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Curtain To Rise On Kids' Theater March 31, 2002 - Colorado's first year-round, professional theater dedicated exclusively to live children's theater is under construction and will open in January 2003 at the new Colorado Mills mall. The multimillion-dollar theater and school are being privately financed by Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz and could one day become the prototype for a national chain of children's theaters. The Walden Family Playhouse and school represent an unprecedented collaboration between Anschutz's New York-based Walden Media and his Englewood-based United Artists, along with renowned children's television and stage producer Douglas Love. "If we can make this work in Denver, I think it's going to work successfully anywhere in the United States as a concept," Walden chief executive officer Cary Granat said. "But our first priority is really making this work in Denver. This doesn't work unless it becomes a cultural mainstay for the people of Denver." The 476-seat facility, which will be one of the largest live theaters of any kind in the metro area, will anchor the mall's new 16-screen United Artists multiplex at the joining of Interstate 70, West Colfax Avenue and Indiana Street. The Walden Family Playhouse will present a minimum of five original musical productions per year by a professional company of local and national adult actors and technicians. Walden's works eventually will be produced with the intention of being toured nationally. "We will be launching some very big theater productions with this company, with the eye toward further developing them into other various venues and media outlets," Granat said. The Walden Family Playhouse also will offer year-round classes for children ages 5 through high school in subjects ranging from creative dramatics to acting for the camera. "We are so committed to educational outreach," Granat said. "We design top-notch educational programs for schools. Hopefully, as long as the theater is in Denver and is thriving, we should have continual new programs going into schools. Teachers and parents can rely upon us to be a trusted friend in the community." The operation will be headed by Love, a 34-year-old whiz who co-founded a successful children's theater school in Vail a decade ago and went on to create the Disney Channel's popular "Out of the Box" children's television show, which airs 17 times a week. "It certainly is a dream job for me," said Love, who at 20 wrote the stage adaptation for Marlo Thomas' "Free to Be You and Me." "I truly believe the most effective way of changing kids' lives is (through) live performance." The lack of a professional, regional children's theater has long been a void on the Denver arts landscape. Proponents have unsuccessfully attempted to secure the now closed Lowenstein Theatre for that purpose since 1986. While the Walden Family Playhouse will not be as large or have the same budget as top children's theaters in Minneapolis and Seattle, Walden officials say its new facility and the quality of its performances will compare "very favorably." "Our commitment is probably more ambitious than any other children's theater in the country that I can think of," said Walden chief operating officer John Logigian, who declined to reveal the total cost of the project. The largest regional children's theater in the U.S. is in Minneapolis; it has an annual budget of $7.7 million and last year drew 256,000 and generated $3.3 million in ticket sales. Walden officials have not yet settled on the playhouse's first-year production budget, but the figure is expected to be about $1.2 million, far exceeding most theaters of any kind in Colorado. "It's hard to compare because what we are doing is totally new and different," Granat said. "Suffice to say no one has approached it having the central creative talent that we have with Douglas, and the concert of programs that we are doing. This is your regional community theater." Randy Weeks, executive director of Denver Center Attractions, welcomed Love and Walden to the local theater community. "The more theater, the better, and especially with children's theater," Weeks said. "Anyone who is getting children going to the theater at the earliest possible age is good for everyone." Granat said the Denver area was Walden's "definitive" first choice. "Our research led us to believe that Denver would be an excellent launching pad because there really isn't a substantial educational children's theater program there, or one with the kind of values program that we're trying to launch," he said. "We think it's the perfect city." A year ago, the idea of creating a children's theater was germinating independently in the minds of Love and Granat. They were brought together by a mutual agent at the William Morris Agency. "When we started talking about cities, I had no idea that Walden had any particular connection to this city because I really didn't know who Phil Anschutz was," Love said. "When I brought up Denver, I said, "Look, I've got a theater school in Vail, and I've been watching Denver grow in the past 10 years in a way that I've never seen a city grow . . . and no one is offering a really high-quality, professional children's theater. I think Denver is a really good place to launch this.' And they all chuckled and smiled said, "Well, we happen to have a few connections in Denver.' " Love said several local sites were considered, including downtown, but he believed strongly that the suburban choice was best. "The truth about what's happening in America is that malls have replaced town squares," said Love, who already has moved his Los Angeles and New York business operations to Denver. "We're bringing theater for families and kids to where families and kids live, instead of making them schlep over to us." The $250 million Colorado Mills mall opens in November. The Walden Family Playhouse will be incorporated into UA's 16-screen cineplex, but it will have its own outside entrance, box office and marquee. Love will assemble a professional resident company of adult actors, designers, writers and composers from Denver, Los Angeles and New York, with possible celebrity guest appearances. "I think Douglas is going to develop a community of artists from Denver who will really be the backbone of this," Logigian said. Love will start with a full-time staff of eight, with as many as 25 more hired per show. The core staff will include a theater-school director to run classes and a creative team that will include a managing director, associate producer, production manager, sales director, house manager and box-office manager. "We're going to be in a position to give a lot of artists in this community work," Love said. "I didn't want to come into Denver with a slew of New York talent saying, "We're coming in here and making this theater.' " This summer, Love will announce Walden's first season, which will include three original productions during each school year, a summer show and a holiday musical. March 31, 2002 Denver Post < back to News |
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