Shadow landlord would like to see company vacate by Jan. 5

AURORA | Officials from the investment company that manages the Shadow Theatre Company building on Dayton Street say they'd like to see the troupe vacate by Jan. 5.
Cornerstone Equity LLC Partner Michael Rasser said a final agreement with the company on the specific terms of the exit would be finalized by Friday, but he added that he would like to see the property vacated by Wednesday, Jan. 5.

Shadow board members meet with landlord

AURORA | Cornerstone Equity Partners met with Shadow Theatre board members Wednesday to discuss the terms of the theater’s looming eviction from their current building on Dayton Street.

The meeting included Cornerstone partners Doug Adams and Michael Rasser, as well as Shadow Board President Herman Malone and board members Michael Hancock, Peter Cukale and Jim Wheeler. The meeting came two days after the investment company formally announced they were beginning eviction proceedings for the theater located at 1468 Dayton St., after their continued failure to pay the $7,500 monthly rent on the building.

“I would say the meeting went well,” Rasser said. “Both parties discussed how we can move forward and we are striving by the end of Friday to have an agreement between us signed, sealed and delivered which would work for everyone.”

Rasser added that there was no discussion of the Shadow Theatre trying to stay in its current space.

Shadow landlord: Company must vacate building on Dayton Street

AURORA | The investment company that owns the Shadow Theatre Company’s building on Dayton Street in Aurora has demanded the company vacate, officials announced Monday.

According to Michael Rasser, a principal and managing partner at Cornerstone Equity LLC, the decision to evict the Shadow Theatre from the 9,400-square-foot building off East Colfax Avenue came after the company continually failed to pay its $7,500 monthly rent. The financial problems began in earnest in 2009, after the company’s founder and creative director Jeffrey Nickelson resigned from his position, citing exhaustion and later massive debt. Nickelson founded the Shadow in 1997; it's the region's oldest black theater company.

CCA Department Chair hints at possible renewed run for "Romeo & Juliet"

Stacey D'Angelo, far right, director of theater at the Community College of Aurora, joined cast members from the school's production of "Romeo and Juliet" during a preview performance on Nov. 12. In CCA's staging, the Montagues were played by hearing actors and the Capulets were played by deaf actors. 

The Community College of Aurora drew attention from around the metro area last month for its new twist on an old tragedy.
CCA theater director Stacey D'Angelo reimagined the feud underlying William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" as a conflict between the deaf and the hearing. Juliet and her Capulet brethren were played by deaf actors, while Romeo and the Montagues were all hearing.
The show drew sold-out audiences for its two-week run in November, and according to Performing Arts and Humanities Chair Ruthanne Oriheula, the popularity could result in a revival.

"An Evening With Nina" reviewed

Nina Simone’s life encompassed much more than musical innovation.

The singer used her career as a jazz, blues, soul and protest singer as a springboard, offering messages about justice and equality through her music. By the time Simone died in 2003 at the age of 70, she’d carved out a significant place in both popular music and the American civil rights movement.

Unfortunately, the Shadow Theatre Company’s original production “An Evening With Nina” fails to fully meet its ambitious mission: To explore Simone’s life in a deep, comprehensive way. Playwright Hugo Jon Sayles wrote the piece as a deeper examination of the singer’s life, a drama that fuses contemporary action with biographical perspective.

"Red Ranger Came Calling" review

There’s something to be said for bucking a trend, especially one that’s as deeply ingrained as “A Christmas Carol.”

The Aurora Fox’s regional premiere of “Red Ranger Calling: A Guaranteed True Christmas Story” is a refreshing offering in an otherwise repetitive holiday theater season, one that includes seven productions of Charles Dickens’ story on stages across the Denver metro area. Based on the children’s book by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, “Ranger” is a dynamic alternative; the musical combines the wry feel of its source material with a catchy score and compelling performances.

Further Afield Theater Reviews -- "Shrek the Musical" at the Denver Center

"Shrek The Musical"

Until Nov. 28 at the Buell Theater

1101 13th St., Denver

Tickets start at $15

For more information, log on to www.denvercenter.org

Two and a half stars out of four

An admirable message underlies the pageantry and special effects in "Shrek: The Musical."

Dig deeper than the puppets, the costumes and the stream expensive scenery, and the main theme of the film remains intact. At its heart, the show is about self-confidence and self-acceptance. It's about embracing one's inner freak and eschewing judgements based on appearances.

The message is simple enough, but it tends to get lost in a dense score and high production values in the Broadway take on the original story.

Shadow looks to make up for earlier misstep with "Nina"

The opening of "An Evening With Nina" this weekend represents a kind of do-over for the Shadow Theatre Company.

Gravity Defied extends run of "[title of show]"

The crew at Gravity Defied will extend its run of "[title of show]", offering three additional productions of the comedy-within-a-comedy at the end of the month.

Aurora Symphony Orchestra launches new season this weekend

The Aurora Symphony Orchestra is kicking off its new season with a tribute to tubas.

The orchestra's first masterworks concert, titled "Sweet and Low," will kick off at 7:30 on Nov. 6 at the Simchat Torah Beit Midrash at 19697 E. Smoky Hill Road.

Full info follows after the jump.

Gravity Defied's "[title of show]" kicks off this weekend

photo by Gabriel Christus

The Gravity Defied Theatre company's take on the creative process behind theater will hit the Fox studio theater this weekend. Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell's "[title of show]," a comedy-within-a-comedy, turns the dramatic lens on itself, detailing the sometimes torturous, sometimes inspiring journey behind writing a show.

A feature about the comedy, which opens at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 follows after the jump.

Grandview theater series kicks off

Our four-part series about "Beauty and the Beast," the fall musical at Grandview High School kicked off this week. Take a look at www.aurorasentinel.com for the full story. In the meantime, here are some photos by Gabriel Christus from the first days auditions back in August:

Further Afield Theater Reviews -- "Bram Stoker's Dracula" at the Denver Center

"Bram Stoker's Dracula"

Until Oct. 31 at the Stage Theater

Denver Center for The Performing Arts

Tickets start at $18

For more information call 303 893 4100, or log on to denvercenter.org

Three stars out of four

For any actor trying to fill the shoes — and the cape — of Count Dracula, the comparisons are inevitable.

Playing one of popular fiction’s best-known baddies automatically opens up the floodgates for association: Was the performance as creepy as Gary Oldman’s? Did the actor pull off the Transyvanian accent as well as Béla Lugosi? Did their sheer presence match Christopher Lee’s?

Considering the decades worth of dramatic precedents, the Denver Center Theatre Company’s production of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” offers a surprisingly original take on the iconic horror story.

ASO Youth Concerto applications being accepted until Dec. 31

Do you have the chops needed to be a Classical music star?

The Aurora Symphony Orchestra is accepting applications through Dec. 31 for its 9th Annual Youth Concerto Competition. The contest is open to applicants aged 12 to 21, and includes cash prizes and a chance to perform with the ASO.

Aurora Symphony Orchestra announces new season, discounted tickets

The Aurora Symphony Orchestra's fall season will include selections from Camille Saint Saens, Vaughan Williams, Maurice Ravel and ... John Denver.

The orchestra's 2010-11 season offers an ambitious mix of artists and works, a mix that jumps from French Impressionism to American pop. Englebert Humperdinck and John Denver compositions find a place alongside Ravel and Saint Saens.

One of the orchestra's most ambitious projects of the season will be its spring masterworks concert, an event that will feature multiple choirs in a performance of "Carmina Burana."

Tickets for the upcoming season will be discounted until Oct. 15, when the prices will jump by as much as $10. For the next few weeks, adults can get season tickets for $40 and seniors and students can pick them up for $30. Individual tickets are $15 adults or $12 students and seniors.

Check out the full schedule after the jump.

 

Pictures from "Something Wicked This Way Comes" Rehearsals at the Aurora Fox

Review of "Innocent Thoughts" at the Shadow Theatre

AURORA | It starts with a few offhand remarks, racially charged comments that hint at a deeper current of intolerance.

One asks for coffee with cream, instructing “make it the color of Lena Horne.” Another declares while doling out a check, “If there’s anything a Jew likes, it’s loot.”

It only gets worse from there.

Five Questions with Ray Bradbury

On Oct. 1, the Aurora Fox's will kick off its regional premiere of "Something Wicked This Way Comes," a drama based on Ray Bradbury's novel about a creepy carnival that visits a small town. The Sentinel recently caught up with Bradbury to get some background about his seminal work, as well as some input about the advent of e-reader technology.