The Lake Dillon Theatre Company (LDTC) continues its 25th Anniversary Season with a one-of-a-kind Signature Concert entitled Divas and Duets on Nov. 8 and 9 at 7:30 PM in the Henry Studio Theater featuring Summit County favorite Kelly Renoux.
The LDTC is dedicated to bringing a diverse season including a unique music series of concerts and musical revues. The Signature Concert Series features performers from around the country for one-weekend only events. Divas and Duets will feature a collection of songs curated by Renoux from different music genres including Broadway, rock and roll, country, and pop. Special guests will join Renoux for surprise duets throughout the evening of story and song.
A professionally trained actor and singer, Renoux has lived in Summit County for more than twenty years and has been a featured performer with the LDTC for more than two decades. Her credits at the LDTC include Rita from Lucky Stiff and Patsy in Always Patsy Cline, among more than a dozen others.
Renoux as Rita in “Lucky Stiff”
Renoux holds a position on the executive team at Copper Mountain and feels fortunate the LDTC provides opportunities for her to perform.
“I am so fortunate to have a career on the executive team with Copper Mountain Resort, but also I get to regularly indulge in my passion for theatre.” Renoux says, “The one thing that kept me from going into theatre full-time was the dread of having to find a new job after each show closed; but I truly have the best of both worlds – I’ve been with Copper for over 20 years now, and I’ve been performing with LDTC and around the county for the same period of time!”
Renoux will be joined by music director and accompanist Wayne Shuker. A New York-based performer and musician, Shuker returns to Summit County after several appearances with the LDTC, including most recently having performed the role of “Paul” in Barefoot in the Park.
Shucker as Paul Bratter in “Barefoot in the Park”
“I’ve always had a passion for making music which even led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music education. I’ve been lucky enough to get to play on stage but when I’m in between gigs I spend a lot of my time teaching voice lessons and accompanying in New York. I’m thrilled to get the chance to make my professional music directing debut in a place that always makes me feel welcome.” Shucker says.
I’ve been really into time travel lately. Not doing it, of course, just watching shows about it.
Dark has two seasons so far on Netflix, with a third in production. It defaults to dubbed, but I highly recommend watching it in original German. The subtitles are a little jumpy on streaming but the dialogue doesn’t seem to matter anyway. What is it about? I have no idea. Atmospheric, circular, moving and surprising, Dark sucks you in – but it isn’t one of those shows that makes you stay up too late binge-watching. After a few episodes, you’ll want to take a break to process it.
Travelers is a Canadian take on saving the world through time travel. It is a bit more palatable since the way traveling works in this universe hand-waves away many of the time loop problems inherent in these types of stories. It is essentially a fish-out-of-water drama as the travelers adapt to existence in the past. Travelers has a somewhat sudden but still fairly satisfying conclusion after being cancelled at the end three seasons.
Finally, if you really want to have your mind bent, track down Primer. This independent film was made with $7,000 by Shane Carruth, who wrote, directed, produced, edited, scored and starred, and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004. Primer follows two guys who accidentally build a time machine in the garage. Then decide to take it for a spin. Chaos ensues. Fans have been trying to unravel it on the internet ever since.
I don’t know about you, but this is one of my favorite times of the year. The buzzing of summer has calmed down, the leaves are falling, and the snow isn’t quite sure if it wants to stay around just yet. Even though it may look like the Lake Dillon Theatre Company is settling in for a long winter’s nap, there are still so many things happening in the last two months of the year. So if you are like me, and use this time to plan for the holidays settle in to find out what’s coming up at the LDTC.
Divas and Duets
Our final Signature Concert of the year features Summit County local and LDTC alum, Kelly Renoux. We invite you to join us on November 8th and 9th for a night of story and song. This event is sure to scratch your theater-going itch until we open the final show of our 25th Anniversary Season.
Tiny Beautiful Things
Admit it, we’ve all needed guidance in our lives, and sometimes the best person to give us that advice is a stranger. As we close out our 25th Anniversary Season entitled, To Be Connected, we explore what it means to be connected to those we have never met. Want to learn more about Tiny Beautiful Things? Click here!
Holiday Follies
Everyone’s favorite holiday extravaganza is back! Our holiday variety show features holiday music, comedy interludes, stories and so much more. It’s festive cheer for the whole family! Don’t wait for the holiday rush! Tickets are on sale now!
New York New Year’s Eve
Our final celebration of 2019 will take place in New York City time! Join us at 6:00 PM for dinner, special cabaret performances, and so much more! Then countdown to Midnight New York Time (or 10:00 PM our time)! Learn more about this special evening here!
So, there you have it! Four exciting events to end our 25th Anniversary season. We hope you will join us! We’ll have a seat waiting for you.
On my runs, I find listening to music distracting. During half of my runs, I will unplug and listening to the sounds around me. The other half, I listen to podcasts.
Among the handful that I listen, I find RadioLab, Ted Radio Hour, StarTalk Radio (with Neil Degrasse Tyson), and Make Me Smart among my favorites. However, today I want to share with you another favorite – Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell. This is the podcast that got me started listening to podcasts. See, I was a little late to the game and had only listened to my first podcast this time last year. I know, I know – what took me so long. I was confident that podcasts were just people rambling about weird subjects or off the wall topics with no discernable end or reason – and there are plenty of those. But so many are highly produced, well scripted, informational, entertaining and educational shows. Revisionist History is one of those and I quickly became enamored with the show. As Malcom Gladwell puts it:
“Revisionist History will go back and reinterpret something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance”.
Particularly there is a three episode series in the first season of the podcast that I found enlightening and disturbing. Episode 4 – Carlos Doesn’t Remember, Episode 5 – Food Fight, and Episode 6 – My Little Hundred Million explore the complexities and discrepancies of higher education in the United States. It is a fascinating listen and I highly recommend taking the 100 minutes or so needed to listen to all three episodes.
Yes, summer is coming to a close, but the LDTC can’t say goodbye to summer without a zany comedy. From the master of oneliners, the LDTC is proud to present Barefoot in the Park. As the show has been running for a week now we wanted to show a behind the scenes look at the rehearsal process and the work that the cast put into the show before opening!
Every Brilliant Thing‘s run at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company began Aug. 16. If you haven’t been to this show yet prepare yourself for an interactive show-going experience, unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
When you go to a one-person show one of the biggest questions you may have is how did the actor remember all of their lines? The answer is lots and lots of rehearsals. For Every Brilliant Thing, rehearsals were just as unique as the show as Colt Neidhardt, who plays The Man, needed practice audiences to help him with the intricate and interactive pieces on this show. Below enjoy a few of our favorite behind the scenes moments.
Rehearsals started in our LAB Theatre. Here a practice audience including actors, apprentices, stage managers, and crew members all were assigned Brilliant Things to read and were cast as characters including Mr. Patterson, and the Vet.
All shows have a final dress rehearsal. For Every Brilliant Thing, a select audience of Community Members and LDTC volunteers were invited to view the performance. In full costume on a completed set, and with a brand new audience the show took its form.
Want a little more brilliance in your life? Need a reminder of the Brilliant Things? Every Brilliant Thing runs now – Sept. 15.
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What is most exciting about returning to the LDTC and Summit County? I am so very excited to be returning to LDTC after performing in La Cage Aux Folles in 2015 (one of the last shows done in the former theatre) I can’t wait to see the beautiful new space and perform again for the warm and responsive Summit County audiences. I am deeply honored and humbled to be asked to be a part of LDTC’s 25th Anniversary season, because the people who inhabit this company genuinely care about touching people’s lives through theatre and the art they make.
Can you tell us about your character? I see my character Victor Velasco as an eccentric, European (possibly immigrant?) denizen of NYC’s 1960’s bohemian W Village culture… he speaks unabashedly and freely and lives joyously and wholeheartedly with the spontaneous vigor of youth (which he’s trying desperately to hold onto),
What does Barefoot in the Park mean to you? I discovered Barefoot in the Park my sophomore year of high school when I was cast in one of Paul/Corie’s “fight scenes” we took to a high school thespian conference for adjudication. The way he writes, his gift for clever, natural (not to mention hilarious and quite often touching) dialogue is such a joy for actors. We received positive feedback on our scene, but the next year when I was cast as Felix in our fall production of The Odd Couple, I became smitten forever after with the genius that is Neil Simon. A couple of years later, doing a dinner theatre production of Brighton Beach Memoirs I was reconnected with the heart and humanity of his work, and now (30 yrs later) I am overjoyed to be reunited with this material from a completely different perspective.
What can audiences expect when they come to Barefoot in the Park? Audiences can expect to laugh (a lot) and be completely charmed by this infectious valentine to unlikely love in NYC.
What is the most challenging part of Barefoot in the Park? For me, the most challenging part about Barefoot in the Park (so far) is doing this kind of material without an audience. I can’t wait to have people laughing and responding, because their feedback is so informative and integral to shaping the rhythms and timing of a show like this.
What is the most exciting part of Barefoot in the Park? The most exciting part of Barefoot in the Park to me, is the small size of our cast. The immediate bond that’s forming with just the five of us is really special. Working with such an intimate group adds a special sense of teamwork and camaraderie that’s very different than working with say, a larger cast musical where there’s many more people and other elements like big musical numbers to aid in the storytelling. Here, we’ve just got each other (and the audience of course) and actually, a very small amount of singing.
Barefoot in the Park opens August 30th! We met with Sheryl McCallum to learn more about her character and her thoughts on the show!
Can you tell us about your character? My character is Ethel Banks, the mother of the free-spirited, Corie. Mrs. Banks seems to live a very mundane life in New Jersey. she has friends and does get out some, but like most women of her time, her focus mainly has been on her family and less on herself. She has a quick, very dry wit. Now that her daughter is married and out of the house, what does she do? How does she feel?
What does Barefoot in the Park mean to you? What does Barefoot in the Park mean to me? I’m going to answer this two ways. As a term”Barefoot in the park” means that you run free without a care in the world. A little oblivious. Which can be great…at times. The play itself is a great part of the timeless work of Neil Simon. It deals with love, differences, Breakdowns, communication, all the wonderful and complex experiences each of us has. And what I like most, it makes us face some facts that we may not want to face, but leads to living in the present and living much fuller!
What can audiences expect? I first hope audiences expect a great time at the theatre. I also hope that see some of themselves in one of the characters and may, possibly, want to make a little adjustment.
What is the most challenging & exciting part of Barefoot in the Park? The most challenging part is the short rehearsal time. Some theatre companies give 3 weeks for rehearsals. For me, this means to come in as “off book” as I can, and be ready to absorb like a good sponge. This is also the most exciting part. As an actor, you want to welcome new and exciting challenges. And it gives you a great sense of gratitude to meet and exceed that challenge.
What excites you about working with the LDTC for the first time? This is my first time at LDT!!!! I am thrilled to be working with Chris and the LDTC staff and crew. I had a chance to see Mama Mia and I was blown away at the production value and the space itself. It is also exciting to meet and work with new actors. Plus being surrounded by the gorgeous Colorado mountain ain’t bad either. And I hear there are outlet stores nearby!!
Barefoot in the Parkopens in 2 weeks! As we draw closer we are getting to know our cast. Wayne Shuker is returning to the Lake Dillon Theatre Company. We caught up with him for a chance to hear his thoughts on the show and his character Paul Bratter.
Can you tell us about your character? Paul Bratter is a rising young attorney. At least, that’s how he wants to be seen. He is a recent law school grad, just married to the woman of his dreams and all set to climb the ladder of success in New York City. Except, Paul doesn’t want to climb, he’d rather sprint; and he needs Corie to help him race to the ideal life that he has been working for. But Corie has ideals of her own, and as much as that frustrates and confuses Paul, she is exactly what he needs. Honestly, Paul is a lot like me. I moved to New York City with an idea of what life should look like, and thankfully I’ve had many people come in and out of my life who have helped me realize all the different ways it can go.
What does Barefoot in the Park mean to you? Barefoot in the Park is a reminder that sometimes we can get lost in our aspirations or our monotony. Routine, be it for progress or survival can blind us to the realities and possibilities all around. But when you make a connection with someone, your routines become altered and if you allow yourself, you become aware of a whole new world of possibilities.
What can audiences expect when they come to Barefoot in the Park?Barefoot in the Park is a romantic comedy. Predecessor to your favorite tear jerkers that make you laugh out loud, it is written with the care and finesse of a Great American Playwright, Neil Simon. It is filled with snark and wit, but just the right amount of sincerity to leave you feeling warm inside.
What is the most challenging part of Barefoot in the Park? Honestly, all that snark and wit can be tempting to run away with. While Paul is certainly a sarcastic piece of work, he truly loves Corie and wants what’s best for the both of them.
What is the most exciting part of Barefoot in the Park? Getting to bring Neil Simon’s words to life. I truly love this play and am honored that “going to work” means I get to play around with this cast of characters.
What is most exciting about returning to the LDTC and Summit County? LDTC is a community that I am thrilled to return to. The connections I’ve made here have stayed with me. It’s honestly exciting to walk into that audition room in NYC and see so many warm familiar faces. Plus, I have quite a few more 14ers to conquer.
