The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Rod A. Lansberry

Double lives, bunburrying about, and handbags  …

This “Wildely” popular play is the story of budding romance and feigned identity that becomes a humorous exposé on British society and pokes gentle fun at pretense, all in the context of well-crafted language and delightful repartee. Oscar Wilde’s classic period piece remains as witty, engaging, and relevant as when it first premiered in 1895 London.

Going Back In Time
Director Rod A. Lansberry has chosen to stage the play in the style of the original 1895 production . “We’re using roll drops, trying to keep that English music hall feel to it, so it’s true to the way it was originally produced,” explains Lansberry, “I’m trying to create a feeling of going back in time all the way.”

Catch A Glimpse
The Importance of Being Earnest at the Arvada Center

So do be a good ol’ chap and don’t miss this fine Arvada Center production!

Show runs Jan 24 – Feb 19

Talk Backs
Friday, Feb 3 after 7:30 p.m. show
Wednesday, Feb 8 after 1:00 p.m. show

Galleries at the Center
Winter 2012 Gallery Opening Reception
January 12
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Free Admission

Long a source of creative inspiration and awakening, the beauty of Colorado has been uniquely expressed in genres, styles and media by generations of artists.  The Arvada Center winter series presents three exhibitions by four of Colorado’s most celebrated abstract artists, including the first career retrospective from the “Dean of Colorado Contemporary Sculpture” Robert Mangold. The Center’s winter series also features exhibitions by found-object master Carl Reed and contemporary abstract painters Homare Ikeda and Monroe Hodder in a unique gallery pairing.

Time, Space and Motion
Robert Mangold Retrospective
works from 1955 to present
http://arvadacenter.org/galleries/time-space-and-motion-robert-mangold

The beauty of Colorado has been an inspiration to artists in providing them free expression and creativity through an array of visual mediums. This is an ambitious retrospective of work from the highly regarded “Dean of Colorado Contemporary Sculpture” artist Robert Mangold.

Time, Space and Motion, is featured in the Main Gallery, in outdoor areas surrounding the Arvada Center and on the grounds at the Arvada City Hall at 8101 Ralston Road, Arvada, CO 80001.

Pieces on loan from The Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, University of Denver, The Museum of Outdoor Art, and many private collections will be featured in this stunning exhibition of work.

For more than 50 years, sculptor Robert Mangold has remained devoted to creating large indoor and outdoor pieces that can be seen not only across Denver but also throughout the world. Mangold’s four distinct artistic series will be featured in the Arvada exhibition: Anemotives, I-Beam, Tetrahedralhypersphere and PTTSAAES (a Point Traveling Through Space At An Erratic Speed).

Homare Ikeda and Monroe Hodder

http://arvadacenter.org/galleries/homare-ikeda-and-monroe-hodder

Two of Colorado’s most celebrated abstract artists are featured in the Upper Gallery – made possible through a partnership with William Havu Gallery in Denver, CO.
Homare Ikeda, raised near Okinawa, Japan, is often called the “Pearl of Asia”. Now living in Denver, CO, Ikeda’s longing for the ocean while being in the midst of mountains is reflected in his nature-inspired works. “Ocean is the root of life as well as origin of my creations. Mountain is my vanishing point. My work is about wonder, longing and quest,” he explains.

Steamboat Springs resident Monroe Hodder uses color as her most powerful language when creating her works that encapsulate the reconciliation of opposites. “My impulse is to fill up an abstract repetitive structure with the delicious disorder of paint, “ Hodder says. Her striking works often feature messy bands of stark color that bend the rules and the grid.

Lost and Found: A North Sea Collaboration
Thomas Claesson  & Carl Reed

http://arvadacenter.org/galleries/lost-and-found-thomas-claesson-and-carl-reed

Found objects often appear inconsequential to the casual eye but to artist Carl Reed, disregarded items become visual treasures.

A fortunate friendship forged over the Atlantic Ocean, brought together abstract Colorado artist Reed and Swedish resident Thomas Claesson, who has assembled an enormous collection of objects that have washed ashore, been abandoned, been unearthed and acquired through inheritance.

These objects have been assembled into an eclectic display of found art that possesses an inherent aesthetic power that allows them to stand on their own. Some of the pieces featured include 18” iron nails, textiles from 1800’s and a broom. Don’t miss what they have found!

On Christmas morning, John Moore, former Theater Critic at the Denver Post, named the winners for the 2011 Ovation Awards. The Arvada Center was honored with 5 awards including Best Musical and Best Director of a Musical – prestigious recognition in a field representing 172 productions by 69 theater companies that were staged over the last 12 months!

The 11th annual Ovation Awards are determined by Denver Post staff, but readers again were asked to vote for additional “readers’ choice” designees by taking our online survey, which accepted only one ballot per IP address. A total of 1,760 unique voters responded. <source: http://www.denverpost.com/theater/ci_19604222>

Arvada Center 2011 Ovation Awards:

Best Production of a Musical – Hairspray

Best Direction of a Musical – Rod A. Lansberry, Ragtime

Best Costumes – Mondo Guerra, Hairspray

Special Recognition:
Rob Reynolds, maker of the Model-T used in the Arvada Center’s Ragtime

Brian Mallgrave, ongoing achievement in scenic design

Other awards were given to actors, designers and theater companies with close ties to the Arvada Center including John Arp and Megan Van De Hey (Best Season for an Actor and Actress respectively) and Best Season for a Director, Christy Montour-Larson. One of our partners, Creede Repertory Theatre, received several nods and their executive director Maurice LaMee was named Theater Person of the Year – an honor that came (in part) for the work Creede Rep is doing at the Arvada Center.

Congratulations to our fine actors, actresses, and production staff behind the scenes that make Colorado Theater so spectacular!

For a complete list of winners go to
http://www.denverpost.com/theater/ci_19604222

Tuesday – Friday  || 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Closes Friday, Dec 30th!

Weekday general admission tickets: $8
Weekend and holiday reserved tickets: $10

Based on the book by Jeff Brown
Book and Lyrics by Timothy A. McDonald

Ordinary kid, Stanley Lambchop is asleep in his bed one night when a bulletin board falls on him.  The next morning he wakes up flat.  At first, being flat is not so bad.  He can slide under locked doors.  His friends fly him like a kite.  Stanley is the best in his class at hide-and-seek.  If he has to be flat, he is going to make the best of it.  Stanley decides to put himself in a big envelope and travel the world as a human letter.  The musical follows his adventures as he strives to become three dimensional again.

Recommended for grades: Pre K-5, ages 4 and up

Get your tickets here!

Share the joy with friends and family as an early holiday gift! Bring visiting family and escape the hustle and bustle of the season and slip back in time to a slower-paced, “unplugged” era where jazz bands rocked the radio and stories were still told in the family room, not through text messages.

It’s Christmastime in 1942 and a close-knit group of entertainers at the WOV radio station are broadcasting the final holiday variety show for the troops overseas. This holiday production—with songs including Strike Up the Band, I’ll Be Seeing You, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas will set you in the mood for the Holidays.

“…jazzy, fun & full of Christmas Warmth“  -Noah Lee, 303 Magazine “…a refreshing holiday musical for the family ” – Claudia Carbone, Examiner.com “Arp’s precise deadpan delivery is worth the price of a ticket in itself“ -Sonya Ellingboe, Our Colorado News “some superb singing and dancing with this production. So, ladies and gents, put on your zoot suits and convertible attire, sweep up your hair (or slick it back) and head to the show!” -BWW Reviews Other Media about The 1940′s Radio Hour Watch the cast of The 1940′s Radio Hour on Colorado and Company, KUSA-TV Watch the cast of The 1940′s Radio Hour with Bertha Lynn, KMGH-TV

View our slideshow on Flickr.com

* Celebrate the Holidays with this Special Offer *

Get 4 tickets at $48 each – a great value for family entertainment!

Use promo code 3643 when you call the Box Office at 720-898-7200. Show runs through December 23.* Based on availability. Not available for purchase online.