DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Denver

News: In a nod to the evening’s entertainment – a performance of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Janice Sinden, president/CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, found herself repeating this phrase during the 41st Saturday Night Alive: “Yes, we can-can.”

She wasn’t telling the 471 guests that she had the skills of a can-can dancer. She was referring to the fact that Saturday Night Alive, the DCPA’s signature fundraiser, has been on hiatus since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and, by gosh and by golly, it has come roaring back to life.

The June 25 gala chaired by Carolina and Manny Rodriguez, Kyle Chism and Jackie and Jerome Davis raised a still-to-be-determined amount for the DCPA’s programs and productions. These include Arts in Education, which reaches some 18,000 Colorado students per year.

Festivities began with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and music by Danny Showers Entertainment in the Bonfils Theatre lobby and progressed to the Seawell Ballroom where guests enjoyed a beef tenderloin dinner from Epicurean Catering at tables decorated in Moulin Rouge-inspired colors of red, black and gold.

After dinner it was on to Buell Theatre for the show that garnered rave reviews during its 18-day run in Denver. The show closed on June 26.

“Omigosh, it is so good to be in this room with so many friends,” Sinden said at the start of dinner. She then introduced Martin Semple, a 40-year supporter of the DCPA and chairman of its governing board.

He presented the 2022 Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award to Lynn and Kevin McDonald of the Genesee Mountain Foundation whose support of the performing arts includes generous funding for the DCPA’s student matinees.

Christine Benero, president/CEO of Mile High United Way, shared the news that Grammy-winning vocalist Ciara, wife of Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, will be the featured speaker at the Sept. 22 Women United Luncheon.

Benero was at Saturday Night Alive with a group that included Lindsay Filsinger, director of philanthropic partners at Filsinger Energy Partners; Delta Dental’s president/CEO Helen Drexler; and Sonia and David Franzel, who were looking forward to renewing their acquaintance with Conor Ryan, who stars as Christian in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” They had met him when he and their daughter were enrolled at the Perry-Mansfield School of Performing Arts and Camp in Steamboat Springs.

Also there: Kaarin (cq) Pigford, the corporate food and beverage manager for Stonebridge Companies and a corporate MBA candidate at the University of Denver. Her brother, Tony Pigford, is running for Denver City Council in District 4.

About the organization: Formed in 1972, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit theater organizations. It is a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit and a showcase for live theater. The center is also home to the Seawell Ballroom, which can be rented for weddings, fundraisers and other special events.

Website: denvercenter.org

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