Tonight's Art Walk to feature Santa, art markets and new theater

Tonight's Art Walk event on East Colfax will feature new artwork at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery. (Photo courtesy of the Aurora Arts District).

Official's from Aurora's arts district are hoping tonight's second Friday Art Walk event will prove a watershed moment for the 16-block strip along East Colfax Avenue. With a menu of events that includes a Christmas tree lighting in Fletcher Plaza, a visit from Santa, an improvised marketplace of original artwork and live theater, the community event is designed to kick off a new era for a district that's struggled to succeed in the past decade.
Aurora Arts District Crystal Gardner has hinted that 2012 will see a new brand for the area, and has hinted at the arrival of new restaurants and praised the impact of a new lighting campaign.
The larger fate of the area remains to be seen, but tonight promises plenty of seasonal and creative fun. From a new "Winter Wonderland" exhibit from some of the city's youngest artists at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery to a temporary marketplace at Fletcher Plaza, the festivities will include plenty of new features.

"The Wiz" reviewed

Finding a new way to tell an old story is never easy.

The Afterthought Theatre Company’s production of “The Wiz” tackles the challenge on two fronts, starting with the reimagining of the landmark 1974 Broadway musical.

Of course, the foundation of the musical – and subsequent film – was L. Frank Baum’s 1900 fantasy book, “The Wizard of Oz.” In this telling, a funky soundtrack and a more modern aesthetic become updates to the basic tale of Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and a host of witches, fairies and talking flowers.

For all its updates, the story remains frenetically fantastical, as Dorothy makes the journey from her home in Kansas to the magical realm of Oz via a twister. “The Wiz” still centers on the four friends, and the combination of Faith Angelise-Goins as Dorothy, Terence Elison as the Scarecrow, Curshion Jones as the TinMan and TJ Hogle as the cowardly lion offer enough chemistry to carry the tale into a contemporary framework.

The Afterthought’s production adds plenty of energy and musical chops to the source material, boasting strong vocal performances from the principal cast and the supporting players. As the first musical to hit the Dayton Street stage since the Shadow Theatre Company’s production of “Smokey Joe’s Café” in 2009, the show is a welcome reminder of the theater’s acoustic potential.

In addition to strong duets between the principal actors (“Be A Lion” is a particular highlight), the score succeeds on guest performances from Stephanie Hancock as Evillene and Mary Louis Lee as Glinda.

While the show’s soundtrack takes advantage of the theater’s space and dimensions, other elements of the production seem a bit too small. The 135-seat auditorium may be on the smaller end of local houses, but the show’s effects, set design and scope often feels too slight. Glenn Grassi’s set fails to fully convey Dorothy’s journey from the fields of Kansas to the surreal landscape of Oz. Actors clad in yellow stand in for the yellow brick road, and while the creative effort is endearing, any real sense of escape is lacking.

Still, the piece finds its compass in the energy and earnestness of its principal cast. Jones gives the TinMan a fresh sense of swagger, Hogle balances his gargantuan frame with a real sense of vulnerability and Elison’s Scarecrow is thoughtful and pensive about his lack of a brain. Angelise-Goins gives Dorothy a compelling sense of energy. The four friends offer a convincing sense of camaraderie, a chemistry that helps make an old story seem new.

Two and a half stars out of four

The Afterthought Theatre Company’s production of “The Wiz” will run until Sept. 24 at the Dayton Street Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Tickets start at $20. Information: afterthoughttheatre.com.

The Aurora Sentinel's arts and education reporter is bigger than he looks.

Don't be fooled by this picture with TJ Hogle, who plays the Cowardly Lion in the Afterthought Theatre Company's production of "The Wiz." I'm not so tiny; the guy is 6-foot-8.

(Gabriel Christus / The Aurora Sentinel)

Afterthought looking to raise funds online for "The Wiz"

Trent Hines, music director for "The Wiz," and Mary Louise Lee rehearse July 27 at Dayton Street Theatre in Aurora. Lee will play Glinda the Good Witch in "The Wiz." (Heather L. Smith/Aurora Sentinel)

The Afterthought Theatre Company is hoping for a little help from its friends for the production of its first musical.
The resident company at the Dayton Street Theatre in Aurora has launched a fundraising page on kickstarter.com to drum up a minimum of $6,500 for its upcoming mounting of the musical "The Wiz." The company must raise the minimum by Sept. 11 receive any donations from the site.

According to the theater company, the donations will help cover “royalties and production costs such as materials, costumes, marketing and promotion” associated with the Afterthought’s first musical.

The Afterthought Theatre Company’s production of “The Wiz” will run Aug. 26 to Sept. 24 at the Dayton Street Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.

Mary Louise Lee in rehearsals for "The Wiz."

The Afterthought Theatre Company is gearing up for the upcoming production of "The Wiz" in August directed by Bernie Cardell and starring Denver's first lady Mary Louise Lee as Glinda the Good Witch. The Aurora Sentinel stopped by the Dayton Street Theatre this week to chat with the cast and crew. Look for a feature in next week's paper, and in the meantime, here's a clip of Lee gearing up for the show.

Cast and crew announced for Afterthought's production "The Wiz"

Photo courtesy of the Afterthought Theatre Company

The Afterthought Theatre Company has announced the cast and crew list for the upcoming production of “The Wiz,” the young company’s first musical.

The musical by Charlie Smalls and William Brown is based on "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. "The Wiz" will run from Aug. 26 to Sept. 24, with performances on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5:30 p.m. The show may be extended, and actors will receive a stipend. Bernie Cardell is set to direct the musical, and Reynelda Snell will produce.

The full cast and crew list follows after the jump.

Tonight: Word of Mouth at the Dayton St. Theatre

(Photo courtesy of Cornerstone Equity, LLC)

The Afterthought Theatre Company's latest bid to expand the offerings at the Dayton Street Theatre is "Word of Mouth," a performance art event that will include poetry, painting, dance, sculpting and a mess of other onstage creative efforts. The Afterthought crew is hoping to make it a regular event, promising a "Word of Mouth" show every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The event comes on top of the theater's recent series of children's book readings and other bids to add more dimensions to the theater space in Original Aurora. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Dayton St. Theatre. Admission will be $5 for non-performers. Information: 303-856-3797 or afterthoughttheatre.com.