text:
Dan McNally, left, as Nixon, and brother Tom McNally as Henry Kissinger in 'Nixon's Nixon' in 2011.
Editor's Note: The DCPA NewsCenter offers a weekly guest column from a variety of local and national voices covering a wide range of theatre topics. To submit a proposed guest column, email your name and topic to email@example.com.
By Gillian McNally
For the DCPA NewsCenter
GREELEY — In the summer of 1988, we packed up a large U-Haul in State College, Pa., and headed back west to our home, Colorado. I remember venturing north up a dull, dusty, dreary Highway 85 and wondering where on earth our next chapter of life would be. We arrived in what was then a much smaller Greeley, Colo. The first show my dad directed that summer was The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash. Much like the characters in this play, we were searching desperately for hope. I couldn't help but connect to Nash's description of his play. He said:
What happens to the people of the west — beyond the sudden poverty and loss of substance — is a kind of desperation. Rain will never come again; the earth will be sere forever; and in all of heaven, there is no promise of remedy. Yet, men of wisdom like H.C. Curry know to be patient with heaven. They know that the earth will not thirst forever; they know that one day they will again awaken to a green morning.
Although not as severe, when we arrived at the University of Northern Colorado in 1988, the theatre program was at risk of a possible drought. With dwindling numbers and looming financial cuts, the theatre program, and its Little Theatre of the Rockies summer theatre company, could have possibly disappeared. Yet, like H.C. Curry, Tom McNally knew to be "patient with heaven." He rolled up his sleeves and set out to create his "green morning" here with so many other talented artists at LTR. He has carefully built and tended this garden, this little piece of heaven for the arts here in Greeley, for the past 28 years.
The Little Theatre Rockies is now the oldest theatre company in Colorado, and this summer is celebrating its 81st year. Tonight (July 31), we will honor Tom McNally for his dedication as Artistic Director of Little Theatre of the Rockies for the past 28 years. In that time, he has directed or acted in 39 productions. In 2012, he was awarded the Colorado Theatre Guild's Henry Award for Lifetime Achievement.
At our core, theatre artists are storytellers. Through his magical gifts as both a director and actor, Tom McNally has been an amazing storyteller. Through his craft, he has transported us from the Dust Bowl Depression in The Rainmaker, to the hilarious new bachelors in New York City finding their way in The Odd Couple, to kidnapped hostages in Lebanon in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. And finally this summer, Greeley audiences sat in the living room with the Younger family as they struggled with racial prejudice in America in A Raisin in the Sun. Certainly a timely story to share just days after the church shootings in Charleston, S.C.
The influence my dad has had on me is immeasurable. Something I've learned from him all these years is to choose stories that move us in a big way: Stories that must be told. Maybe it's the Irish in us…
My dad chooses stories of people going through the impossible, yet by watching their struggle, the audience leaves the theatre feeling hopeful and courageous to take on challenges in their own lives. These are the stories that Tom McNally chose to share at LTR over 28 summers.
There was not a dry eye in the house as we watched M'Lynn lose her daughter much too early in Steel Magnolias. We admired the strength of Henry Kissinger as he stood up to the most powerful man in the world in the midst of the Watergate hearings in Nixon's Nixon. We contemplated our complex relationships with our own parents in the final chapter of their lives in On Golden Pond. I watched as my dad experienced a small bit of healing as he directed stories very close to his life growing up. The hilarious family struggling to make ends meet in Over the Tavern poked fun at growing up Catholic in the 1950s, but also looked beyond the Father Knows Best façade to the dark and scary truths of an alcoholic father.
These moments and many more are the stuff of legend.
I am honored to help celebrate the amazing contributions of my dad. Because of his tireless dedication and amazing artistic vision, Little Theatre of the Rockies continues to be a theatre that tells stories that bring us together as a community to question, analyze and celebrate the human experience.
About Our Guest Columnist:
Gillian McNally currently serves as Associate Professor of Theatre Education and Head of Community Engagement and Programs for Youth at the University of Northern Colorado. At UNC, she teaches undergraduate and graduate level theatre educators and oversees the yearly production for young audiences. She holds an M.F.A. in Drama and Theatre for Youth from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a current Board Member of TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences)/USA. Previous Guest Columns: Margie Lamb on the Henry Awards: Something doesn't add up Bryan VanDriel on Lloyd Norton: A name that will live on in Greeley Jessica Jackson on Creede Repertory Theatre's 50th anniversary season Susan Lyles on 10 years of staging plays for women in Denver
Be Our Guest (Columnist) The DCPA NewsCenter offers a weekly guest column from a variety of local and national voices covering a wide range of theatre topics. To submit a proposed guest column, email your name and proposed topic to email@example.com.
Here are more excerpts from our conversation with Sherburne about "Gruesome Playground Injuries":
John Moore: Have you essentially created Passage Theatre Company just to put on this play?
Mackenzie Sherburne: Yes, we created the theatre company because we love this play and wanted to work on it.
John Moore: Why the name "Passage"?
Mackenzie Sherburne: We liked the versatility of that word. It not only refers to passages of writing that inspire us, but also to the power that comes with going through transitions in your life. Gruesome Playground Injuries is all about big transitions and how they shape who we are.
John Moore: So what all is involved with creating your own theatre company, as opposed to simply renting space from an existing company like, say, the Aurora Fox?
Mackenzie Sherburne: When you go out on your own, the first thing you have to do is go through the licensing company and obtain the rights to perform the play. Because we were starting from scratch, our next step was creating our Kickstarter campaign. Once you get funded, then you go out and hire a creative team who can work on a shoestring budget. That includes directors, designers and production personnel. Then you have to find a place to rehearse, and an affordable space to perform the play – which is almost never the same place. Then you take press photos for the media coverage you hope you are going to get. Then you partner with local theatres for props, costumes, chairs, set pieces, marketing, press releases, setting up a way to sell tickets and more. Not to mention rehearsing, memorizing lines and getting the show on its feet.
John Moore: At so at this point, what is your financial risk to self-produce this play?
Mackenzie Sherburne: Worst-case scenario: We will have to pay for anything over the ($2,520) we raised in our Kickstarter campaign. In that case, we will likely not put on another show as the Passage Theatre Company. Best-case scenario: We will be able to break even and pay our designers and those people who have generously donated their time to this project.
John Moore: But realistically, no one is expecting to get paid?
Mackenzie Sherburne: The stage manager is being paid. And we paid to have our set built. But everyone else involved, including our director, Josh Hartwell, is donating their time.
John Moore: You crazy artists.
Mackenzie Sherburne: Right? When does a doctor ever say, "Yeah, I'll do it for you because it will look good on my resume"? That never happens. This is a labor of love for everyone involved.
John Moore: So tell us about this non-traditional space where you are staging this play.
Mackenzie Sherburne: The Bakery is an intimate performance space near Coors Field. Please let people know there are no more Colorado Rockies home games on any of our remaining performance nights. There isn't a bad seat in the house and, thanks to The LIDA Project, we have transformed it into a beautiful little black-box theatre.
John Moore: The LIDA Project is the late, lamented experimental theatre company that closed at the end of last year. How did they help?
Mackenzie Sherburne: Brian Freeland donated risers and chairs so the audience could have a place to sit.
John Moore: So what is it about this particular play that makes it worth all your trouble?
Mackenzie Sherburne: I love how it captures the way love and pain co-exist and thrive off one another. It is not a typical love story by any means, and I love that about it.
John Moore: And what's so Gruesome about Gruesome Playground Injuries?
Mackenzie Sherburne: You watch two 8-year-olds find an odd commonality - a fascination with pain – that unites them throughout their lives, despite the world spinning out of control around them. And you watch them grow and fall in and out of love for 30 years. Ultimately, you are left wondering at the end of the play what happens to them. It is a real love story, with all of the scars and bruises to prove it.
John Moore: Tell us more about that title.
Mackenzie Sherburne: Each scene begins with some sort of injury. Some are physical, some are psychological - and they get progressively more harmful as the play goes on.
John Moore: What do you think it ultimately has to say about why we hurt ourselves?
Mackenzie Sherburne: That pain can rip us apart - and bring us back together.
John Moore: You and your team have some pretty deep ties to the DCPA. Who else is helping you out?
Mackenzie Sherburne: We were given a great amount of advice and guidance from Director of Education Allison Watrous and Technical Director Stuart Barr. We also got help with our marketing from Brianna Firestone and Hope Grandon. And we have had tremendous help getting the word out from the entire summer-camp faculty.
John Moore: So what have you learned from all of this?
Mackenzie Sherburne: I was surprised by how many people it took to get it this thing on its feet. So many theatre companies and individual people have stepped up and donated their time, their counsel, their skill or their labor. Most of all, this whole thing has made me appreciate any theatre that has any butts in its seats … ever.
Gruesome Playground Injuries: Ticket information
Presented by Passage Theatre Company
Written by Rajiv Joseph
Plays through Aug. 9
Where: At The Bakery, 2132 Market St. Denver, 80202
Times: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 9
Cost: Tickets are $20
Purchase online at www.passagetheatre.com or 720-979-8486
A limited number of tickets to every performance of 'The Book of Mormon' will be available for every performance in Denver. Photo by Joan Marcus (c 2015)
By Heidi Bosk
For the DCPA NewsCenter
The Book of Mormon, winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, has announced a lottery ticket policy for the National Tour, which plays The Ellie Caulkins Opera House from Aug. 11 through Sept. 13. In Denver, the production will conduct a pre-show lottery at The Ellie, making a limited number of tickets available for every performance at $25 apiece.
The wildly popular lottery for the Broadway production has attracted as many as 800 entries at some performances. The producers of The Book of Mormon are pleased to offer low-priced lottery seats for every city on the National Tour.
The Book of Mormon broke house records during the last Denver engagement in 2013 and currently holds the all-time record at The Buell Theatre for the highest weekly gross (for an eight-show performance week) for the week ending Nov. 17, 2013, during which the show grossed $1,993,690.00. The Book of Mormon also broke house records week after week during the three-week national tour launch engagement in fall 2012 and currently holds the all-time record at The Ellie for the highest weekly gross (for an eight-show performance week) for the week ending Sept. 2, 2012, during which the show grossed $1,443,977. In addition, The Book of Mormon currently holds the all-time single-ticket on-sale record for The Denver Center for the Performing Arts with more than 38,000 tickets sold on June 10, 2013. The record was previously held by the 2012 on-sale for the national tour launch.
Lottery details
Entries will be accepted at The Ellie box office beginning two and a half hours prior to each performance; each person will print their name and the number of tickets (one or two) they wish to purchase on a card that is provided. Two hours before curtain, names will be drawn at random for a limited number of tickets priced at $25 each, cash only. Only one entry is allowed per person. Cards are checked for duplication prior to drawing. Winners must be present at the time of the drawing and show valid ID to purchase tickets. Limit one entry per person and two tickets per winner. Tickets are subject to availability.
The Book of Mormon features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark animated series, "South Park." Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q. The musical is choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python's Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker. The Book of Mormon: Ticket information
Aug. 11-Sept. 13
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
At The Ellie, Denver Performing Arts Complex
Tickets start at $35
Call 303-893-4100 or
Groups of 15 or more: 303-446-4829
Also: Purchase in person at The Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex lobby. Buy and print online at Denvercenter.org.
Please be advised that the Denver Center for the Performing Arts – denvercenter.org – is the only authorized online ticket provider for the Denver engagement of The Book of Mormon.
About The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is the winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Book (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Direction (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker), Best Featured Actress (Nikki M. James), Best Scenic Design (Scott Pask), Best Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt), Best Sound Design (Brian Ronan) and Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman, Stephen Oremus); the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album; four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical, and the Drama League Award for Best Musical.
The Book of Mormon features set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt and sound design by Brian Ronan. Orchestrations are by Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus. Music direction and vocal arrangements are by Stephen Oremus.
The Original Broadway cast recording for The Book of Mormon, winner of the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is available on Ghostlight Records.
For more information, visit www.BookofMormonTheMusical.com
Follow The Book of Mormon on Twitter and on Facebook
Photos from before and after Phamaly Theatre Company's July 16 opening of "Cabaret" at the DCPA's Space Theatre. To download any photo above, click on "View original Flickr image." Photos by John Moore for the DCPA's NewsCenter.
In the minutes before the opening performance of Phamaly Theatre Company's Cabaret, actor and founding company member Mark Dissette gathers the cast of 30 actors, each with widely varying disabilities, along with crew and volunteers, for one of the most electrifying pre-show rituals in the local theatre community.
They form a circle. Those who can stand, stand. Those who cannot roll up in their wheelchairs. Those who can clasp hands, claps hands. Those with missing or disfigured hands make contact with their neighbors as best they can. They all close their eyes in reverence as Dissette calls out from memory the agonizingly long list of company members who have passed away during the 26 years that this unique company has been creating performance opportunities for actors with disabilities.
Dissette then begins the ritual they call "Zap." As if there weren't enough energy in the air already, the group begins to buzz. Literally. "This is our dream - get a little louder," Dissette orders. And they do. "Bzzz." "This is our vision - get a little louder." And they do. "BZZZ." After more exhortation, the vibration builds to a deafening climax.
"1-2-3 ..." Dissette shouts, and all voices scream in unison, "ZAP!"
Now there is nothing but sudden, solemn silence. The next spoken word is not to be uttered until the actors hit the stage. For a company whose actors are blind and deaf, with disabilities ranging from stroke to spina bifida to multiple sclerosis to AIDS, it is both the beginning and the culmination of an extraordinary journey. (Photo: Daniel Traylor, who plays one of the 'Cabaret' Emcees, just before the opening performance. Photo by John Moore.)
Cabaret, directed by newly named Artistic Director Bryce Alexander, is inherently different from any Cabaret you may have seen before. (Although there are multiple versions of the Cabaret script out there, Phamaly is performing the version starring Alan Cumming on Broadway in 1998, which is the most sexually explicit.)
Consistent with the Phamaly philosophy, the actors' handicaps are not hidden but rather adapted into the roles they play. So Sally Bowles (Lyndsay Palmer) happens to be hard of hearing. Fraulein Schneider (Lucy Roucis) has advanced Parkinson's disease.
Perhaps Alexander's most daring creative departure is casting two actors to play the iconic Emcee at once. Longtime company member Daniel Traylor, who has Sensoral Neural Hearing Loss (among other issues), shares the role with newcomer Garrett Zuercher, who appeared as Huck Finn in Deaf West's Broadway production of Big River.
Rather than trade performances, the two share the same stage as "M" and "C," respectively, a couple who run the show at a Kit Kat Klub - which in this world primarily services a disabled clientele in pre-World War II Germany. Traylor speaks the Emcee's lines because he can, while Zuercher communicates with the audience, and his fellow actors, in multiple non-verbal ways.
The creative intent of all this is to make plain to the audience that Holocaust victims also included artists, homosexuals, the disabled and many others.
Before the opening performance, Phamaly hosted its annual fundraising gala, at which the company's 2015-16 season was announced. The lineup includes the presentation of Nagle Jackson's Taking Leave at the Jones Theatre. Because the DCPA's Space Theatre will be undergoing a renovation next summer, Phamaly's presentation of Evita will move to the University of Denver's Newman Center.
Phamaly now operates year-round, so this is the first season announcement that will allow audiences the opportunity to purchase a season ticket. (Call 303-365-0005, ext. 3). The lineup: Baby with the Bathwater By Christopher Durang
Directed by Warren Sherrill
Oct. 9-25 at the Avenue Theater Fuddy Meers
By David Lyndsay-Abaire
Directed by the DCPA's Emily Tarquin
Jan. 28-Feb. 14, 2016, at the Aurora Fox
Feb. 26-28, 2016, at the Arvada Center Taking Leave
By Nagle Jackson
Directed by Bryce Alexander
April 1-17, 2016
At the Jones Theatre at the DCPA Evita
By Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Bryce Alexander
July 14-Aug. 7, 2016
At the University of Denver's Byron Theatre in the Newman Center
Phamaly Theatre Company's pre-show 'Zap' ritual before the opening performance of 'Cabaret.' Photo by John Moore.
Cabaret: Ticket information Performances through Aug. 9
Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Contains mature themes and is not recommended for children.
Tickets $32-42
Groups of 10 or more $26 per person
Call 303-893-4100 or go to Phamaly's web site Cast List:
Directed by Bryce Alexander
Musical Direction by Mary Dailey
Choreography by Debbie Stark and Ronni Gallup
Master of Ceremonies (Emcee): Garrett Zuercher and Daniel Traylor
Clifford Bradshaw: Jeremy Palmer
Fraulein Schneider: Lucy Roucis
Herr Shultz: Mark Dissette
Fraulein Kost: Ashley Kelashian
Sally Bowles: Lyndsay Palmer
Ernst Ludwig: Trenton Schindele
Female Ensemble:
Khea Craig
Harper Liles
Megan McGuire
Amber Marsh
Lauren Cora Marsh
Laurice Quinn
Micayla Smith
Kristi Siedow-Thompson
Vicki Thiem
Rachel VanScoy
Shannon Wilson
Linda Wirth
Male Ensemble:
Kevin Ahl
Brian Be
Stewart Caswell
Donny Gabenski
Adam Johnson
Phillip Lomeo
James Sherman
Andrew Tubbs
Youth Ensemble:
Everett Ediger
Harper Ediger
Leslie Wilburn
Denver Center Theatre Company
Jo Bunton Keel
From the Third Rail Projects' award-winning work, "Then She Fell. Possible locations are currently being scouted for the piece, which will debut in May 2016 as an add-on to the Theatre Company's 2015-16 season.
By Hope Grandon
For the DCPA NewsCenter
The Theatre Company at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts has today announced an unprecedented partnership with the New York-based Third Rail Projects. Together, the Theatre Company and Third Rail Projects will create a new immersive theatre piece at an off-site location in Denver.
Hailed as one of the foremost companies creating site-specific, immersive, and experiential dance-theater in the United States, Third Rail Projects is dedicated to re-envisioning ways in which audiences engage with contemporary performance. Artistic Directors Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett have created performances worldwide for over 15 years. Their award-winning work, Then She Fell, was named one of the "Top Ten Shows of 2012" by Ben Brantley of The New York Times, and acclaimed as one of the best theater experiences of 2013 by Vogue.
"We are honored to be the first regional theatre to commission Third Rail Projects," said Kent Thompson, Producing Artistic Director of the Theatre Company. "They are known for their innovative approach to theater and their ability to create masterful site-specific performances in unexpected places. Thanks to the generous grant from the Wallace Foundation, Denver audiences will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in Third Rail Projects' unique brand of nontraditional performance experience."
The Theatre Company and Third Rail Projects are currently scouting possible locations for the piece, which will debut in May 2016 as an add-on to the Theatre Company's 2015-16 season. More details will be announced at a later date.
"As a company deeply invested in site-specificity, our creations are informed and shaped by the spaces and communities in which we work," said Zach Morris, Co-Artistic Director of Third Rail Projects. "Narrative, images, and metaphors are pulled from research on a site's history. Likewise, a project's visual, physical, theatrical, and choreographic material is inspired by, borne from, and created specifically for the site itself. I was born and raised in Denver and could not be more excited to begin the process of exploring my hometown to find the perfect site for this new collaboration."
The piece will be supported by the previously announced grant the DCPA Theatre Company received from the Wallace Foundation's Building Audiences for Sustainability effort.
About Third Rail Projects
Third Rail Projects, led by Artistic Directors Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett is dedicated to reframing dance and performance and bringing art to the public through an array of media and within a variety of contexts including site-specific performances, dance theater, installation art, video and multi-media projects, and immersive performance environments. Collectively, Third Rail Projects artists have been granted commissions, support, and residencies from presenters, organizations, and foundations including: Arts Brookfield, Danspace Project, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, Abrons Arts Center, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Dance New Amsterdam, Dance Theater Workshop, Topaz Arts, La Mama ETC, 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, The American Music Center, The Lucky Star Foundation, and Materials for the Arts, among many others. Third Rail Projects artists have also received numerous awards including three New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards – for Then She Fell (2013) and Vanishing Point (2008) – a 2001 New York International Fringe Festival Award for Choreography from the Present Company, and others. For more information, please visit www.thirdrailprojects.com
Defending the Caveman When: Tickets currently on-sale through Aug. 23 Where: At the Galleria Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, Written by: Rob Becker Performed by: Cody Lyman Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays Tickets: 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE
Tony Award nominee and Colorado native Beth Malone is scheduled to perform at the Colorado Theatre Guild's Henry Awards ceremony on Monday, July 20, at the Arvada Center, the DCPA NewsCenter has confirmed. And Colin Hanlon, who starred as the conflicted disciple Peter in the Theatre Company's world premiere staging of The 12, is also booked to perform.
Malone is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical for originating the titular role in the DCPA Theatre Company's newly refreshed The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Malone then went on to earn a Tony Award nomination as Best Actress in a Musical for her work in Broadway's newly crowned 2015 Best Musical, Fun Home.
The Henry Awards honor achievement in Colorado theatre, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown leads all plays and musicals with 12 nominations for 2014-15. The DCPA Theatre Company earned two of the five nominations for best musical: Molly Brown and The 12. Each of the five nominated musicals are invited to perform during the Henry Awards.
"We are thrilled to welcome Beth Malone and Colin Hanlon back to Denver," said Scott Shiller, new President and CEO of the DCPA. "I am excited to experience my first Henry Awards, and for the DCPA to share this evening with such an incredible group of artists and theatre companies. I continue to be impressed with the dedication and passion for the theatre arts in Colorado. And we are honored to be part of this powerful and vibrant community that is contributing to the national landscape of theatre and driving the importance of the arts."
The Arvada Center homecoming promises to be an emotional one for Malone, who played the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on the Arvada Center stage during the holiday season for three years running, from 1999 to 2001. In the Talkin' Broadway review of Joseph, critic T. Burnett likened Malone's performance as the Narrator to the character of Ché in Evita. Bob Bows of ColoradoDrama.Com called Malone "a zesty and dynamic chanteuse."
"I am thrilled to be returning home to Colorado to perform at the Henrys," Malone said today. "I have so many wonderful memories at the Arvada Center, and I am really looking forward to being on that stage again." Hanlon will perform a number from The 12, which examines issues of faith, courage and responsibility when a group of disciples lose their teacher. It is nominated for three Henry Awards, including Outstanding Musical and Outstanding New Play or Musical.
"The second I left Denver, I thought, 'Please, teacher: When am I coming back?!' I never expected it would happen this quickly," Hanlon wrote in an email. Hanlon has an accomplished theatrical resume, but is perhaps best known for his guest-starring roles on TV's Modern Family.
"I'm honored and humbled to have been asked to represent The 12 at The Henry Awards," Hanlon said. "It will be bittersweet because I wish my entire cast and creative team could be here to celebrate our nominations. This town is filled with amazingly creative theater that's going on everywhere." (Photos: Beth Malone, left, and Colin Hanlon. Photos by Jennifer M. Koskinen.)
The only days off in Malone's busy Broadway Fun Home schedule are Mondays. So she plans to fly home on Sunday, perform at the Henrys the next day, and then return to New York that night. For her, it will be very much worth it to spend a day back home celebrating her Molly Brown experience.
"I have to say that doing Molly Brown, and have it be a success on the level that it was, really helped me walk into Fun Home knowing that I could lead a cast," said Malone. "Molly Brown and that whole experience at the Denver Center bolstered my confidence in my bones."
Malone, a graduate of Douglas County High School and the University of Northern Colorado, grew up in Castle Rock and began working at the Country Dinner Playhouse at age 16. Two years later, she was starring there in Baby. She made her DCPA debut that same year at age 18 as the understudy to Mary Louise Lee — now the First Lady of Denver — in Beehive, produced by Rick Seeber in what is now the Garner Galleria Theatre.
Malone made her debut with the Denver Center Theatre Company in 1993 in the world premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher's Bon Voyage, a musical adaptation of Noel Coward's Sail Away directed by Bruce K. Sevy. She then spent several years performing in and around Snowmass at the Crystal Palace and Theatre Aspen before performing regularly at many Front Range theaters.
Last year, Malone originated the role of cartoonist Alison Bechdel in Fun Home, which was then a Pulitzer-nominated, off-Broadway musical about a woman who was coming to terms with her sexuality at the same time her closeted father committed suicide.
Malone returned to the DCPA last fall to play Molly Brown, winning the lead role even though no one from the creative team knew then that she, like Molly Brown, was a Colorado native. The staging was directed by three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall and written by three-time Tony nominee Dick Scanlan. That staging took place just before Fun Home transferred to Broadway and Malone earned the Tony Award nomination that will surely change the course of her professional life. Beth Malone, back, above, played the Narrator in three successive stagings of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' at the Arvada Center. She'll return to that stage on Monday, July 20, for the Colorado Theatre Guild's Henry Awards. At right, Malone with 'Joseph' star Charles Langely. File photos by P. Switzer. 2014-15 Henry Awards
6 p.m. Monday, July 20
Arvada Center. 6901 Wadsworth Blvd.
Tickets: $23 for CTG members, $30 non-members or $50 VIP. Tickets go on sale July 6 through the Arvada Center website or by calling 720-898-7200. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door for $35. TO SEE THE COMPLETE LIST OF HENRY AWARD NOMINATIONS, CLICK HERE
The DCPA Theatre Company's 2015 Henry Award nominees: Outstanding Season for a Theatre Company Outstanding Production of a Musical The 12, Richard Seyd, Director; Michael Mancini, Musical Direction The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Kathleen Marshall, Director; Michael Rafter, Musical Direction Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Kathleen Marshall, The Unsinkable Molly Brown Outstanding Musical Direction
Michael Rafter, The Unsinkable Molly Brown Outstanding Choreography
Kathleen Marshall, The Unsinkable Molly Brown Outstanding Actor in a Play
Mike Hartman, Benediction Outstanding Actress in a Play
Joyce Cohen, Benediction Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Burke Moses, The Unsinkable Molly Brown Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Beth Malone, The Unsinkable Molly Brown Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play
Billie McBride, Benediction Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical
Constantine Germanacos, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Outstanding New Play or Musical The 12, book and lyrics by Robert Schenkkan; music and lyrics by Neil Berg; Richard Seyd, Director; Michael Mancini, Musical Direction
Outstanding Costume Design
Paul Tazewell, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Outstanding Lighting Design
Lap Chi Chu, The 12
Donald Holder, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Derek McLane, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Outstanding Sound Design
Craig Breitenbach, The Unsinkable Molly Brown Previous NewsCenter coverage of the 2015 Henry Awards:
The Henry Awards: The complete list of nominations
Duck and cover: Gloria Shanstrom takes your Henry Awards questions
Guest essay by Margie Lamb: Something about the Henry Award doesn't add up More NewsCenter coverage of Beth Malone and Colin Hanlon:
Episode 174 of our Running Lines Audio Podcast:
Actors Geoffrey Kent and Benjamin Bonenfant are well-known to DCPA and Colorado Shakespeare Festival audiences. But the summer of 2015 marks their rites of passage into playing significant (if very disparate) Shakespearean leaders.
Kent is playing the villain Iago, Shakespeare's largest role, in Othello, while Bonenfant is playing the rapscallion prince-turned-warrior in Henry V. While the roles span the moral gamut, both characters use honor as a weapon of persuasion. Iago uses talk of honor as a cloak to disguise his ill-intent to exact his revenge on Othello. And in Henry V, the dapper king uses honor as a justification for what has come to be seen in modern times as a perhaps most unjust war.
The pair talk with DCPA Senior Arts Journalist and Running Lines host John Moore about their particular acting challenges and character justifications, including this one-of-a-kind quote from Kent talking about Iago's motives: "Iago is not interested in getting things 'evensies.' He wants to be 'winsies, no-take-backsies.' "
In the conversation, Moore points out that while the word "honor" is mentioned 42 times in Othello, the word "heaven" is actually invoked far more often, clocking in at 72. Kent then mentions the preponderance of the word "honesty" in the script as well. "Honor, honesty, heaven: They are all 'H' words," Kent says. "Shakespeare likes alliteration."
Kent's ties to the DCPA go back to 1999. He is not only the Theatre Company's resident Fight Director, he has performed in Richard III, Hamlet and others. He will be seen next season in Kent Thompson's As You Like It. In Boulder, he is currently tied with Sam Sandoe as the longest continuous member of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival at 13 consecutive seasons.
Bonenfant's DCPA credits include Benediction, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol and When We Are Married. He will be back next season in A Christmas Carol.
The pair are just two of the recognizable names from the DCPA performing or working at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival this summer. "Sam Gregory is tearing it up both as a pretty damn racist Brabantio in our Othello, and as our narrator for Henry V," says Kent. Bonenfant adds: "You'll also get to see (DCPA Head of Acting) Larry Hecht (as Fluellen in Henry V). This is going to be his last performance in Colorado before he moves to the West Coast and we have to say goodbye to him."
Other recent Theatre Company actors performing in Boulder this summer include Peter Simon Hilton, Rodney Lizcano, Benaiah Anderson, Mare Trevathan and Martha Harmon Pardee. Going back in time, the long list of actors that both companies have in common also includes Annette Helde, Jane Page, Annette Bening, John Hutton, Kim Staunton, and Leslie O'Carroll.
Many of the Theatre Company's core technicians are summering in Boulder as well, including sound designer Jason Ducat, stage manager Matthew Campbell and assistant stage managers Paul Behrhorst and Kristen Littlepage.
The running time of the podcast is 11 minutes. Podcast Outtake:
As the conversation continued beyond the allotted podcast time, Kent spoke of the special ongoing relationship between the DCPA and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
"Having been here a long time, it's kind of profoundly dynamic," Kent said, "and I hope that it gives in both directons. Because while both companies do Shakespeare, and they both put their particular spins on it, we share artists and keep these Colorado artists here and employed."
Geoffrey Kent plays Iago and Benjamin Bonenfant plays Heny V in high-profile Colorado Shakespeare Festival productions of Othello' and 'Henry V.' Photo by John Moore.
Previous NewsCenter coverage of the 2015 Colorado Shakespeare Festival: 2015 Colorado Shakes: Tried and true; black and blue-blooded
Sandoe siblings have the Bard in their Boulder blood
Our tragic, universal flaw: We are all Othello
A selection of photos of the Sandoes, the First Family of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, whose lineage at the Mary Rippon Amphitheatre in Boulder goes back to 1944. To see caption information, click on any photo.
Anne Sandoe may be the only actor in the world who has been cast to play age-appropriate Shakespearean roles from the time she was 6 and into her 60s.
She is the daughter of James Sandoe, who directed the first-ever play on Boulder's famed Mary Rippon Amphitheatre in 1944. James Sandoe became a legendary figure at both the Colorado and Oregon Shakespeare festivals - and he took his wife and four children along for the whole theatrical ride.
Sam and Anne Sandoe, both familiar and familial members of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival's 2015 acting company, now have 41 seasons between them. There are part of Boulder's first family of theatre - a royal lineage that goes back 71 years.
For Anne, it all began when her father, who was a regular director in Oregon from 1948-68, cast her to appear in Henry VI, Part Two. She was 6.
"We used to get carted up to Ashland every summer starting in 1954," she said. "And if they ever needed children in the shows, they would use us."
The first roles Anne really remembers playing were in Henry VI, Part Three, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, when she was 8. "I got murdered on stage as Rutland (York's son), and then I played Mustard-seed (the littlest fairy) in Midsummer," she said. "It was very exciting." Her castmates included older sister Jill, who was 12, and brother John, who played a 14-year-old Puck. Sam was still swaddling.
James Sandoe was a University of Colorado professor, librarian, bibliographer and Shakespearean scholar who founded the CU International Film Series in 1941. He also had an interesting side passion: He was a renowned reviewer of mystery novels for the Chicago Sun-Times and New York Herald Tribune.
The Sandoe patriarch was asked to direct a play at CU in the summer of 1944, but because the Navy had taken over the University Theatre for the war effort back in 1939, Sandoe decided to try staging Romeo and Juliet in the newly built Mary Rippon. That began an annual tradition that became formalized when his friend, English professor Jack Crouch, officially founded the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in 1958.
James Sandoe (pictured below left) directed nine seasons for Colorado Shakes between 1961 and 1973. There were seasons when he would direct two shows in the same summer, while acting in others alongside his children.
"And while Jim Symons has directed the most Colorado Shakespeare Festival productions," said Sam Sandoe, "no one has directed more productions of Shakespeare's plays on the Mary Rippon stage than Dad. After 70 years, nobody has broken that record."
The Sandoes clearly have the Bard in their Boulder blood.
"It's just the way we grew up," Anne Sandoe said. "Instead of going to camp in the summer, we went to Shakespeare. There are lots of people who are more well-read about Shakespeare than I am. I have just been around it a lot more than most."
Those Sandoe veins share pumping space with the University of Colorado. Like their father, Sam and Anne are longtime employees of the school. Anne has headed the Leeds School of Business' MBA program for the past 13 years. Sam has logged nearly 20 years in the Office of Strategic Media Relations.
This summer, Anne is playing the Duchess of Venice, who dispatches Othello to war in Othello; and the Bishop of Winchester in Henry VI, Part One. Sam is playing Verges in Much Ado About Nothing; Gratiano in Othello; Bardolph in Henry V; and Edmund Mortimer (among others) in Henry VI, Part One.
Anne said everything she knows about theatre, she learned from her father. For example:
"As an actor: Pick up your cues. Don't take a pause until you earn one," she said. "As a director: The end of one scene is the beginning of the next scene. One of the things that would appall Dad about any play he might see today would be the amount of time put into scene shifts. That, and playing music that has nothing to do with the show."
Uncut on Broadway, Hamlet ran 4½ hours. Uncut in Boulder, James Sandoe's Hamlet ran three hours flat.
"It moved like a son of a bitch," Anne said.
While Sam Sandoe has performed with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival fairly regularly since 1970, Anne became a mom and teacher and took a break from 1973 to 2007. Their father died in 1980 at age 68.
With so much Boulder history intertwined with the Sandoe family tree, we sat down for a chat with Anne and Sam Sandoe. Here are more excerpts from our wide-ranging conversation:
The Sandoe family appearing in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1955. Says Anne Sandoe: "I'm the littlest fairly, kneeling on the ground. My sister, Jill, is second from the left. I was 8, she was 12."
John Moore: Anne, what was your first role for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival?
Anne: The minute Dad came back here to direct in 1961, I started being in all the shows. They always needed young people. My first speaking role was playing the ghost of Prince Edward in Richard III in 1963. I was 16.
John Moore: What was the first show you did together?
Anne: That was Dad's production of All's Well that Ends Well in 1970. I played Diana, and Sam was one of the soldiers.
Sam: We were also together in Richard III that year.
John Moore: So have you two felt tied to Shakespeare your entire lives?
Sam: Oh, definitely.
(Photo at right: Anne and Sam Sandoe in Boulder. Photo by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter.)
John Moore: The program says this is Sam's 26th season, and Anne's 15th.
Sam: Correct.
John Moore: Anne, you started all the way back in 1961. But you had a gap between 1973 and 2008.
Anne: Yep. Only 35 years. I left Boulder in 1973 to become a teacher, and I was gone until 2002. When I moved back, Sam said to me, 'You know, you really ought to get back into theatre again.' And so in 2008 I auditioned for CSF, and I got cast. And I have been in it almost every year since.
John Moore: Well, clearly you can always go home again. Sam, what's your story?
Sam: I haven't performed every year, but I've been on a roll. Geoff Kent (Iago in Othello) and I are tied currently for most consecutive seasons, with 13. I think we're both eyeing each other a little bit.
John Moore: You never took a significant break?
Sam: No. But some years they just wouldn't hire me.
John Moore: So you two are on a good long parallel stretch here at the Festival for the first time.
Anne: Yes, we are.
John Moore: What's that like for siblings of a certain age being able to spend that kind of extended quality time together?
Sam: It's lovely.
Anne: We still haven't been on stage together all that much. We are not often in the same shows, or on the stage at the same time.
John Moore: Have you ever been cast together in really awkward roles, like, say, as lovers?
Sam: No. I was one of her sons in Richard III, though.
Anne: Yes, he was Edward, and I was the mum.
John Moore: So what do you get out of it now at this stage of your lives?
Sam: We like the people. Anne: The people are fantastic.
Sam: And we like the magic of putting a show together - starting from those words on the page and then watching it grow into the full production. And they grow so fast now. Sometimes we cram these shows together in two weeks.
Anne: It's just murder. Especially for the people who are doing multiple shows. I am only doing two shows this summer, so it's no big deal for me. But some people are doing four or five.
John Moore: So why do you keep at it?
Anne: For me, it is about being involved with something that is a part of my heritage. Teaching is part of my training, and part of what I love to do. When I taught acting, Shakespeare was my specialty. I now teach a class for CSF Education on acting Shakespeare for Adults.
John Moore: So I followed in my father's footsteps at The Denver Post, and I was always asked whether my Dad got me the job. Did you guys ever get that?
Anne: Oh golly, yes. All the time.
John Moore: What do you say to those people?
Sam: Well, we used to get it more when he was alive. But in the early years, there were certainly some snide comments … usually jokingly. I remember one newspaper article on the festival. Someone wrote an anonymous comment online saying, "Sam Sandoe has only ever been hired because of his Dad." And I know who it was.
John Moore: Anonymous is my least favorite writer.
Anne: It's so cowardly. My answer to that always used to be, "If Dad cast me, it's because he knows I can do the role. And I have to be twice as good as anybody else who auditions, because I am his kid."
John Moore: Was he tough on you?
Anne: Very tough. Very.
Sam: And he never gave us leads. The year I volunteered for the first time, I was carrying a banner and playing a peasant. I was offered some lines and I turned them down because I didn't want the responsibility.
Anne: Dad gave me a couple of really good ingénue roles. But he wouldn't have done it if he thought I would embarrass him.
John Moore: There has always seemed to be a steady stream of actors here who are either on their way to becoming recognizable names, or already are.
Anne: Oh, yeah.
John Moore: What about Annette Bening? I believe the year was 1980. She came back to Colorado five years later and joined the Denver Center Theatre Company.
Anne: I wasn't here the year she was here.
Sam: Nor was I.
John Moore: Well, we won't talk about her then. I'd like both of you pick out a favorite role from your time here at CSF.
Anne: Well for me, it's very recent: Playing the Duchess of York in Richard III that Tina Packer directed in 2013. It was phenomenal for me. It was the right role at the right time, and it resonated with me very deeply. And because of the other women in it like Mare Trevathan and Bella Merlin. We had such a good time. And then last summer, getting to do I Hate Hamlet with that particular group of people. They were all-stars. I never get to do the contemporary pieces, so that was really fun for me.
Sam: I would say in 2001 when we did Queen Margaret, which is a conflation of all three Henry VIs into one play. The playwright created a role of a chorus - very much like the one-man chorus in Henry V. It was a fabulous role, and it forged a real connection between the audience and the action on stage. And to my knowledge, I am the only person in the world who has ever gotten to do it.
Anne: That's cool.
Sam: The other show for me was Two Gentlemen of Verona. I had no lines. I played a clown with some others. We were little angels, and we actually had wings and wore diapers. So the balance of this wonderfully talky role and this absolutely silent role was a perfect combination for me.
Anne: How fun.
John Moore: I want to bring it back to your Dad. How does the Festival look today compared to when he left in 1974 in terms of size and scope?
Sam: Well, there's no grass, for one thing.
Anne: Yes, there is no grass on the stage.
John Moore: Are we talking about marijuana? Anne: No! It really used to be a grass stage.
Sam: There was no rake. It was an absolutely flat, grassy playing area with a grassy semicircle in front of it.
Anne: Back then you tended to use the whole expanse instead of just the center. There was no set to speak of.
Sam: No, the space was filled up with a lot of banners and things you could move around. You'd have thrones when you had to have them. But there were no background pieces. You know those two little stone alcoves on either side of the stage?
John Moore: Yes.
Sam: They would build platforms behind those alcoves, and that created additional acting spaces both above and below - in the alcove itself.
Anne: In Romeo and Juliet, the balcony was above one of those alcoves.
Sam: They began experimenting with building unit sets in the 1970s. I think they first created the raked disc that we perform on now in 1979. And the sets have just grown from there.
Anne: It's obviously a more professional company now in terms of Equity (union) contracts. There were none back then. The first Equity contract was in 1983.
Sam: The guy who played Richard III was the first.
John Moore: What about performance spaces?
Anne: We didn't used to use the indoor stage. Now they do both indoor and outdoor shows, which is a really nice thing - especially for audience members who don't like to sit outdoors anymore.
Sam: And vice-versa. There are some people who absolutely scorn coming to the indoor shows.
John Moore: How much time did a company have to rehearse under your Dad?
Sam: At least four weeks.
John Moore: As compared to … ?
Sam: About 2 1/2 weeks now.
Anne: But it was such a different season back then. You would be rehearsing more than one play at a time. And I don't think any of them opened until late June.
Sam: Back then we had auditions to get into the company in February. Then the selected company members would arrive in early June, and then it was a pretty frantic two or three days because no one was pre-cast. Your entire summer was on the line in those first couple of days, and you were either delighted or reasonably pleased or devastated when the casting came out.
John Moore: So when you came to those auditions in June, at least you knew you were in the company?
Sam: Well, not always. Someone from the outside could show up and blow you away. In fact one of the most successful actors in CSF history was a guy named Barry Kraft. He just happened to hear about the auditions when he was up at Jones Drug on The Hill. He came in and auditioned and wound up playing Falstaff in Henry IV, Part Two, and the Bastard in King John. The next year, he played Hamlet.
Anne: It is so much better now to know what you are playing in advance, especially because the rehearsal period is so short.
John Moore: So if your Dad were to magically reappear in 2015, what do you think he would think of Colorado Shakespeare Festival, as an audience member?
Anne: I think he would like certain elements of it very much. Although he would scorn the use of microphones.
John Moore: I am guessing he would grouse that actors aren't adequately trained to reach the back of the house with their natural voices anymore.
Anne: He was used to working in 1,000-seat theatres. That's what you deal with.
Sam: My high voice has been my theatrical bane, but in some years it has gotten me hired at CSF because it carries - and I know how to handle the Rippon. There are other actors who have impressive sounding voices, but they can't get them past the fourth row.
Anne: And I think Dad would scorn the fact that they are not using the whole stage anymore.
Sam: Despite the fact that they have so much more lighting power now. Dad had about four big searchlights across the top of the stage.
John Moore: But given the economy over the past decade, I imagine he would be tickled that the festival is still around.
Sam: He had a great belief in the power of Shakespeare.
John Moore: What's your take on the state of Shakespeare festival as an entertainment industry? The Institute of Outdoor Drama says attendance at Shakespeare festivals across the country has fallen more than 60 percent in the past 20 years.
Anne: I believe that.
John Moore: But the Colorado Shakespeare Festival has re-tooled itself after some tough years and, from outward appearances, appears to be bouncing back.
Sam: It is, but as the culture changes, and as our iPhone consciousness takes over more and more, I don't know. The festival used to be one of the things you always did in the summer in Boulder. But now there are so many other things to do here. It can get lost in the entertainment shuffle.
Anne: I went to see the Utah Shakespeare Festival a couple of years ago, and I could see why they do so very well: There is really nothing else to do at night in Cedar City, Utah. But if you come to Boulder, there are a gazillion other things to do. And so you can't quite sell it through the hotels and motels the way you can in Cedar City. You can't rely as much on tourism, so you have to build a culture that draws from your own state. I think we are doing a much better job of drawing from Denver than we used to, and I think a lot of that has to do with hiring more Denver-based actors instead of bringing in so many people from out of state. Now, I think it's good to bring in people from out of state because that means fresh faces. But I think having a good base of Denver actors is also very important to building a broader audience base.
John Moore: As we start to wrap up, I want you to channel your father one more time. This is about the nobility of the pursuit: Why is it important that we keep Shakespeare alive moving forward into the next generation?
Anne: I think the peril we are in is that our audiences are aging out - those people who love and appreciate the live theatre experience. I am not sure the younger generation is being brought up that way. They are so focused on their devices.
Sam: It parallels the problem that symphony orchestras are having. Audiences for classical music are aging out. How do you capture the young?
Anne: I think it takes careful training. I think we have to get schools involved in any way we can. The live anti-bullying tours that CSF does are a great way to get kids interested in what live theatre can be. You have to begin to develop that new generation of theatregoers.
John Moore: Is part of the solution perhaps opening up the season a bit? Shakespeare is certainly the greatest playwright in the English language. But he's 400 years old.
Anne: I understand that. But it's called the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, so I think you have to do at least a couple Shakespeares every year.
John Moore: But the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is offering 10 titles this season – and Shakespeare only wrote three.
Anne: Do they have to all be Shakespeare? Absolutely not. I think it is important to do other shows, and we are branching out here. But not all contemporary plays will play very well in the Mary Rippon Theatre. That's a thousand outdoor seats. That theatre is particularly well-adapted to Shakespeare.
Sam: When you look at the non-Shakespeare plays that have done very well in the Mary Rippon, you are looking at Treasure Island ...
Anne: The Three Musketeers ...
John Moore: To Kill a Mockingbird.
Anne: Mockingbird was great outside. But not all plays are going to adapt very well for outdoors.
John Moore: Like, say, Our Town.
Anne: No. So I think you have to pick your shows very carefully.
John Moore: So as long as the Shakespeare Festival keeps going, do you both intend to keep doing it?
Anne: Well, when they quit casting me … I'll quit.
John Moore: What, it's not entirely up to you?
Anne: Well, no, unfortunately. As long as I can remember lines and there is something they want me to do, I will do it.
• James Sandoe (1912-1980): Directed at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, ending with Pericles in 1973.
• Julia Sandoe (1918-1992) Taught art in the Boulder Public Schools, retiring in 1978.
• John Sandoe (1941-2014) joined the Navy and served as a medic with the Marines in Vietnam, where he was awarded a purple heart.
• Jill Sandoe (1943-) gave up acting to teach taught arts, crafts and home economics in middle schools for almost 20 years. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.
• Anne Sandoe (1947-) Earned her MFA from Florida State University. Began acting at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in 1961. She has taught for more than 30 years and for the past 13 has been the director of MBA program at the University of Colorado's Business School. She returned to acting at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in 2008 and is currently performing in her 15th season.
• Sam Sandoe (1954-) was in the first class of BFAs to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder and received his MFA from UC-San Diego. He is now performing in his 26th season with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
Now playing: Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, Wittenberg, Henry V and Henry VI, Part One
Dates: Through Aug. 9 in the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre and University of Colorado Mainstage Theatre
Tickets are available at coloradoshakes.org or by calling 303-492-8008.
The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located in the University Club on the CU-Boulder campus.
Previous coverage of the 2015 Colorado Shakespeare Festival: 2015 Colorado Shakes: Tried and true; black and blue-blooded
Our tragic, universal flaw: We are all Othello
Anne Sandoe's contribution to The Denver Sonnets Project:
Editor's Note: The DCPA NewsCenter offers a weekly guest column from a variety of local and national voices covering a wide range of theatre topics. To submit a proposed guest column, email your name and topic to firstname.lastname@example.com. By Margie Lamb
Denver Actor
I have been a part of Colorado's theater community for almost 25 years. I trained for 10 of those years under the direction of Bill McHale, a well-known and respected director at the Country Dinner Playhouse. Bill taught me the basics of theater both on stage and off: How I should not question the outcome of auditions or the dreaded reviews that followed every opening weekend. So, out of respect, I never did.
I sat by and watched as actors, directors, designers and musicians were nominated for the coveted Denver Drama Critics Circle Awards – or, conversely, went unrecognized for their work. I never questioned the outcome because at the time, I felt deep down inside that the Critics Circle Awards were in good hands: The good hands of experts who were highly respected in the theater community. Although I didn't always agree with the outcome, in the end I trusted their opinions because of their experience.
But those awards went away in 1999. And now the closest thing we have left resembling a traditional awards program are the Colorado Theater Guild's Henry Awards. On July 20, the Guild will host its 10th annual awards honoring the best in Colorado theatre among its member companies. But the outcome of these awards is not in the hands of the dwindling number of remaining legitimate theatre critics. Now, 46 Henry Award judges with a wide range of theater experience consider the participating shows. The judges are made up of former and current writers and reviewers, retired educators, artistic directors and, making up the largest group by far: Citizen judges whose primary qualification is that they are avid theatregoers.
Now I watch the Henry Awards each year as productions that received outstanding reviews by respected critics are not even being nominated by the Henrys in any category. This year, that list includes Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company's Stupid F##ing Bird, Grounded and The Aliens. The Aurora Fox's She Kills Monsters and Beets. Creede Repertory Theatre's The Last Romance. All My Sons by Cherry Creek Theatre. Ham McBeth by Square Product Theatre. Curious' In the Red and Brown Water. Vintage's Harold and Maude, and Mack and Mabel. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Colorado Springs TheatreWorks' As You Like It. Equinox's Bug. Mizel's Kindertransport.
All of these shows received 3½ or 4-star reviews from The Denver Post. None of them got a single Henry Award nomination.
My question is this: Were the critics wrong … or the Henry Award judges?
(Photo above: Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company's 'Stupid F##king Bird' got a four-star review from The Denver Post - but was shut out of the Henry Award nominations. Pictured: Luke Sorge and Jaimie Morgan. Photo by Michael Ensminger.) Last season, I was part of an ongoing passion of mine called Next to Normal, which I performed for a third different company: The Littleton Town Hall Arts Center. My work in this show has been recognized by the Ovation, Marlowe and Westword awards, so I consider myself abundantly blessed. But my heart breaks for the many other artists on and off stage whose work on those very special productions has never been acknowledged by the Henry Awards.
I would and can accept this, if I knew for certain that all of the Henry Award judges have real and practical experience in the theater field. But I don't. And I question how someone who simply has a history of merely sitting in an audience watching theatre has earned the credibility to be a judge. I don't doubt that the judges all love theatre. But how can they possibly know the complexities of acting, or of executing a vocal track? How can they know the intricacies of sound and set design; of orchestration, direction or choreography? (Photo above: The cast of Town Hall Arts Center's 'Next to Normal' (clockwise from left): Jared Ming, Margie Lamb, Daniel Langhoff, Jacquie Jo Billings, Josh Bess and Ethan Knowles. The Director was Nick Sugar. Photo by Michael Ensminger.) READ MORE: OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE HENRY AWARDS' GLORIA SHANSTROM
The Next to Normal score is incredibly difficult. And I can't help but wonder if that fact is easily recognizable to the untrained ear. A successful production should make it look easy. That doesn't mean it was easy. Year after year, I see newer and cutting-edge musicals passed over by the Henry Awards, and I can't help but think the judging pool might benefit from an infusion of younger (while still qualified) judges who might be more receptive to less traditional material.
I'm also concerned at how the voting process actually occurs. In order for a show to qualify for awards consideration, six judges must attend the show during the course of the run. Judges are allowed to choose which shows they want to see, as long as they don't go to the same venues every year. If only five judges make it during the run, the show does not qualify. If 12 judges attend, all completed ballots are then turned upside down on a table, and six are blindly selected as that show's official scores. The other ballots, some of which might have been filled out by qualified, professional critics, simply don't count. Luck of the draw.
Perhaps the Guild should take the bull by the horns and simply assign a considered mix of six judges to every show – no more, no less. If there aren't enough interested judges, reach out to our community of vocal and acting coaches, choreographers, sound designers and former music directors. They are out here, and they are more than willing to be a part of this process. They might just need to be found and asked.
This is what has raised my eyebrows in the past. And after 10 years of sitting back and watching the Henry Awards process unfold, this is what now makes me want to speak out.
The Henry Awards wisely distinguish between large-budget and small-budget productions in considering the nominees for its design categories because, as the thinking goes, money matters in those areas of production. There is no distinction in the acting categories, because acting is acting. And I agree.
But judging is not just judging. If the Colorado Theatre Guild wants the Henrys to be truly seen as "Colorado's Tony Awards," as it advertises, listen to our voices. Together let's make a credible awards program we can all respect - whether an individual or a production is nominated or not. About Our Guest Columnist: Margie Lamb was most recently recognized by Westword as 2015 Best Actress in a Musical for her work in Next to Normal at Town Hall Arts Center. Her work has been seen across Colorado, including The Aurora Fox, Boulder's Dinner Theater, The Arvada Center and Breckenridge Backstage Theater. She will be appearing at the Miners Alley Playhouse in Pump Boys and Dinettes from July 17-Aug. 23. Previous Guest Columns: Bryan VanDriel on Lloyd Norton: A name that will live on in Greeley Jessica Jackson on Creede Repertory Theatre's 50th anniversary season Susan Lyles on 10 years of staging plays for women in Denver
Be Our Guest (Columnist) The DCPA NewsCenter offers a weekly guest column from a variety of local and national voices covering a wide range of theatre topics. To submit a proposed guest column, email your name and proposed topic to email@example.com. 2014-15 Henry Awards
6 p.m. Monday, July 20
Arvada Center. 6901 Wadsworth Blvd.
Tickets: $23 for CTG members, $30 non-members or $50 VIP. Tickets go on sale July 6 through the Arvada Center website or by calling 720-898-7200. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door for $35. Previous NewsCenter coverage of the 2015 Henry Awards:
The Henry Awards: The complete list of nominations Duck and cover: Gloria Shanstrom takes your Henry Awards questions
"Film" is a woefully inadequate term to describe River of Fundament, an epic undertaking by artist Matthew Barney and composer Jonathan Bepler that will be screened as part of the Biennial of the Americas on Saturday, July 18, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
While the medium of choice is, yes, film, this multi-layered collaboration seven years in the making combines narrative cinema with elements of sculpture, opera and live performance.
And it's six hours long. "So you better bring dinner," jokes Denver Art Museum Director Christoph Heinrich.
The film, which begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs until 11:30 p.m., is co-presented by the Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum. But, Heinrich says, the Still's Dean Sobel gets the credit for bringing the film to Denver. "As soon as he mentioned it to me, I said, 'Yes, let's collaborate,' " Heinrich said.
River of Fundament is loosely based on Norman Mailer's 1983 novel Ancient Evenings, which elaborately reinterprets pre-Christian Egyptian mythology while chronicling the seven stages of the soul's departure from the body as it passes from death to rebirth.
Barney, who has worked with Bepler since Cremaster 1 in 1995, first imagined staging a nontraditional opera that would be presented as a series of three site-specific live performances across America over a five-year period. The resulting film chronicles these one-time-only events as they were presented before audiences in Los Angeles, Detroit and New York. But that is just the cinematic starting point.
The film combines that footage with scenes set in a reconstruction of Mailer's brownstone apartment in Brooklyn Heights. According to the film's production notes, Barney and Bepler reimagine Mailer as his own protagonist who reincarnates three times in three different bodies by magically entering the womb of his wife, Hathfertiti. In his attempt at rebirth, Mailer must endure the departure of his soul's seven mythological states. With each incarnation, the undead Mailer emerges from a river of feces that runs beneath his Brooklyn Heights apartment and enters his own wake.
In a parallel narrative, River of Fundament replaces the body of Mailer with the body of an automobile along the American landscape. The film's notes say three generations of American cars act as vehicles that carry the narrative forward: A 1967 Chrysler Crown Imperial (known for its crashworthiness) is transmogrified into a 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am (known as the last high-performance engine of the original muscle-car generation) and finally into a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (known for its tireless service in the U.S. government fleet).
Barney is a celebrated, 48-year-old alternative artist from San Francisco who typically works in sculpture, photography, visual art, drawing, film and live role-playing. His early works were sculptural installations combined with performance and video. He is, in Heinrich' estimation, a true American original.
"For pretty much anybody who has ever seen a Matthew Barney work, it changes you. It changes your perspective," Heinrich said. "Matthew Barney is one of the most important contemporary artists on the scene."
Heinrich describes experiencing Barney's art as an incredibly sensual experience. River of Fundament contains scenes of such a strong sexual nature that the film may not be suitable for audiences under 18.
"It really deals with the human body, but it also has a whole level of poetry to it that is so powerful," Heinrich said. "Once you see one of Matthew's images, it never leaves you. It wraps you. It encloses you. It just doesn't let you go. And at that moment, you just dive into it, and you become a part of it."
By revisiting pharaonic Egypt, Heinrich said, Barney has created a sprawling allegory of death and new life within contemporary America. Which makes the film a perfect choice for presentation at the Biennial of the Americas.
The Biennial is an international festival of ideas, art, and culture that is always hosted in Denver. The Biennial gathers experts together in the hope of broadening perspectives by examining major issues, ideas, art and culture from across North, South, and Central America.
"Really the Biennial is a wonderful showcase for Denver, and a great hub for the exchange of new ideas," said Heinrich. "It's an opportunity to think about a larger America than just the United States of America." River of Fundament
Think gender-bending, race-bending and age-bending. Last year featured a Girl Scout singing "My Unfortunate Erection," and members of the handicapped theatre company PHAMALY doing a "Full Monty" strip-tease. For starters.
It may be all wrong ... but it feels so right.
PERFORMERS: To apply to perform at MISCAST please click here and fill out this simple online form.
7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14
Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St.
A benefit for the Denver Actors Fund
Tickets for "Miscast" are $10 (plus fees if ordered online) and are available now at townhallartscenter.org or call 303-794-2781
To read more about last year's "Miscast," and see photos and video, click here
Since the turn of the century, actor and director Bernie Cardell has been in all likelihood the single busiest person in Colorado theatre. His starring role in Spotlight Theatre's The Foreigner marks his 100th production since 2002. That means Cardell has averaged more than seven productions every year since. He once booked 11 shows in a single calendar year.
"There was one weekend that year where I had three shows running in the same weekend," Cardell said. "Now that was insane."
Not a lot of creative people ever make it to 100 shows - and certainly not at Cardell's breakneck pace. He attributes that to getting a late start.
"When I discovered theatre later in life - I was 28," he said, "I felt I had found something I should have been doing my entire life. I feel like I have a lot of lost time to make up for. That certainly keeps me going, as well as the people of this theatre community who are so loving, welcoming and very, very funny." (Photo: Luke Terry and Bernie Cardell in Spotlight Theatre's 'The Foreigner.' Soular Radiant Photography.)
With five more upcoming jobs already booked, it's unlikely Cardell will be slowing down anytime soon. Cardell took a moment this week to look back – and forward – at his whirlwind 14 years in the Colorado theatre:
Mari Geasair and Bernie Cardell in Spotlight Theatre's 'The Foreigner.' Soular Radiant Photography.
John Moore: In your first 100 shows, which two would you say show the greatest range on your resume?
Bernie Cardell: I would say Angels in America (which I directed) and Run for Your Wife (my first breakout acting role). Does it get any more deeply dramatic than Tony Kushner's masterwork, or any sillier than Ray Cooney's classic farce?
John Moore: At this stage of your career, do you prefer directing or acting, and why?
Bernie Cardell: I definitely prefer directing. I have always liked acting and would never want to give it up completely. But with directing, there is a wider scope and vision you can impart to your audience. I adore working with actors and designers to achieve a singular vision for each show I direct, and I love witnessing many divergent paths leading to opening night.
John Moore: Give us one great all-time favorite anecdote from those first 100 shows.
Bernie Cardell: I discovered an innate talent for pratfalls by accident. On opening night of Play On! one of the lighting instruments went out, so I had moved upstage. Then, when the maid came out and slipped - as she was supposed to - she crashed into me, and I went down as well. The director loved the moment and decided to keep it in the show. This led to 10 years of tripping, falling over couches and getting smacked in the face with doors.
John Moore: What's your Bucket List directing job?
Bernie Cardell: Stephen Sondheim's Follies.
John Moore: What's your Bucket List acting role?
Bernie Cardell: Mel Edison, the Jack Lemmon role in Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue
John Moore: So with all of your stage work, it should be pointed out that you still have an outside career to pay the bills. What's your day job?
Bernie Cardell: I work in the accounts payable department for an engineering company. December will mark my 10th year with the company.
John Moore: Do you think the day will ever come when you and other local actors and directors will be fairly compensated for your time and talent? What would it take?
Bernie Cardell: This brings up the question of what's fair, and what I think is fair is what we are willing to accept. People should never accept a job for less than what they think is fair. They will only resent the project. This is really an issue of supply and demand. As long as actors are willing to work for what a theater is willing to pay, then the compensation won't go up. It's the same with directors.
John Moore: From your perspective, how would you describe the health of the Colorado theater ecology, and how would that answer compare to when you first started out?
Bernie Cardell: From the number of shows that are happening, the Colorado theater ecology is healthier than ever. Of the 29 companies I have worked for, 12 are no longer with us. But I would hazard a guess that 16 to 20 new companies have opened to take their place. More companies are featuring new works, which I think is very important. We're holding auditions this weekend where over 150 people will show up. I don't know if there are more actors than 14 years ago, but the level of talent remains strong. It's a great community to work in.
John Moore: And what shows do you have coming up?
Bernie Cardell: I am directing several shows:
The Foreigner: Ticket information
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How Will Denver Broncos' First Major Injury In 2014 Affect Team?
The Denver Broncos have suffered their first significant injury in the 2014 season. Linebacker Danny Trevathan suffered a fractured left knee-cap and will be out anywhere from six to four weeks. Trevathan led the Broncos in tackles last season, and quite frankly covered as much field as anyone on the 2013 Denver defense.
This is not good news for the Broncos, but the situation could have been much worse. The MRI showed no damage to the ACL or MCL, meaning Trevathan is not lost for the entire season.
Trevathan is an absolute workhorse and has proven that he has pro bowl potential after being a sixth round draft choice by the Broncos in 2012. It would not surprise people if Trevathan came back early from this injury.
This injury actually occurred at a good time for the Broncos. Denver still has 26 days before opening up the regular season against at home against the Indianapolis Colts, which knocks off nearly four weeks. Denver then plays another home game in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos should easily beat both of these teams, even without Trevathan.
In Week 3, Denver is at the Seattle Seahawks. A completely healthy Broncos team will be an underdog in this game, and this should be Denver's first loss of the season. The great news is that the Broncos have a bye in Week 4, leaving a very good possibility that Trevathan returns to the team in Week 5, which is a home game against the Arizona Cardinals. Many people, including myself, think that Denver will be 2-1 on the season at that point.
In the meantime, Denver looks to back up linebacker Brandon Marshall to fill Trevathan's shoes. Marshall was a fifth round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 who was signed to Denver's practice squad in 2013. Marshall was activated to Denver's 53-man roster after Von Miller tore his ACL in Week 16 at the Houston Texans. Marshall has never started a game in the NFL and recorded two tackles in Denver's 21-16 preseason win against the Seahawks.
This injury is just a bit of a setback for the defending AFC champions. If rehab goes okay, the Broncos should have Trevathan back no later than Week 5 and their record will be 2-1. Now, there is a new interesting plot to observe as Marshall will start at the San Francisco 49ers in Denver's second preseason game on Sunday.
Sean Walsh is a Writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @seanwalshsports, "Like" him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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Bill allowing MK's to quit Knesset set to be passed today
Edelstein and former Likud rebels say 'I told you so' on Gaza disengagement
Netanyahu: Iran and Hezbollah have terrorist network throughout Europe
Ministers approve bill preventing landlords from raising rent by more than 2% each year
Grapevine: Music to his ears
Night at the library
The eternal rock & roll heart of Libi still beats strong
Moshe Dayan's personal letters up for auction
French Jews travel to Berlin for momentous Maccabi Games
Israeli pride at Special Olympics
Israel's athletes pumped for Maccabi's return to Germany
Soccer: Israel anticipates massive World Cup qualifying challenge
Druse students left with sense of pride after meeting with Netanyahu
Netanyahu, Abbas may address the EU in bid to reinvigorate peace process
PLO to investigate reports of secret talks between Palestinian and Israeli officials
Joint List MKs threaten 'war' in visit to Temple Mount
Third Jew arrested on Temple Mount for insulting Prophet Muhammad
Palestinian girl whom Merkel caused to cry wants to abolish Israel
Most Jewish students faced hostilities on North American campuses, study says
John Kerry: Pollard's release not related to Iran deal
Jonathan Pollard on forthcoming release: 'I'm looking forward to being reunited with my wife'
Murderer of historian of Czech Jewry goes on trial
Jewish educators called to UK authority meeting on Rosh Hashana
Kerry tells US House Foreign Affairs C'tee that Iran deal makes Israel safer
Likud minister to Huckabee: Nobody marches the Jews to ovens anymore
Obama slams Huckabee for invoking Holocaust in his criticism of Iran deal
UN cohesion 'ups the ante' in Congress battle over Iran, Moniz says
My friends went on vacation and all I got was this stupid ISIS flag
Report: ISIS executioner 'Jihadi John' is now running from ISIS
Why are Israeli Arabs joining Islamic State?
Obama and Erdogan agree to stop 'foreign fighters' crossing into Syria
Report: Nasrallah tightening security for fear of ISIS assassination attempt
Iranian Jews murdered trying to flee to Israel, Mossad reveals
Israeli, US researchers develop PTSD treatment for soldiers using computer program
Simple blood test can predict how much damage is suffered by victims of smoke inhalation
Turnaround in Health Ministry will allow sales of medical cannabis in pharmacies
'Earth-like planet is too far away, but Kepler found many others closer to home'
Establish commission to examine water flow to Jordan, MK says
Steinitz, Netanyahu postpone vote on gas compromise outline
Report: Committee members recommending stricter price supervision in gas outline
Ministerial committee resurrects bill to ban free plastic bag distribution at supermarkets
Budget deal to give NIS 18,000 'piggy bank' to 18-year-olds
Tech talk: Cybereason takes on Operation Kofer
Israeli safety app Musketeer saves lives
Earth-like planet discovered beyond solar system
Your taxes: Proposed law would tackle the black economy
Pollard and Iran
Possibility opens for UN to destroy ISIS
Pathway to defeating ISIS runs through Kurdistan – and starts in America
Turkey's war against Islamic State: A difficult test
July 29: UNRWA cutbacks
Take two tablets!~
Sin Offering
Lincoln and the Jews
Portrait of an assassin's wife
Renaissance woman
Red, white and baseball
Spending seven surreal years with Etgar Keret
Ulpan in Danger
Shabbat plans
This week in Jerusalem
A New Home for special brides
Eyes on the prize
Reining in an out-of-control teen
Taking a silver jubilee bow
Tel Aviv Light Rail tows a hefty load
מִשִירֵי רָחֵל: אֶל אַרְצִי
מִתְנַדְבִים מִיִשְׂרָאֵל
שִירַת רַבִּים 3
'נְתִיבֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל'
The path to aliya- Indian style
The journey of Ukraine's embattled Jews to Israel
A historic win, but no slam dunk
Art is for everyone, everywhere
Huckabee is 'ridiculous' – and right
In Marketing, Advertising, or Tech? Don't Miss These 3 Events in Israel
Good luck
The world cannot live with a nuclear Iran
Germany's bridge to the Islamic world
Poll: Pope Francis' approval rating dips in US ahead of September visit
Oren: Jesus today would be a settler
Israeli Christian group challenges BDS with new guide
ISIS claims kidnapping of 3 African Christians in Libya
Jewish man who fled the Nazis funds rescue mission for Mideast Christians
New Campsite for Youth Dedicated in Maginim Forest
New Hadid Single Dedicated in Ben Shemen Forest
Eucalyptus Park in Beit Shean Inaugurated
Tranquil Weekend in Nes Harim for Gaza Border Families
Italy's National Day at EXPO 2015
The Ambassadors' Club of Israel Tours the Galilee with KKL-JNF
The International Solidarity Mission Says Goodbye in Jerusalem
Chinese Ambassador Visits the Israel-China Friendship Fores
KKL-JNF Global Landscapes Seminar at Expo 2015
New Bio-filters Purify Surface Runoff Water for Reuse
Future Tour Guides Discover the Negev with KKL-JNF
The Shamir Drilling Project
$100 Million JNF Boruchin Israel Education Advocacy Center Opens
JNF Canada Pays Tribute to the Honourable John Baird
From Sunny Israel to Cold Canada
Walking for Water with KKL France in the Mountains of Eilat
Renewable Energies for the Future in the Arava
LDA Conference: Science and Technology for Forests
The Negev Conference on Agricultural Research and Development
Arava Open Day: Food Security for Israel and the Entire World
An Olah Reports From Nepal
How One Oleh is Helping to Transform the Way People Drink Water
From Think Tank to Environmental Consultant
Award Winning Designer Launches Career as Wedding Dressmaker
How Natalie Edwards Built a Successful Career in Israel's Startup Industry
5 Tips to Land a Job in Israel
Starting Your Own Business in Israel: Real Life Examples
5 Strategies for Finding Your Professional Place in Israel
36 Hours in Southern Israel
Food Shopping In Israel
How Women Can Have it All in Israel
The Eisenberg's Long Journey Home
Why Retirees are Thriving in Israel
Thanks to Aliyah video
6 Frequently Asked Questions about Israeli Healthcare
Starting Over in Israel
Sam Eisenberg: From Nativ to Aliyah
WATCH: Why Olim #LiveLoveIsrael
5 Ways that Olim Kick Back
VIDEO: Are you ready for the South?
Make yourself at home… in Israel
NBN Announces Bonei Zion Prize Recipients for 2015
NefeshB'Nefesh Provides Services to Bnot Sherut
How Doctors Are Impacting Israel's South
07.29.2015 | 13 Av, 5775
Pollard and Iran
Possibility opens for UN to destroy ISIS
Pathway to defeating ISIS runs through Kurdistan – and starts in America
Turkey's war against Islamic State: A difficult test
July 29: UNRWA cutbacks
Center field: Surprise, surprise: As campus Jew hatred grows – Jews defend Israel
Candidly speaking: Abe Foxman's retirement: End of an era
Do Israel and the Gulf states share interests that could lead to closer relations?
Improving the Iran nuclear pact
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July 28: Temple Mount unrest
02/07/2013 21:26
A worshiper holds up a Torah scroll 370.
(photo credit:Reuters)
Last week, in the Torah portion of Jethro, we read about the most significant
event of all time: the Revelation at Mount Sinai. The Torah describes the event
at which the Book of the Law was given to the Jewish people thusly: "And it came
to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there was thunder and
lightning and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a horn exceeding
loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth
the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the
mount. Now Mount Sinai was altogether on smoke... and the smoke thereof ascended
as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly... And all the
people perceived the thundering and the lightning and the voice of the horn and
the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar
off" (Exodus 19:16-19; 20:15) This description, even when we read it thousands
of years later, inspires wonder and excitement. We expect the continuation of
the story to deal with the implications this special event would have on the
Jewish people then and now. But when we read our parsha, Parshat Mishpatim,
which follows the story of the Revelation at Sinai, we find ourselves dealing
with the trivialities of daily life – especially the less pleasant aspects of
them.Immediately following the Revelation, God teaches Moshe the laws
pertaining to violence, theft, damages and curses. We wonder: Is this what is
important to read after the uplifting experience of the Revelation? Are these
the topics that are important to deal with while this spiritual experience is
still vivid in our hearts and minds? The answer is, Yes. As high and mighty as
ideals might be, as sweeping and exciting as experiences might be, as deep our
understanding, these will not positively influence us or change our lives if we
don't bring them down into the practical world.We are reminded of this
when we see how Parshat Mishpatim is adjacent to the story of the Revelation
because it is actually when we are thrilled by overwhelming experiences that we
tend to forget the simple and practical day-to-day life which is the real arena
in which we must confront our issues. It is actually when we are not busy with
huge, uplifting experiences that we are tested on whether we have internalized
the ideological messages of the Torah and live our lives by them.Man can
think about the exalted ideal of doing good deeds. A society can create laws to
dictate how one should conduct oneself honestly and justly.But the real
change happens when we transfer knowledge and feelings to small good deeds, to
honest dealings (even when no one else can see them), to practical progress in
simple living. This is real life.In addition to Parshat Mishpatim, this
Shabbat we will also read Parshat Shkalim.This parsha is read every year
at the beginning of the month of Adar, and it comes to remind us of a tradition
that existed in the days when the Holy Temple stood. According to this
tradition, every Jew would put aside, once a year, a certain sum and send it for
the upkeep of the Temple.This tradition, which existed for many years,
expressed the individual's sense of connection to the Temple even if he himself
could not come to Jerusalem. Furthermore, this tradition expressed the
egalitarian stand by which everyone was able to be a partner by paying an equal
sum, without division among different classes in society.After the
Temple was destroyed, our sages instructed that this parsha be read to remind us
of our connection to the Temple even though it is no longer standing. This
awakens within us the expectation of another, different reality – one that is
centered on the Temple influencing the life of the nation.Even today,
when we sadly do not have our Holy Temple, the Western Wall – the last remnant
of the Temple – serves as a unifier and reminder.Every day, thousands of
Jews visit the Wall – women and men, young and old, observant and secular – and
get a deep sense of the internal unity of the nation with all its various
shades, the eternity of the Jewish nation and the connection between themselves
and the magnificent history of a nation in its land, with the glory days of the
Temple at its peak.When we hear Parshat Shkalim this week, the desire
and need to belong to this magnificent past will be reawakened in hope that the
day will come and we will be privileged to see the Holy Temple rebuilt and
serving as a global center spreading the message of faith and the values of
morality.Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz is Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy
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Cara Delevingne, Poppy Delevingne and Lily Donaldson arriving at Manhattan Hotel in New York
See the pictures from the event here!
Cara Delevingne reveals hidden talents at 'Tonight Show'
Cara Delevingne: "It's not a phase"
The festival was packed with celebrities this year too
There are plenty of hot models out there. We have chosen our top 7! Is your favourite in it our do you think we've missed one?
We guess that no one has missed the fact that it model Cara Delevingne loves tattoos - her lion tattoo is especially famous!
We love this outfit on Cara Delevingne - time to start digging in vintage stores and try to copy her look!
Cara Delevingne looking cool as ever
Odd photo on Instagram


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Little-Known Gibraltar Bank Will Loom Large in Rothstein Case
The Rock of Gibraltar: a more stable fixture on the globe than Rothstein's Gibraltar Bank accounts.
Flickr: mel13188
With investigators already sifting through the documents left behind in Scott Rothstein's law office on Las Olas, it's only a matter of time before they take their warrants across the street to the front doors of Gibraltar Private Bank and Trust.
The Sun-Sentinel coverage has focused on TD Bank, which is also across the street. But my sources tell me that Gibraltar just might be home to the mother lode.
The man who presides over Gibraltar's office, John Harris, told me yesterday he couldn't comment on the case. He directed me to the bank's marketing department, which in turn directed me to a public relations firm. I asked that spokesman, Peter Whalen, whether his clients at Gibraltar held assets for Rothstein. "They're not going to confirm or deny that," he said, citing federal banking privacy laws.
But today, along with this article, the Miami Herald has posted an inventory of the documents being seized from Rothstein's office, and that's turned up plenty of Gibraltar accounts.
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Despite a solid quarter, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.'s stock plunged early Wednesday morning, creating all sorts of confusion. Blame it on overzealous investors.
Before the independent investment dealer reported its first quarter results, some investors had high hopes for either a special dividend or stellar earnings that would blow away expectations. Because markets have been hot and deal flow is much more robust, investors knew there would be more money in Canaccord's coffers and they hoped some of it would be shelled out to them.