Ignite Theatre releases 2012 performance lineup

I recently had the great good luck to speak with actor/director Keith Rabin about Ignite Theatre’s exciting new season.

This very new theatre, which evolved out of Gravity Defied Theatre, produced Pippin and A Chorus Line this year. Hold on to your hats though because next season has an incredible lineup of shows.

Here it is: The Busy World is Hushed, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Sweeney Todd, Next to Normal and Spring Awakening.

Rabin will direct Next To Normal. Bernie Cardell, who directed Love! Valour! Compassion! and Angels in America, will direct the also gay-themed The Busy World Is Hushed. This is the only show of the season that has been cast so far. It will star Mari Geasir, Chris Silberman and Kim McGrath.

Jen Orff is doing all the lighting and scenic designs of the season and Midge McMoyer-Smith is the musical director. It’s going to be an in-your-face “Awakening.” Amy Osatinski, who teaches theatre and directs the shows at Heritage High School, will direct Spring Awakening. She recently played Fastrada in Ignite’s Pippin and Lucy for Inspire Creative’s Jekyll and Hyde.

Rabin indicated that the sex in Spring Awakening would be a lot more in your face than it was at The Buell Theatre. The creative director said, “If a show doesn’t have sex or nudity or the F-bomb dropped I don’t want to do it.” He believes that director Osatinski will take it further than the touring company did – and even further than they did on Broadway.

Pam Clifton will direct The Great American Trailer Park Musical. Clifton has directed numerous productions in Denver, Littleton and Aurora including the last two smash seasons of musical theatre on the Green at Stapleton (Happy Days and Footloose.) As an actor she has done everything from Shirley Valentine to The Female Odd Couple. Clifton is also a playwright who has recently penned superb children’s theatre for Town Hall Arts such as The Little Mermaid. If schedules allow David Nehls, who created The Great American Trailer Musical will be invited to an early rehearsal to get some of his thoughts on his original vision for the show. The Great American Trailer Park Musical and The Busy World is Hushed will play in the Black Box Studio Theatre at Aurora Fox Arts.

The main stage at Aurora Fox will be the home of Spring Awakening and Sweeney Todd. Even though the company has been Ignite Theatre since May, the Creative Director wants their first full season to be “total amazingness.” When asked what the percentage of headaches to ecstasy might be with a season such as this Rabin said he wasn’t sure but believes it will be one of the most expensive seasons of any theatre company in town. Big and bold were the two words Rabin used to describe his company.

Rabin is confident he will have the artists he needs to pull this off.

The set for Sweeney will be the biggest of the season. It’s been imagined as a split-level stage. The bottom half would be the pie shop and street. The top level would be Sweeney’s Barber Shop. Off to the left will be Joanna’s room. Benjy Schirm, who directed Title of Show, will be production manager for all the musicals. He will also do all of the lighting designs. There will be a special performance on Halloween night in which one member of the audience will be “killed” by Sweeney onstage in front of the whole audience. When asked if there would be a Mrs. Lovett’s bake sale he roared and said, “That’s ingenious! I think we may.”

For info on upcoming performances, visit http://ignitetheatre.com. Season tickets for Ignite Theatre are available for $110.75.