Cast list for Ignite's production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" announced

The Ignite Theatre Company has announced its cast list for the spring production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical," a comedy penned by Colorado-based David Nehls. The show will run at the Aurora Fox theater from April 20 to May 6.
Find the full cast list after the jump.

Aurora Fox announces cast list for season closer

The Aurora Fox theater still has a slate of shows to go before the end of their 27th season, including Lynn Nottage's "Crumbs from the Table of Joy" debuting later this month and the roller skating dance extravaganza "Xanadu"that kicks off in March.
The final show of the season, the folksy drama "Amateur Night at the Big Heart" penned by Colorado's own Terry Dodd, will run from April 20 to May 13. The finalized cast list announced this month includes Fox veterans like Jack Casperson and Jude Moran, as well as Jack Wefso, who earned a nomination from the Colorado Theatre Guild for best supporting actor last year for his performance in "While We Were Bowling."
Check out the full cast list after the jump.

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.

Festival of Wreaths fundraiser draws disco entry from Fox exec producer

Charles Packard's "Disco Wreath" available through the Aurora History Museum's "Festival of Lights" fundraiser.

Talk about holiday spirit. For the twelfth year in a row, the Aurora History Museum is tapping into the aesthetic power of Christmas wreaths to raise funds from the community through its Festival of Wreaths.

This year, the fundraising effort will take place online, with contributors invited to bid online for a selection of decorated wreaths. In the past 10 years, the push has drummed up a total of $16,000 for the museum’s exhibits and education programs. This year, they’re hoping to raise about $2,000.

The 2011 Festival of Wreaths effort has drawn nearly 45 entries from city employees and community members, all of which are available to buy through a bidding process here.

The entries include decorated wreaths from the Dry Dock Brewery, the Arc of Aurora and the city's Public Works department. Our personal favorite? Aurora Fox theater executive producer Charles Packard’s “Disco Wreath,” a decoration that fuses traditional Christmas aesthetics with a glittery dance floor ball straight out of Saturday Night Fever. Is it a nod to the Fox’s upcoming production of Xanadu, or an expression of Packard’s deep-seated love for the Bee Gees? You can decide yourself – the wreath had garnered a top price of $15 at the time of writing, and the bidding process is open until noon on Dec. 9.

"Rashomon" reviewed

Heather L. Smith / Aurora Sentinel

The Aurora Fox’s production of “Rashomon” shows just how tricky it can be to get a story straight.

Without getting too philosophical, it’s fair to say that truth doesn’t exist without perception, and that when it comes to human beings, perception is always steered by biases, backgrounds and contexts. That’s the central truism behind Fay and Michael Kanin’s murder mystery, a thriller that distills a single crime through the lenses of four separate narrators.

While true nature of the play’s central event may be hard to pin down, there’s no enigma about the quality of the Aurora Fox’s production for its 27^th season debut. Director El Armstrong weaves different narrative strands together in a powerful and compelling way, and the medieval Japanese thriller comes to life on a lush set brilliantly mapped out by scenic designer Jen Orf. Combined with nuanced, revelatory performances by Fox veteran Jack Casperson and newcomers Seth Maisel and Enzo Sariñana, the show stands as one of the most creative and affecting season premieres at the Fox in recent memory.

Tickets for inaugural season at PACE Center on sale Friday

Photo courtesy of the PACE Center

Tickets for the inaugural season at a new arts complex in Parker are set to go on sale Friday.

According to officials from the Parker Arts, Culture and Events (PACE) Center, tickets for the facility’s first season will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 9. The center’s debut season will kick off with the “Luma” light show from Oct. 28 to 29, with performances from the Vienna Boys’ Choir and the Denver Municipal Band to follow in November.

Tickets for all shows will range from $5 to $42.50, according to the center.

The shows will be part of a much wider menu of more than 70 attractions for the PACE Center’s debut season, one that will include classical music concerts, dance exhibitions and theatrical collaborations with the Aurora Fox theater. In addition to its theater space, the PACE Center at 20120 E. Main Street in Parker will include a 250-seat amphitheater, an art gallery, an event room, a dance studio, culinary kitchen and classrooms.

Tickets will be available at www.pacecenteronline.org or by phone at 303-805-6800.

Photo from Mysto the Magician's Aurora Fox show - 7/16

Mysto the Magician makes a bird disappear during his magic show at the Aurora Fox theater on July 16. (Heather L. Smith / Aurora Sentinel).

Shadow's CRUNK youth program persists despite company's challenges

Kamettisara LuQman practices her dance routine for last year's incarnation of the Shadow Youth Ensemble's Creative Resources Uniting Neighborhood Kids, aka CRUNK, show last July. The Shadow will offer its fifth year of the youth program, despite the company's eviction from its Dayton Street theater earlier this year. The show will run at the Aurora Fox theater in August. (Gabriel Christus/ The Aurora Sentinel)

The Shadow Theatre Company's annual youth theater program will continue this year, despite the troupe's loss of a permanent home.
The Creative Resources Uniting Neighborhood Kids, aka CRUNK, program has been a part of the Shadow's season since 2006. The theater camp offers local youths the chance to take a lead role in writing, producing and directing a full show. This year's theme, "Remember Where You Came From," will steer the tone and content of the production.
The program will enjoy its fifth consecutive season despite the Shadow Theatre troupe's eviction from its Dayton Street theater at the beginning of the year. While the Shadow has run most of its recent productions out of the Su Teatro facility in Denver, the CRUNK program will return to Aurora for a run at the Aurora Fox theater, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7.
Information and tickets: www.shadowtheatre.com/crunk.html.

PACE Center announces collaboration with Aurora Fox for inaugural season

Photo courtesy of the city of Parker.

A new arts complex in Parker will draw creative help from the Aurora Fox theater soon after it opens its doors in October.

Officials from the new Parker Arts, Culture and Events Center, or PACE, announced a collaboration that will see the Fox contributing two theater productions for the coming season. The PACE Center’s 500-seat theater will host productions of “A Christmas Story” in December and “Annie” in April, both co-produced with the Aurora Fox.

“The shows offer very satisfying entertainment, especially for people who aren’t accustomed to going to the theater regularly,” said Aurora Fox Executive Producer Charles Packard. “The primary advantage for me is that I’m finally going to be able to serve citizens of south Aurora who aren’t regularly coming up to the Fox. They’ll come to the PACE Center.”

Aurora Fox, Shadow Theatre nominated for CTG Awards

Deb Newcomb-Madden, director of "While We Were Bowling," was one of the nominees for the 2010-11 Henry Awards through the Colorado Theatre Guild.

The Aurora Fox theater has received nominations for four regional theater awards for acting, choreography and direction during the 2010-11 season.

The Colorado Theatre Guild announced nominations for its annual Henry awards Friday, prizes that celebrate the best in local theater. The Aurora Fox snagged nominations from two different productions from its most recent season, tying at four total nominations with Denver’s Vintage Theatre company. Aurora Fox Executive Producer Charles Packard also received a nomination for his set design on the production of Caryl Churchill’s “A Number” that just wrapped up its run at the Curious Theatre Company.

Top Five Tadoos in Aurora and Beyond -- June 10 to 18

"Footloose" at Stapleton. (Photo courtesy of the Aurora Fox).

The range of events this week is impressive for art lovers, theater lovers and music lovers alike, from open access at two arts districts to the takeover of Havana Street by gearheads next Saturday. A list of the five best bets follows after the jump.

Gravity Defied Theatre company splits off from RMAA, adopts new name

Keith Rabin Jr. performs in the Gravity Defied production of "The Wild Party" last year. (Gabriel Christus / Aurora Sentinel).

The Gravity Defied Theatre Company has split from the Rocky Mountain Arts Association and adopted a new title.
Gravity Defied founder and artistic Director Keith Rabin announced yesterday the Ignite Theatre Company will operate under a new, independent organization called Lucent Performing Arts. The Lucent Performing Arts group will eventually include a  professional show choir called "Illumination."
The company will still operate out of the Aurora Fox and it will finish the rest of the planned Gravity Defied season, which includes a fundraising performance of "Edges of Love" at Hamburger Mary's in Denver, as well as productions of "Pippin" and "A Chorus Line" at the Aurora Fox. Rabin also announced selections for the Ignite Theatre Company's 2012 season. The company will perform its first nonmusical piece, "The Busy World Is Hushed" to be directed by Bernie Cardell, as well as a production of the Tony Award-winning musical "Spring Awakening."
Rabin will serve as the new executive artistic director for the Lucent Performing Arts group.

"Uncle Jed's Barbershop" preview: Q&A with Leonard Barett Jr.

Leonard Barrett Jr. (Photo courtesy of Max Talent)

Leonard Barrett Jr. will help bring a dose of local talent to this weekend's performance of the musical "Uncle Jed's Barbershop" at the Aurora Fox theater. The veteran actor and singer has graced the stage in Aurora before as a regular company member at PHAMALY, and he's carved a niche locally with his regular slate of concerts and one-man shows. The Sentinel talked to Barrett about working with a Broadway crew for "Jed" and his own dual role in the staged concert reading.

"Uncle Jed's Barbershop" preview: Q&A with Ken Prymus

(Photo courtesy of Ken Prymus).

This weekend's staged reading of the musical "Uncle Jed's Barbershop"at the Aurora Fox will offer Ken Prymus a chance to revisit the Denver theater scene. The Broadway veteran made stops in Denver for touring production of "Cats," "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Cinderella" on larger stages; his title role in the musical penned by Kenneth Grimes, David Wohl and Susan Einhorn offers the chance to perform for smaller crowds in a more intimate setting. The musical, based on the award-winning children's book by Margaree King Mitchell, tells the story of Jed, the only barber in a small town in 1920s-era Arkansas. The Sentinel caught up with Prymus to talk about the role and how the musical has evolved in the past decade.

Aurora Fox to hold auditions for "Crumbs" in June

Scenes from a production of "Crumbs from the Table of Joy" at the Paul Robeson Theatre in New York.

The Aurora Fox theater will hold auditions for “Crumbs from the Table of Joy,” the third show of its 27^th season, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 4.

The drama by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage focuses on a family’s geographical shift in 1950. The available roles are for two black women aged 15-19, one black woman aged 30 to 45, one black man aged 30 to 45 and one white woman aged 25 to 40. The show will include two roles for members of the Actors’ Equity union.

Actors’ Equity auditions will run from 1 to 2 p.m. on June 4; all other auditions will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

This weekend: Your first and last chance to see Gravity Defied's production of "The Last Five Years"

Photo by Heather L. Smith / The Aurora Sentinel

If you blink, you very well may miss the Gravity Defied Theatre company’s latest creative experiment.

This weekend, the troupe will tackle “The Last 5 Years,” Jason Robert Brown’s musical that tracks the birth and death of a romantic relationship over the course of five years. Audiences won’t have long to catch the show – the musical’s run is only one weekend.

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.

Top Five Tadoos in Aurora -- March 11 to March 17

Photo by Heather L. Smith / The Aurora Sentinel

Here comes "K2," along with some music by Ravel and a giant invisible rabbit...