Lone Tree Arts Center announces inaugural season

Photo courtesy of the city of Lone Tree

A mix of Broadway powerhouses and traveling productions will mark the inaugural season of the Denver metro area’s newest arts center.

The Lone Tree Arts Center announced the titles in its debut season today, and the roster varies from proven musicals like “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” to visiting productions of Terrence McNally’s “Ragtime” by the Arvada Center crew and the Creede Repertory Theater’s take on “Unnecessary Farce” by Paul Slade Smith.

Other highlights include an anecdotal show by Broadway veterans Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp that will kick off the season in September; a pair of productions from the “Stories on Stage” series; and the Arvada Center’s production of “Chess: The Musical” by Tim Rice as a final production in April, 2012.

The debut season of the new facility off E-470 and Yosemite Street will also see performances by the Lone Tree Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Chamber Players, the Denver Concert Band and other local arts groups.

The new, 43,000-foot complex – built with green technology and energy efficient construction standards – is set to open its doors in August.

Find the theater’s full season announcement after the jump.

Aurora performers sweep regional "Night of the Stars" talent show

Photo courtesy of the city of Aurora

The city’s youngest singers, dancers and performers rank among the best in the Denver metro area, according to the results of a regional talent competition.

Performers from Aurora placed in six of the seven categories at the “Night of Stars” regional talent show held April 23 at the Lakewood Cultural Center. The show featured more than 40 performers from around the metro area competing for prizes in dance, vocal and variety categories.

Firehouse Theater Company announces 2011-12 season

The three titles in Firehouse Theater Company's 2011-12 season range from an emotional drama rooted in the tragedy of 9/11 to a mash-up of two Charles Dickens stories. Anne Nelson's "The Guys," the Dickens-inspired "A Christmas Twist" and Dennis Lehane's "Coronado" figure on the upcoming schedule. With a fourth, yet-to-be-announced musical slated for next year, the coming season will offer plenty of variety.

Find the company's full season announcement after the jump.

"Seussical," "Cliffhanger" reviewed

Photo by Heather L. Smith / The Aurora Sentinel

“Seussical: The Musical”

Until May 1

The Aurora Fox Studio Theatre, 9900 E. Colfax Ave.

Tickets start at $25

For more information, call 303-957-8186 or log on to www.rmarts.org

In launching its third season, the Gravity Defied Theatre company has taken a break from the risque and the raunchy.

Since 2009, the young troupe has carved a niche for itself with regional premieres of works like Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party” and Hunter Bell’s “[title of show],” musicals that revel in bawdy themes and adult language. Gravity Defied founder Keith Rabin is the first to admit that the crew’s current production of “Seussical: The Musical” represents an artistic shift for a company that’s known for embracing adult material.

“This show is different from our regular programming, which usually brings you productions that, while incredible, are not family friendly,” Rabin writes in the program for “Seussical.”

The Broadway musical — based the best known stories by celebrated children’s author Dr. Seuss — is about as family friendly as you can get. Lynn Ahrens’ and Stephen Flaherty’s piece melds several Seuss stories into a larger narrative with a bright, catchy score as a backdrop. Characters like the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Yertle the Turtle, the Grinch and an entire town of Whos all find a place in the show’s 23-person cast.

Happily, the Gravity Defied crew doesn’t get tripped up by a shift to a children’s musical, and they handle the ambitious scope of the piece with grace and expertise.

2011 Banks in Harmony schedule announced

Photo courtesy of the City of Aurora

This year’s homegrown music festival will feature the usual mix of blues, soul, rock, world and vintage pop. Now in its 25^th year, the Banks in Harmony concert series will feature familiar names from the metro area music scene at the city’s parks, a roster that includes Dixieland jazz veterans the Queen City Jazz Band and Zephyr Lounge regulars Papa Juke.

A full schedule for the summer series is after the jump.

Aurora's Top Tadoos -- April 15 to April 22

This weekend holds a wide range of options for Aurora's theater lovers. From the Aurora Fox's current production of Carter Lewis' 1950's era family drama "While We Were Bowling" to the Afterthought Theatre Company's first show of their tenure at the Dayton St. Theatre, local stages will be full. Find details after the jump.

Dayton St. Theatre gets (slightly) new look

Photo courtesy of Cornerstone Equity, LLC

After weeks as a nameless performing arts center, the former Shadow Theatre on Dayton Street has an official mark of its new brand. The new "Dayton St. Theatre" sign is up less than a week before the debut of the Afterthought's production of "Waiting to Be Invited," which starts on April 15. Click here for the Sentinel's exclusive feature about the new Dayton St. Theatre and its first tenant, the Afterthought Theatre Company.

Aurora's Top Tadoos -- April 8 to April 15

Two opening productions and a funky R&B cover band top the list of best entertainment bets in Aurora this weekend. The Aurora Fox's last production of its 26th season, "While We Were Bowling," opens tonight, as well as "Cliffhanger" at the John Hand theater in Lowry. V-10 takes the stage at the Zephyr on Saturday, and the current exhibit at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery runs until the end of the month. Details after the jump ...