An unusual number of high-profile plays ranging from substantive to silly will be playing out on area stages in May – half of them world premieres – bolstering Colorado’s reputation as a fertile territory for introducing new stories to the American theater.
Two of the new plays are being staged simultaneously by the upstart Control Group Productions, which is both nurturing a heartfelt BIPOC family story by first-time playwright and longtime Denver actor Cipriano Ortega (“Cheyanne”), and a humanist examination of the Sand Creek Massacre – also known as the deadliest day in Colorado history (“Breathing Healing into the Banks of Sand Creek”).
Control Group, led by Artistic Director Patrick Mueller, creates singular live immersive experiences that take audiences on wild rides into the unknown.
“Breathing Healing” is the culmination of a three-year collaboration with Cinnamon Kills First, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.
The performance connects the 1864 massacre “to present-day experiences of oppression, erasure and injustice that Natives face every day as a result of 500 years of genocide, forced removal and systemic oppression,” Cinnamon Kills First told the Denver Gazette, adding: “This show is artistically designed to deliver quarantined health care to those who inherited racism and bias as a disease. We invite you to come breathe with us, to chat, share learnings and open the door for healing.”
Each of the three weeks of performances will be different because the bus will be taking audiences to vastly different places in the metro area depending on the given week of the performance run.
Meanwhile in Boulder, Local Theatre Company is debuting a new play by David Myers that will bring home locally beloved actor Lawrence Hecht to Colorado. He will be starring in “237 Virginia Avenue'' opposite young Jacob Dresch, who has quickly established himself as one of Colorado’s top comic actors through his recent work with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and elsewhere. Hecht served as Head of Acting at the Denver Center’s National Theatre Conservatory for 18 years. What makes his homecoming special?
“Working with Jacob Dresch," Hecht told The Denver Gazette. “He’s the real deal.”
Myers’ ambitious play, which is based on 400 years of Virginia history. ostensibly speaks “to the numerous hurdles between everyday working people and property ownership, and the exclusionary systems that have been put in place,” Hecht said. But what it really is in its bones is a universal family story.
“What most appeals to me is really the growth of the relationship between a father and son over time – and what puts that at risk, and what makes that of value to them,” Hecht said. “It’s about them learning how to live with – and sometimes without – each other.”
Theatergoers have a lot to choose from this month. Here are 13 representative options, listed by closing dates:
Cipriano Ortega, left, both performs in and wrote "Cheyanne," a new play that has been in development for 10 years. Also pictured: Iliana Lucero Barron.
Control Group Productions’ ‘Cheyanne’
• What: Denver playwright Cipriano Ortega’ debut play, is set in the confines of a cramped apartment. Cheyanne, an aspiring artist, and her partner, Rodrigo, navigate the challenges of caring for Cheyanne’s aging father while attempting to balance their individual artistic ambitions. Directed by Phil Luna.
• When: Through May 5
• Where: The People's Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave. in Aurora.
• Tickets: $18-$38 at controlgroupproductions.org/cheyanne
"Red," featuring Josue Miranda, left, and Andrew Uhlenhopp, plays through Sunday at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center.
Town Hall Arts Center’s ‘Red’
• What: John Logan's charged dialogue between the manic (and egomaniacal) abstract expressionist Mark Rothko and his young assistant, Ken, is infused with passionate brush strokes of intelligent inspiration. Rothko was an intensely self-absorbed genius whose generation helped destroy surrealism and cubism. Only now, in the mid-1950s, he's the one being superseded by the emergence of Andy Warhol and pop-culture art. Directed by Matthew Kepler.
• When: Through May 5
• Where: 2450 W. Main St., Littleton
• Tickets: $32-42 at 303-794-2787 or https://townhallartscenter.org/shows-events
From left: Christine Kahane, Barbara Porreca, Jennifer Condreay and Arthur McFarlane III in Benchmark Theatre's world-premiere play "The Road to Lethe."
Benchmark Theatre’s ‘The Road to Lethe’
• What: Denver playwright Jeffrey Neuman’s world-premiere play is a modern retelling of “The Golden Apple,” a Greek myth about a petty but destructive rivalry between three goddesses. Only here it plays out as an exploration of systemic racism and white saviorism among three while women, a Black man and an unexpected Amazon delivery that holds a blessing, a curse – ”or the ghost of something in between.” Directed by Betty Hart.
• When: Through May 18
• Where: 1560 Teller St., Lakewood
• Tickets: $18-$30 at benchmarktheatre.com
Lawrence Hecht, left, and Jacob Dresch play father and son in Local Theater's world-premiere play, "237 Virginia Avenue" at the Savoy Denver
Local Theater Company’s ‘237 Virginia Avenue’
• What: David Myers’ world-premiere comedy spans 400 years of American history distilled into one plot of land, one Monopoly property and one father-and-son son struggle. (See more above.) Directed by Nick Chase and Pesha Rudnick.
• When: Through May 19
• Where: The Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe St.
• Tickets: $10-$39 at ci.ovationtix.com
Lavour Addison as Othello and Rachel Fey as Desdemona in Theatreworks' 'Othello.'
TheatreWorks’ ‘Othello’
• What: When the Moor (Lavour Addison) weds the beautiful Desdemona (Rachel Fey) in 16th-century Venice, he does not see coming an insidious betrayal by his aide, Iago. Power plays and poisonous gossip come to a terrible end in this Shakespearian tragedy as Othello is consumed by love, rumor, deception and a fatal desire for revenge. Directed by Mikael Burke.
• When: Through May 19
• Where: The Ent Center, 5225 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs
• Tickets: $21-40 at 719-255-3232 or entcenterforthearts.org
A scene from Control Group Productions' interactive bus journey "Breathing Healing Into the Banks of Sand Creek."
Control Group Productions’ ‘Breathing Healing into the Banks of Sand Creek’ (with Cinnamon Kills First)
• What: This expeditionary performance bus tour revisits a critical touchstone in the 500-year genocide, forced removal, and ongoing systemic oppression of Native Americans perpetrated by the federal government and American people. Audiences are taken by bus to local sites where this history is embedded. Directed by Patrick Mueller.
• When: May 2-19
• Where: South Denver (May 2-5), North Denver (May 9-12), Boulder (May 16-19).
• Tickets: $38-$75 at controlgroupproductions.org
"Heartbeat of the Sun" had a development reading last year on its way to becoming a fully produced new play this month.
Cherry Creek Theatre Company’s ‘Heartbeat of the Sun’
• What: Denver playwright Melissa Lucero McCarl (“Painted Bread”) has written a comic and heartfelt new work about two aging best friends who have spent their lifetimes in the theater. They are played here by local legends Billie McBride and Anne Oberbroeckling. Directed by Patrick Elkins-Zeglarski.
• When: Through May 20
• Where: Pluss Theatre at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St.
• Tickets: $34-$51 at 303-316-6360 or cherrycreektheatre.org
DCPA Theatre Company’s ‘Where Did We Sit on the Bus?’
Satya Chávez plays Bee Quijada, mother of playwright Brian Quijada, in the DCPA Theatre Company's "Where Did We Sit on the Bus?"
• What: The most intriguing entry of the Denver Center’s 2023-24 season is this one-actor Latinx coming-of-age story written by Brian Quijada with original compositions by 2022 True West Award winner Satya Chavez. The story opens with 9-year-old Bee Quijada (played by Chavez) asking a teacher during a history lesson on Rosa Parks: “Where did Latinos sit on the bus?” That opens into a full examination of what it means to be Latinx through the eyes of a child turned teenager turned adult. Directed by Matt Dickson.
• When: Through June 2
• Where: Singleton Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex
• Tickets: $35-56 at 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org
(Note: The company’s simultaneous season finale is “The Lehman Trilogy,” the 2022 Tony Award-winner for best play.)
"The Full Monty" is being presented by Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden.
Miners Alley Playhouse’s ‘The Full Monty’
• What: Based on the popular British film, five unemployed steelworkers (moved here to Buffalo) come up with a bold way to make some quick cash: By taking off their clothes. In the process they find renewed self-esteem, the importance of friendship and the ability to have fun. Directed by Nick Sugar and David Nehls.
• When: Through June 2
• Where: 1100 Miners Alley in Golden
• Tickets: $27-$51 at 303-935-3044 or minersalley.com
Firehouse Theater Company’s ‘These Shining Lives’
• What: Melanie Marnich's 2008 play is based on the true story of four women who in 1922 worked for theRadium Dial Company – a watch factory based inOttawa, Ill. The play examines the danger women faced in the workplace and highlights the wider lack of concern companies had for protecting the health of their employees. These women may have been considered expendable in their day, but they refused to allow the company that stole their health to also kill their spirits. Directed by Kate Poling.
• When: May 11-June 8
• Where: John Hand Theater, 7653 E. 1st Place
• Tickets: $27 at firehousetheatercompany.com
Vintage Theatre’s ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’
• What: This Tony-winning hit musical comedy follows six young misfits in the throes of puberty as they compete in an "actual" spelling bee – the one place where they can both stand out and fit in at the same time. They're overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves. Directed by Carter Edward Smith.
• When: Through June 9
• Where: 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
• Tickets: $20-$39 at 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com
Curious Theatre’s ‘Cullud Wattah’
• The final show of Curious’ 26th season is a musical play that for the first time in company history will feature an all-Black female ensemble. The story, by Erika Dickerson Despenza, looks at the contaminated water crisis in Flint, Mich., from the intergenerational perspective of Black women. Curious’ current existential financial crisis has been well-publicized. It needs butts in seats to ensure a 27th season. Directed by Jada Suzanne Dixon.
• When: May 18-June 15
• Where: 1080 Acoma St.
• Tickets: $40 at 303-623-0524 or curioustheatre.org
The Catamounts’ "Impossible Things," inspired by "Alice in Wonderland," will play out around the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Greenwood Village.
The Catamounts’ ‘Impossible Things’ (with Hanzon Studios)
• What: This new immersive theatrical journey through the looking glass of Denver playwright Jessica Austgen explores the space between childhood and adulthood. In the story, Alex's graduation is a time for celebration – for everyone except Alex. The experience is informed by “Alice in Wonderland” and is inspired by Lonnie Hanzon's “Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities” – a newly opened permanent exhibit at the Museum of Outdoor Arts. Directed by Amanda Berg Wilson.
• When: May 23-June 16
• Where: 6331 S. Fiddler's Green Circle, Greenwood Village
• Tickets: $40 thecatamounts.wellattended.com
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.