By John Moore
Dec. 3, 2012
The Edge Theatre will be moving 2 miles east to a new 99-seat theater in Lakewood to be built in a freestanding storefront at 1560 Teller St., founder Rick Yaconis announced at Monday’s second annual company holiday gathering, The Edgy Awards.
The move to just east of Wadsworth Boulevard on the north side Colfax Avenue will be effective with the March 31, 2013, opening of David Mamet’s “Race.” That means the final production at The Edge’s current home at 9797 W. Colfax Avenue (at Kipling Boulevard) will be the world premiere of local playwright Jonson Kuhn’s “Newark Violenta,” running from Jan. 4-26.
The move, which is expected to cost about $50,000, Yaconis said, was necessitated by code improvements ordered to the current site by the city of Lakewood. “And I wasn’t passionate enough about that site to put that kind of money into it,” Yaconis said, “so we decided to make the move.”
The new theater, at 3,000 square feet about one-third bigger than the current location, will have flexible seating that can be rearranged from show to show. Yaconis is partnering with 40 West, an all-volunteer, non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting arts along West Colfax Avenue. The group is anchored by the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design and the new Lamar Street Light Rail Station. “The idea is to bring more upscale arts and culture to West Colfax, and get away from the pawn shops and tattoo parlors,” Yaconis said.
While the new space won’t have as much readily available parking as the current location, Yaconis told the Denver Business Journal he’s hoping to boost the company’s annual budget to $175,000 from its current $120,000.
Yaconis and his wife, Patty, took over the former E-Project Theatre in January 2011 with “Extremities,” followed by “Speed-the-Plow” and “Killers and Other Family.” That covered a raped woman who turns on her attacker; Mamet‘s examination of Hollywood slime; and a lesbian couple sent on the run when a family member turns up.
At Monday’s Edgy Awards, Yaconis also announced the winner of “On the Edge,” the company’s just-completed, month-long new-play festival. It’s “Gifted,” written by Cherry Creek High and Brown University grad Carrie Printz. Her prize will be a fully staged production at the new Edge Theatre in the summer of 2014.
The play explores contemporary family relationships, cultural identity and how a young, gifted teen grapples with it all. Aseem Ganeshe, 15, never has been crazy about being gifted, nor is he thrilled about his multi-ethnic background. But when he gets a chance to be on a new reality TV show called “Stump the Brainiacs,” he sees a way to use his giftedness to his advantage. But his Indian grandmother from London has different ideas for Aseem — and his older sister.
The four finalists each were given staged readings over the past month, with both audiences and an invited judging panel asked to consider everything from theme to character development to writing quality to which story best aligns with the Edge’s name and stated mission to bring difficult, intense works to the stage. Yaconis is first to admit that “Gifted,” which is akin to a Neil Simon comedy with Indian protagonists, is probably the least Edge-like of the four finalists.
“The Edge is going to go out on a limb and take one of its biggest risks by doing a family-friendly comedy,” Yaconis said – with a bit of a chuckle. In the end, “Gifted” was the script most ready for full production, he said. “I think it’s a great summer show, and it provides a different perspective,” he added.
THE EDGE THEATRE
1560 Teller St., Lakewood, 303-232-0363 or the edge’s home page
Jan. 4-26, 2013: “Newark Violenta” (at 9797 W. Colfax Ave.)
March 1-31, 2013: “Race”
April 19-May 19, 2013: “The Shadow Box”
June 7-30, 2013: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
July 19-Aug. 11, 2013: “The House of Blue Leaves”
Aug. 30-Sept. 29, 2013: “The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”
Oct. 18-Nov. 17, 2013: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”
Summer 2014: “Gifted”
