeping Beauty includes: Sydnee Fullmer, Rachel Graham, Damon Guerrasio, Austin Lazek, Hannelore Rolfing, and Maggie Tisdale. Children and families are sure to enjoy the beautiful sets and creative costumes of this year’s production. Audiences at the Sunday performances get to meet the actors after the show and are sure to pose for a selfie or two. . Editor’s note: The Denver Children’s Theatre is located at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center in the renovated Elaine Wolf Theatre at the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center located at 350 S. Dahlia St., in Denver. Tickets for Sunday performances are $10/$12 for children/adults and can be purchased at the box office at 303-316-6360 or online at www.maccjcc.org/dct. For more information regarding weekday school/field trip performances call the box office at 303-3166360. Discounts are available for Title I Schools and there are optional workshops available after the performance. Sleeping Beauty is recommended for kindergarten children and up. Children younger than 5 years old may find a couple moments in the show just a bit scary. Weekday school performances are also open to the public. Call the box office to check availability and for more information.