State of the stage: A Colorado theater update

After a few weeks off, it is time to get back into the swing of things, so what better place to start than to take a look at the latest in Denver theatre news? There have been some big things happening in town over the past couple of weeks and it has proven time and time again just how close and supportive the theatre community in Colorado truly is.

“Bat Boy: The Musical” re-opens
Equinox Theatre Company opened “Bat Boy: The Musical” to a very successful and popular opening weekend. The team was the shocked to discover that their lead actor, Adam Perkes, has passed away just a few days after opening weekend due to an overdose. The Equinox family, (myself included) took a few weeks off to re-group and mourn the loss of their cast member and friend. Then, on March 8, “Bat Boy” re-opened, as award-winning actor, director and choreographer Nick Sugar stepped into the role. There has been a lot of truly impressive coverage of this story and you really should take a moment to view a couple of videos. Take a look at John Moore's video podcast, linked to the left. As well as inFocus with Eden Lane, who dedicated an entire episode to the “Bat Boy” story, including interviews with myself and Colin Roybal (Director for the show,) Nick Sugar, and John Moore.

"Bat Boy" re-opening night: A tribute to Adam Perkes"Bat Boy" re-opening night: A tribute to Adam Perkes

Shelly Bordas fundraiser
The “Bat Boy” story showcases just how strong the theatre community truly is. And in another amazing showcase of community and support, the theatre community has also rallied around Shelly Bordas. Bordas is a long-time teacher and actor in the Denver Theatre Community, and she recently announced that, after a long battle, her cancer was back and it was not looking good. She resigned from her role in the musical “9 to 5” at Town Hall Arts Center, to focus on spending more time with her young son. Bordas mentioned that she was hoping to take her son on a Disney Cruise while she still could, and it was then that the community heard its call to action. Thanks to the efforts of many people, more than $20,000 has been raised for Bordas. The funds will be used for both the cruise, as well as a college fund for her son. There is also an on-going video documentary by John Moore, that is beautifully capturing the story.

March Madness is back
The writers over at the He Said/She Said Critiques blog have brought back their popular March Madness contest. The contest pits 22 different upcoming productions against each other, as fans are encouraged to vote for the show they are most excited to see. It is a traditional bracket-style contest, with the popular shows progressing on until a winner is determined. The best part is that the real winner in this is you. The prize pool, which you can enter here, will award the two people who come the closes to predicting the outcome of the game. The prizes are a selection of tickets from all of the competing shows. Games start at 8:00 A.M. on March 25. So log on, enter the prize pool, and get ready to start voting.

Aurora Sentinel Coverage
If you haven't been paying attention to the arts coverage over at the Aurora Sentinel, this is probably a great time to be checking in. Adam Goldstein has been covering the arts in Aurora for quite some time now, but the coverage of Aurora, and really all of the Denver area, has been a lot more expansive lately. Goldstein has been providing excellent interviews with local actors, directors and producers as well as looks backstage, upcoming theatre news, and of course, reviews. Be sure to check out the Aurora Sentinel either in print or online.

“The Book of Mormon” Returns
If you missed the launch of the National Tour of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's “The Book of Mormon” then here is your chance. The show is returning for a month-long run from October 22 to November 24 at the Buell Theatre. The public sale date is yet to be determined, but subscribers will receive priority access to purchasing tickets. Quite simply, if you get the chance to see this show – take it.