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The Helen Bonfils Theater Complex

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1979, Roche/Dinkeloo. Arapahoe St. and Speer Blvd.

These four theaters with production space and rehearsal rooms are all wrapped in an acrobatic concrete exterior whose curves and angles complement its DCPA neighbors. In a design reminiscent of the architects' United Nations Plaza, a ribbon window set in roughly finished reinforced concrete is shielded by a wide glass canopy which becomes the entry awning. The interior spaces dramatically mix rough concrete, fabric-covered walls, carpeted floors, and mirror and mirror-finish surfaces that add theatrical sparkle. The largest of the four theaters, The Stage, has a seating capacity of 700 around a thrust stage. The Space seats 450 in a pentagonal hall with movable seating on three levels in an evocative echo of London's Old Globe Theater. The Ricketson Theater is a 195-seat end stage, while The Source is an informal 150-seat thrust stage. The resident Denver Center Theater Company is the largest professional resident ensemble between Chicago and the West Coast.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Thomas J. Noel

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