Curious Theatre Company

Curious Theatre Company has cultivated a local and national reputation as a destination for artists and playwrights to foster and develop new work, and as a place where audiences are challenged. They are now entering the third decade of bringing thought-provoking theatre to Denver. Curious Theatre’s rich history showcases their commitment to playwrights with gutsy things to say. Curious is committed to supporting the creation, development, and continued life of new plays for the American theatre, and hold membership in the National New Play Network.[1]

History

“No guts, no story” embodies the ethos of Curious Theatre Company. Established in 1997 by a vanguard Artistic Company that has since grown to 25 professional actors, designers, and directors, Curious brings the best new theatre to Denver. They produce thought-provoking plays designed to challenge ideas, stir emotions, and leave audiences thinking and talking for days. Curious has had the same Artistic Director, Chip Walton, since their founding. Chip and Dee Covington (Education Director) are both still with Curious after founding the company with others in 1997. In 2010, Curious Theatre Company was awarded the American Theatre Wing's National Theatre Company Grant.[2]

Facts

Over the last ten years, 75% of Curious plays have been written by playwrights of color, LGBTQ playwrights, or female playwrights. In their first twenty seasons, Curious was named Best Theatre/ Best Theatre Season by Westword eight times. Also, within the first twenty seasons, Curious produced 20 World Premieres, 12 NNPN Rolling World Premieres, 65 Regional Premieres, and 4 Denver Premieres. Of equal note, on only one occasion in their first 20 years did Curious ever produce a play previously produced locally in our community. Of the “25 Most Important Plays since Angels in America” (New York Times), Curious has produced seven – the most of any theatre in Colorado.

Productions

Awards
Henry Awards—awarded by The Colorado Theatre Guild

2008 Henry Awards

  • Outstanding Actor in a Play: Gene Gillette, The Lieutenant of Inishmore

2007 Henry Awards

  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play – Jason Henning, tempOdyssey
  • Outstanding Lighting Design – Shannon McKinney, tempOdyssey

2006 Henry Awards

  • Outstanding New Play – The War Anthology
  • Outstanding Ensemble – The War Anthology
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor – William Hahn, Frozen
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actress – Rhonda Lee Brown, Bug
  • Outstanding Sound Design – Brian Freeland, Bug
  • In the 2016-17 Season, Curious ceased participation in the Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Awards.
Ovations Awards—awarded by The Denver Post

2009 Ovations Awards

  • Best Year By a Company
  • Best Drama – Eurydice
  • Best Actress in a Dramatic Role – Rachel Fowler, Rabbit Hole
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Role – Jim Hunt, Eurydice
  • Best Lighting – Shannon McKinney, Eurydice

2008 Ovations Awards

  • Best Year By a Company
  • Best Comedy – The Lieutenant of Inishmore
  • Best Year By an Actress – Karen Slack, 9 Parts of Desire
  • Best Director – Chip Walton, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
  • Best Actress in a dramatic role – Rhonda Lee Brown, End Days
  • Best Actor in a comedic role – Gene Gillette, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
  • Best Supporting Actor – Marcus Waterman, End Days
  • Best Lighting – Jacob Welch, 9 Parts of Desire

2006 Ovations Awards

  • Theatre Person of the Year – Bonnie Metzgar, Associate Artistic Director
  • Best Year by an Actor – William Hahn, Frozen
  • Best Actor in a comedic role – Jason Henning, tempOdyssey
  • Best Actress in a dramatic role – Dee Covington, The War Anthology
  • Best Solo Performance – Erik Sandvold, I Am My Own Wife

2005 Ovations Awards

  • Theatre Person of the Year – Chip Walton, Artistic Director
  • Best Actress in a dramatic role – Rhonda Lee Brown, Bug
  • Best Actor in a comedic role – Erik Sandvold, Take Me Out
  • Best Sound Design – Brian Freeland, Bug

2004 Ovations Awards

  • Best Year By a Company
  • Best Solo Performance – Martin Moran, The Tricky Part
  • Best Ensemble – The Long Christmas Ride Home
  • Best Supporting Actress in a comedy – Ethelyn Friend, Bright Ideas
  • Best Sound Design – Scott Anderson and Jesus Marquez, The Long Christmas Ride Home

2003 Ovations Awards

  • Best Year By a Company
  • Best Comedy – The Mineola Twins
  • Best Director – Chip Walton, The Mineola Twins
  • Best Actress in a comedic role – Elizabeth Rainer, The Mineola Twins
  • Best Supporting Actress – C. Kelly Leo, Proof

2002 Ovations Awards

  • Best Year By a Company
  • Best Director – Chip Walton and Christy Montour Larson, Fuddy Meers
  • Best Actor in a dramatic role – An Almost Holy Picture
  • Best Actress in a comedic role – Ethelyn Friend, Fuddy Meers
  • Best Scenic Design – Gan Guyette, Cloud Tectonic

2001 Ovations Awards

  • Best Year by an Actor – Gene Gillette, Coyote on a Fence
  • Best Drama – Coyote on a Fence
  • Best Actor in a dramatic role – Gene Gillette, Coyote on a Fence
Best of Westword—awarded by Westword Magazine

2017 Best of Westword

  • Best Theatre For Adults
  • Reader's Choice-Best Theatre For Adults

2016 Best of Westword

  • Best Theatre Parking

2010 Best of Westword

  • Best Actor in a Drama – William Hahn, Opus
  • Best Theatre Booster – Chip Walton, Artistic Director

2009 Best of Westword

  • Best Actor in a Season – Tyee Tilghman, Denver Project, Eurydice
  • Best Theater Production – Eurydice

2008 Best of Westword

  • Best Theater Season
  • Best Actor in a Black-Hearted Comedy – Gene Gillette, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
  • Best Sympathetic Portrayal of a Pederast – Paul Borrillo, How I Learned to Drive

2007 Best of Westword

  • Best News for Playwrights
  • Best Direction of a Comedy – Jamie Horton, Fiction
  • Best Actor in a Comedy – John Hutton, Fiction

2006 Best of Westword

  • Best Actor in a Drama – Chris Reid, Bug

2005 Best of Westword

  • Best Theater Season
  • Best Season for a Director – Nagle Jackson, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?
  • Best Season for an Actress – Mare Trevathan, The Long Christmas Ride Home and The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?
  • Best Season for an Actor – Jamie Horton, Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted
  • Best Treatment of a Touch Subject – Yellowman

2004 Best of Westword

  • Best Theater Season
  • Best Season for an Actor – Brett Aune, Proof
  • Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy – Ethelyn Friend, Bright Ideas
  • Best Supporting Actress in a Drama – C.Kelly Leo, Proof

2003 Best of Westword

  • Best Theater Promotion
  • Best Magical Evening of Theater – Cloud Tectonics

2002 Best of Westword

  • Best Theater Production – Coyote on a Fence

2000 Best of Westword

  • Best Director – Chip Walton, Praying for Rain

1999 Best of Westword

  • Best Great Leap Forward
5280 Top of the Town Awards
  • 2009 – Readers Choice – Top Theatre Company
  • 2008 – Editors Choice – Top Theatre Company
  • 2016 - Readers Choice - Top Theatre Company
Rocky Mountain News Top of the Rocky
  • 2006 – Best Actress, Rhonda Lee Brown, Bug
Alliance for Colorado Theatre
  • Professional Theatre of the Year Award 2006
Denver Drama Critics Circle Awards
  • Best Production How I Learned to Drive 1999
  • Best Director Chip Walton, How I Learned to Drive 1999
  • Best Actor Paul Borillo, How I Learned to Drive 1999
  • Best Lighting Design William Temple Davis, How I Learned to Drive 1999
Backstage West Garlands
  • Best Lighting Design William Temple Davis, Praying for Rain 2000
  • Best Production How I Learned to Drive 1999
  • Best Actor Paul Borrillo, How I Learned to Drive 1999
  • Best Director Chip Walton, How I Learned to Drive 1999
  • Best Actress Deborah Persoff, Full Gallop 1999
  • Best Scenic Design Matthew E. Morgan & Britta Erickson, Full Gallop 1999]
Cake Drop By The Kilroys
  • an honor given to theatres with more than 50% of the season written by female or transgender playwrights – one of only 13 in the theatres in the country honored
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References
  1. About the National New Play Network Archived November 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "American Theatre Wing Announces 2010 National Theatre Company Grants". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
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