News
ENLARGE
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The excitement is palpable at 448 Main St. in Grand Junction where renovation is underway to transform an empty storefront into a new performing arts center in time for next week's musical comedy “Little Shop of Horrors.”
For several years Grand Valley Community Theatre was a “gypsy” theatre with no venue of its own. That's changing with the opening of the Performing Arts Center of the Grand Valley.
“Little Shop of Horrors” will open the new venue, Thursday, April 7. (see Freetime story page 33)
Construction workers and volunteers have brought the century-old building up to code, and discovered welcome surprises such as a beautiful oak floor underneath old carpet and sub-flooring. They also found an original tin ceiling that will be restored later this year. Red brick makes up one inner side wall.
Grand Valley Community Theatre artistic director Terri Schafer envisions theater in downtown Grand Junction, similar to what you'd find in New York City.
“I've probably seen 40 Broadway shows in New York in the past two-and-a-half years,” Schafer said. “Everything we do here we try and make as close to those as we possibly can.”
Grand Valley Community Theatre has scheduled several shows that were Broadway hits, including “Grease” to be performed in May, and “Hairspray” in June. The local theater company is also scheduled to produce “The Women,” “Little Women,” “Rent,” and “My Fair Lady.”
Grand Valley Community Theatre formed during the 1980s, was dormant for four to six years, until about three years ago when local actors began producing specialized performances for various groups.
Most recently, the community theatre group performed a murder mystery for the Palisade Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner.
Another murder mystery will be performed May 7 at Two Rivers Winery, as a fundraiser for Mosaic, an organization serving people with intellectual disabilities.
“People love murder mysteries,” Schafer said. “We'll probably do one a month. Our goal is to have a performing arts event each weekend.”
During Thursday's Farmers Markets, doors will be open to various live, free performances — a bell choir, perhaps a Barbershop quartet, and student recitals.
Schafer also foresees participation in First Friday events — hosting either art shows or performances.
In May, there will be Monday night karaoke with coffee and refreshments for sale.
The performing arts center will also be home to Showtime Productions, a youth theater company Schafer formed two-and-a-half years ago in the Redlands Monument Village shopping center, where Schafer has taught voice, piano and acting, and directed 17 community theater shows.
PASSION FOR THEATER
Schafer, 57, taught music and theater in School District 51 for 25 years. She developed the district's first music theater curriculum in the late 1980s.
She said she became frustrated with how often kids would be pulled out of music and theater classes so they could study for CSAP tests. The “whole brain activity” of singing, dancing, and acting would have helped those students just as much, she said.
She retired from the district and began teaching the performing arts on her own after former students asked her to.
When Schafer was earning her master's degree at Eastern New Mexico University, she was allowed to create a project for her thesis, rather than write a paper. She developed the first music theater camp for kids in the Grand Valley.
“I got an ‘A',” she said.
Schafer played piano for shows in high school, but really fell in love with theater at what was then-Mesa College under the tutelage of the theater department's chairman Bill Robinson, who introduced her to Broadway plays.
“My first New York trip was with the Mesa College Theatre department,” Schafer said.
A TASTE OF NYC
Two years ago Schafer started bringing her own students to New York City for a unique week-long experience of attending Broadway shows at night, and working with the actors and producers themselves during the day.
“We get an apartment in Manhattan in the middle of the theater district,” Schafer said. “We live in the city for a week, attend class every day — private voice and acting lessons, music theater workshops, dance — anything that has to do with music theater. At night we see Broadway shows.”
Last summer they visited Broadway costume shops and the Life Cafe where “Rent” was filmed.
Helen Reeve went last year with her daughter Shannon who is a cast member of the upcoming “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“There are pianos (covered with plastic) in the parks,” Reeve said. “Terri sat down and played in the park and the kids sang ‘Seasons of Love' to whoever was in the park.
“We saw 10 shows in seven or eight days. It was incredible.”
Shannon, 14, is going again this year, this time without her mother.
“It is so amazing, unreal going to Broadway shows and working with Broadway stars,” Shannon said.
“The first thing I saw was ‘Billy Elliot' — I was 13, he was 14. It was an inspiration, but it brought me down to earth. It gives me a feeling of how good I need to be to really get there. Everybody there is a triple threat — they sing, dance and act, some also play instruments.”
The approximate $3,000 tuition includes workshops, nine Broadway shows, seven nights in New York, two or three dinners, and airfare, Schafer said.
A good deal for all you get, Reeves said.
“These people are so endearing, so helpful, then to see them at night...the students got to work with many Tony-winning make-up artists,” Schafer said.
This summer, three students will stay an extra three days to professionally audition there, Schafer said.
“It gives them a taste. If they can audition in New York, they can audition anywhere.”
For several years Grand Valley Community Theatre was a “gypsy” theatre with no venue of its own. That's changing with the opening of the Performing Arts Center of the Grand Valley.
“Little Shop of Horrors” will open the new venue, Thursday, April 7. (see Freetime story page 33)
Construction workers and volunteers have brought the century-old building up to code, and discovered welcome surprises such as a beautiful oak floor underneath old carpet and sub-flooring. They also found an original tin ceiling that will be restored later this year. Red brick makes up one inner side wall.
Grand Valley Community Theatre artistic director Terri Schafer envisions theater in downtown Grand Junction, similar to what you'd find in New York City.
“I've probably seen 40 Broadway shows in New York in the past two-and-a-half years,” Schafer said. “Everything we do here we try and make as close to those as we possibly can.”
Grand Valley Community Theatre has scheduled several shows that were Broadway hits, including “Grease” to be performed in May, and “Hairspray” in June. The local theater company is also scheduled to produce “The Women,” “Little Women,” “Rent,” and “My Fair Lady.”
Grand Valley Community Theatre formed during the 1980s, was dormant for four to six years, until about three years ago when local actors began producing specialized performances for various groups.
Most recently, the community theatre group performed a murder mystery for the Palisade Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner.
Another murder mystery will be performed May 7 at Two Rivers Winery, as a fundraiser for Mosaic, an organization serving people with intellectual disabilities.
“People love murder mysteries,” Schafer said. “We'll probably do one a month. Our goal is to have a performing arts event each weekend.”
During Thursday's Farmers Markets, doors will be open to various live, free performances — a bell choir, perhaps a Barbershop quartet, and student recitals.
Schafer also foresees participation in First Friday events — hosting either art shows or performances.
In May, there will be Monday night karaoke with coffee and refreshments for sale.
The performing arts center will also be home to Showtime Productions, a youth theater company Schafer formed two-and-a-half years ago in the Redlands Monument Village shopping center, where Schafer has taught voice, piano and acting, and directed 17 community theater shows.
PASSION FOR THEATER
Schafer, 57, taught music and theater in School District 51 for 25 years. She developed the district's first music theater curriculum in the late 1980s.
She said she became frustrated with how often kids would be pulled out of music and theater classes so they could study for CSAP tests. The “whole brain activity” of singing, dancing, and acting would have helped those students just as much, she said.
She retired from the district and began teaching the performing arts on her own after former students asked her to.
When Schafer was earning her master's degree at Eastern New Mexico University, she was allowed to create a project for her thesis, rather than write a paper. She developed the first music theater camp for kids in the Grand Valley.
“I got an ‘A',” she said.
Schafer played piano for shows in high school, but really fell in love with theater at what was then-Mesa College under the tutelage of the theater department's chairman Bill Robinson, who introduced her to Broadway plays.
“My first New York trip was with the Mesa College Theatre department,” Schafer said.
A TASTE OF NYC
Two years ago Schafer started bringing her own students to New York City for a unique week-long experience of attending Broadway shows at night, and working with the actors and producers themselves during the day.
“We get an apartment in Manhattan in the middle of the theater district,” Schafer said. “We live in the city for a week, attend class every day — private voice and acting lessons, music theater workshops, dance — anything that has to do with music theater. At night we see Broadway shows.”
Last summer they visited Broadway costume shops and the Life Cafe where “Rent” was filmed.
Helen Reeve went last year with her daughter Shannon who is a cast member of the upcoming “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“There are pianos (covered with plastic) in the parks,” Reeve said. “Terri sat down and played in the park and the kids sang ‘Seasons of Love' to whoever was in the park.
“We saw 10 shows in seven or eight days. It was incredible.”
Shannon, 14, is going again this year, this time without her mother.
“It is so amazing, unreal going to Broadway shows and working with Broadway stars,” Shannon said.
“The first thing I saw was ‘Billy Elliot' — I was 13, he was 14. It was an inspiration, but it brought me down to earth. It gives me a feeling of how good I need to be to really get there. Everybody there is a triple threat — they sing, dance and act, some also play instruments.”
The approximate $3,000 tuition includes workshops, nine Broadway shows, seven nights in New York, two or three dinners, and airfare, Schafer said.
A good deal for all you get, Reeves said.
“These people are so endearing, so helpful, then to see them at night...the students got to work with many Tony-winning make-up artists,” Schafer said.
This summer, three students will stay an extra three days to professionally audition there, Schafer said.
“It gives them a taste. If they can audition in New York, they can audition anywhere.”
For more information on upcoming auditions, performances, or the workshops in New York City, call 263-4152, or 270-8533.
|
