COVID-19 UPDATES
In response to a mandate from the City of Denver, and to ensure their patrons’ safety, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts had cancelled or postponed all activities until further notice.
Theater and Theology brings members of Rocky Mountain Synod congregations in and near Denver to productions of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. After viewing a play, we do a talk-back discussion with cast members on theological issues raised in the play. The plays and these discussions can challenge and stimulate our faith and, therefore, the mission of the Church, in a unique way.
Indecent
Wednesday, September 4, 2019, 6:30 p.m., Space Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, August 18, 2019, to reserve a ticket or for information.
Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel tells the emotional true story of Sholem Asch’s groundbreaking play, The God of Vengeance, and the passionate artists who risked everything to share it. Many European productions of the provocative Yiddish story were highly successful in the early 1900s – even with a same-sex romance at its center. But when its Broadway debut was deemed “indecent,” it begged the question of who gets to decide what is considered art and what deserves to be censored. Follow the explosive tale through scandals, war and rewrites as a defiant, dedicated few refused to let it be silenced.
Celebrate the Tony Award-nominated play “that deeply touches so much rich emotion about history and the theater, anti-Semitism, homophobia, censorship, world wars, red-baiting and, oh, yes, joyful human passion” (Newsday). Evoking the Jewish experience through traditional songs and dancing, this stirring production will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the art and experiences we often take for granted.
Registration with check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: Indecent” must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, August 18, 2019.
A Doll’s House Part 1
Tuesday, October 8, 2019, 6:30 p.m., Ricketson Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, September 15, 2019, to reserve a ticket and for information.
Nora’s life is a picture-perfect portrait, complete with a doting husband, gleeful children and the small pleasures of her 1870s Norwegian home. But underneath her wide-eyed demeanor lies a deceit that she fears will tear her family apart. As the consequences stack up to reveal deeper flaws in her relationship, she slams the door on her marriage to assert her independence in this heart-wrenching and gripping production.
Check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: A Doll’s House Part 1” must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, September 15, 2019.
A Doll’s House Part 2
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 6:30 p.m., Ricketson Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, September 22, 2019, to reserve a ticket and for information.
Fifteen years later, Nora’s unexpected return cuts through the subtext to confront her decisions head-on in this Tony-nominated, contemporary sequel. Asking for favors instead of forgiveness, the proudly independent woman demands help from the family she left behind. But as she hilariously roasts the society she has shunned, her husband and children get their long-awaited chance to stand their ground. “Smart, funny and utterly engrossing” (The New York Times), this piece snappily filters the still-prevalent pressures of motherhood and self-fulfillment through a modern perspective.
Check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: A Doll’s House Part 2” must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, September 22.
Twelfth Night
Thursday, December 12, 2019, 6:30 p.m., Space Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, November 17, 2019, to reserve a ticket or for information.
Hilarious hijinks. Unrequited love. Gender-bending disguises. The struggle is real in this Shakespearean comedy, where the clumsiness of romance is on display in every way. Separated from her twin brother after a shipwreck in Illyria, Viola disguises herself as a man to work in the local household of Duke Orsino. The closer they become, the more Viola gets acquainted with Orsino’s crush, the beautiful noblewoman Olivia. Much to their dismay (and to your delight), the trio is inevitably thrust into a love triangle of mistaken identity and wanton foolishness.
Overflowing with quick wit and titillating trysts, this standout play by The Bard is sure to please with its captivating characters and one of his most dynamic heroines.
Registration with check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: Twelfth Night” must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, November 17, 2019.
twenty50
Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Space Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, January 19, 2020, to reserve a ticket or for information.
In the year 2050, some run for their freedom. Others run for office.
Andres Salazar is running for office. By this time, Latinx people have been assimilated into the majority of the United States, but race issues are far from resolved. In this tricky political environment, Andres must decide whether identifying himself as a Mexican American will help or hinder him on Election Day, and whether losing some of his own identity is worth the potential social benefits. When a mysterious stranger appears at their house, Andres family rallies around him to save his imperiled campaign in this insightful drama from rising playwright Tony Meneses, “a distinctive voice worthy of attention” (New Jersey Star Ledger).
On the brink of our upcoming presidential election, this suspenseful thriller peels back the façade of campaign-trail craziness to reveal how power and shifting identity blur our truths with those of the greater whole.
Registration with check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: twenty50″ must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, January 19, 2020.
You Lost Me
Tuesday, January February 18, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Ricketson Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, January 26, 2020, to reserve a ticket or for information.
In 1828, 17-year-old Ann Harvey saved 160 Irish people from a wreck off of Newfoundland’s Shipwreck Coast, making her an instant hero. Almost 200 years later, the Harvey family homestead has become the Shipwreck Inn, where present-day proprietress Ann Harvey attempts to leave her own mark (and get some new customers) with a tourist blog. Her nephew Joe-L, on the other hand, would do anything to leave his hometown and start a new life somewhere else.
Freely flow through time as unexpected guests and echoes of the past leave their indelible mark on the people that hold vigil along their remote and rocky shore. A memory house for all those lost at sea, this Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Festival finalist is a poetic, wistful and bright new drama that reminds us that every moment holds the opportunity to change everything.
Registration with check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: You Lost Me” must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, January 26, 2020.
Choir Boy
Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Space Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, March 29, 2020, to reserve a ticket or for information.
Featuring gorgeous gospel music, this stunning coming-of-age drama was created by Oscar-winning screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)
Pharus doesn’t fit in at The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys. Despite embodying the strong, ethical morals the school seeks to ingrain in its black students, being gay has made him an outsider within its hallowed halls. But this year, his talent and perseverance have paid off with a chance to lead the prestigious choir, a position where he may finally shake the dogged bullying by his fellow classmates. Featuring gorgeous gospel music, you’ll want to raise your voice and cheer as one student boldly stands up to the traditions that seek to silence his voice.
This soaring coming-of-age musical drama was the Broadway debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), whose deeply human storytelling illuminates the chaotic collision of masculinity, tradition and self-discovery on the path to adulthood.
Registration with check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: Choir Boy” must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, March 29, 2020.
Until the Flood
Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Jones Theatre, Tickets: $35
Contact Rosalee Wanchisen (303-759-9836) by Sunday, April 5, 2020, to reserve a ticket or for information.
The headlines only tell a piece of Ferguson’s story. This is the rest.
After the death of Michael Brown, The Ferguson Unrest shook the nation to its core and put a spotlight on the police brutality and discrimination that plague our institutions. Using extensive interviews she conducted herself, Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie Award winner Dael Orlandersmith created eight fictional characters to represent the broad spectrum of perspectives that continue to define and divide our country at large.
Discover why she’s been called “one of the country’s top talents for solo performance” (Time Out Chicago) as she embodies people from all sides of the controversy in this mesmerizing, fluidly poetic piece. Go on a gripping, emotional journey and see why The Chicago Tribune called it “palpably compassionate” and raved it “achieves a great beauty by bringing us together rather than driving us apart.”
Registration with check payable to Rocky Mountain Synod and footnoted “T&T Augustana: Until the Flood” must reach Augustana’s office by Sunday, April 5, 2020.