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Denver theatre is in the midst of a convergence of its past and future. The Historic Elitch Theatre came to life in 1891, and remained a significant and treasured institution for a century, until the amusement park, Elitch Gardens, moved from Northwest Denver to Downtown in the early 90s.

Actor, director, and Colorado Theatre Guild “Henry” Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Jim Hunt (whew!) recalls going to Elitch Gardens when he was in high school in the late 50s and early 60s.

“I loved the roller coaster, of course,” Hunt said. “I was enchanted by the lush gardens that seemed like an oasis in the midst of this brightly lit city perched on the high plains… At night, the place was even more magical, with a cacophony of sounds emanating from myriad sources: calliope music from the merry-go-round, screeching roller-coaster wheels as the cars careened around the giant white wooden structure, screams of thrill-seekers on a variety of rides, big-band dance music wafting from the Trocadero Ballroom… But most magical for me, in the heart of it all, was the theatre. I would always sneak away to the theatre’s covered entrance to look at all the famous actor pictures that lined the walls on both sides. Most special to me was Grace Kelly’s picture. Somehow, at sixteen, the thought of that heavenly beauty having stood right where I was standing thrilled me.”

The Elitch Theatre has stood lonely, surrounded by condos rather than amusement rides, for two decades. David Nehls is one of the advocate/warriors pushing the revitalization and reopening of the theatre. Nehls became a board member – and now Vice President – because he went on an impromptu tour of the space in 2010.

“I was shocked and somehow motivated by the sad state the theatre was in at the time,” Nehls said. “Holes in the floors, ceilings and no electricity made the place ethereal and magical even in its neglect.”

Now, after an OED loan from the City of Denver, support from our local 9 News station, and countless hours of work from its Board and other volunteers, The Elitch Theatre is in phase three of its renovation.

“We need to re-install the bathrooms, which were removed when the park moved downtown and the theatre was abandoned,” Nehls said. “So many are involved with getting Elitch’s back up and running; amazing sponsorship has come through, via Tennyson/Berkeley neighborhood businesses for the Film Series we do; and Dramatists Play Service has also come in as a sponsor for the New Works Festival.”

Did you read that last part? Yes, The Elitch Theatre will be hosting a fantastic New Works Festival.

Nehls believes that The New Works Festival is the most exciting project he’s worked on since getting involved. The Festival has three tiers. The first year includes readings of six plays, which are voted on, and then two move on to year two, where they get a workshop production. One of those will move on to year three and a full production as part of the summer season. So, just to break it down, once it’s in full swing in three years, the Festival will have already been responsible for six new play readings, two workshops, and one full production. The submissions are open to writers outside of Colorado—they’ve even received several European submissions this year.

“The process is daunting,” Nehls said. “Every submission is read by the committee and then our reading selection committee selects the final six… It is extremely rewarding to read these fresh ideas.”

So, as if it’s not exciting enough to see this piece of Colorado theatre history given new life, playwrights from all over the world can join in the celebration. But isn’t re-establishing a hundred-year-old theatre is enough of a challenge? Why take on the added difficulty of starting a new play festival?

“Without supporting new works, we are dead in the water,” Nehls explained. “Unproduced artists have to be nurtured and given the forum to explore their work, and the best way is to do it in front of audiences who appreciate this process … And as far as the historical ramifications doing this at Elitch’s, well, Mary Elitch was nurturing new playwrights in the 1890’s as part of her summer stock season. Cecil B. DeMille and his brother, William, were both actors in the company. She read William’s work and produced it since she enjoyed it so much. There are many examples of her kindness and support of young writers throughout her life.”

So bringing brand new plays to this beautiful venue isn’t a new addition to the old theatre’s story; it’s always been a tremendous part of it. And aren’t we grateful that it will continue to be?

You can find out more about The Elitch Theatre at https://historicelitchtheatre.org/

jhartwell@dramatistsguild.com