2020 TRUE WEST AWARD

2020 True West Awards: Secret Gardeners


Component GradientStart is not available in React's context. It is defined in agility, however. Please check React Dev tools for props.

'Putting up 'Almost Heaven' at The Hudson Gardens took a lot of hard work, dedication and determination. Being able to see and hear these amazing singers without their masks on was joyous.'

– Director Nick Sugar

By John Moore, Senior Arts Journalist

With so many (many) lousy things to come out of the COVID shutdown, you have to appreciate it when something truly lovely comes out of necessity and innovation. Like taking in an early fall sunset at The Hudson Gardens listening to the lyrics of John Denver as birds fly overhead: "I guess he'd rather be in Colorado. He’d rather spend his time out where the sky looks like a pearl after a rain.” With other humans. During a pandemic. Under a sky that looks like a pearl after a rain.

And it was an experience that was never in the Town Hall Arts Center’s plans before the virus forced a creative shift in thinking.

“Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver” was scheduled to open inside Town Hall on April 3 when rehearsals were stopped. But rather than shut the production down altogether, Director Nick Sugar’s creative team scrambled for a solution that turned out to be good enough to be true: The re-imagined show eventually went on as an outdoor, botanic experience that perfectly matched the tenor of John Denver's music.

And it took some heavy behind-the-scenes lifting to make it happen. The Town Hall team had to set up a 40-foot band tent, two trees of stage lights, speakers, other sound equipment and socially distanced audience pods before every performance. And then take it all down again in near total darkness. And do it all over again 18 times over the course of the next month for the enjoyment of 1,500 patrons who surely had no idea how much muscle it took to pull off.

Pivoting with 'Almost Heaven' Director Nick Sugar

“We had to leave it exactly as we found it every night so that The Hudson Gardens could operate as normal the next day. It was a Herculean group effort, for sure,” said Robert Michael Sanders, Town Hall’s Education Manager.

Note the title. It was the Education Manager’s job to keep the crew moving on schedule. And that nighty “crew” included several people with titles you don’t always associate with "crew":

  • Mike Haas: Technical Director
  • Curt Behm: Sound Designer
  • Robert Michael Sanders: Education Director
  • Matthew Kepler: Programming Manager
  • Willa Bograd: Volunteer coordinator
  • Stacy Hanna: Marketing and PR Manager
  • Stephanie O’Malley: Development Manager
  • Kevin Chung: Carpenter
  • Greg Kendall: Carpenter 
  • Dustin Hartley: Scenic painter and technician
  • Matthew Duggar: Sound board operator
  • Sarah Alexander-Wininger: Operations Manager 

Here’s how Sanders describes how the operation went:

“The whole staff would arrive at 5 p.m. to set up the tent and run power from the main building out onto the lawn. We set up the light trees and ran LED lighting strips into the tent, made sure the band had power, and then placed all of the speakers and subwoofers. Meanwhile, Matthew Kepler handled all of the set-up at the front gate for arriving patrons, as well as ticketing – and laying down pods in groups of four, each placed at least 6 feet apart and 25 feet away from the five performers. Hudson Gardens provided a dressing room for the actors, and costume assistant Mikayla LaMantia was there every night to clean and deliver the costumes.”

(Story continues after the photo.)

True West Awards Town Hall Arts Center Almost Heaven

From left: Matt LaFontaine, Alison Mueller, Mark Middlebrooks, Tasha Waters and Zach Stailey.  Photo by John Moore.

Because there was no actual stage in the gardens, performers Matt LaFontaine, Alison Mueller, Mark Middlebrooks, Zach Stailey and Tasha Waters sang for nearly two hours while standing in the grass. And the second the show was over, the entire crew jumped back into action, moving everything back into a large storage shed on the Hudson Gardens' grounds. “We essentially reverse-engineered it,” Sanders said. “Except now it was all in the dark.”

'The Family Tree' offers live holiday comedy from safety of home

That effort included band members Donna Debreceni, Mitch Jervis, Scott Alan Smith and Larry Ziehl lugging their keyboards, drum kits and guitars from the park back to their cars each night.

Sanders says the plan was masterminded along with Technical Director Mike Haas and Sound Designer Curt Behm, though it took yeoman effort from 11 full-time Town Hall staffers, along with another dozen volunteers and part-time box office workers (Kendra Pierce, Nannette Brown, Amy Calonder, Tamara Jarrett and Dave Johnson) to pull it off every night.

“It was all hands on deck for anything,” Sanders said. “We grabbed anyone who had knowledge in anything.” Even if that meant the Town Hall Marketing Manager learning how to plug in sound and set up lights.

Miraculously, none of the performances were lost by weather. “Although sometimes the cords were frozen because it was so cold,” Sanders said. “And there were two shows where crew had to run up and hold the tent up during a microburst.”

And in the end, was it all worth it?

“Absolutely,” Sanders said. “Even with that amount of work, we would do it all over again in a second. The quality of the entertainment was high, the safety was well thought-out, and audiences were desperate to be entertained in a reasonable, responsible environment.”

The Rough The Catamounts Jason MaxwellIt took a similar heroic effort for Boulder’s The Catamounts to pull off an environmental staging of “The Rough,” which took audiences through a mythological look back at the origins of golf over nine holes of a Westminster golf course. What audiences never saw once they hopped from their carts to their cars and headed home were the many cast and crew members hauling back lights, speakers, costumes and props that had been strategically placed throughout the golf course.

Which only underscores the lengths valiant, out-of-the-box theatremakers across the state were willing to go to last summer to bring live storytelling to the only place it was safe to tell stories to live audiences: The great outdoors.

True West Awards Town Hall Arts Center Almost Denve

The cast of 'Almost Heaven.'  Photo by John Moore.

More creatives

• Original Concept by Harold Thau; written by Peter Glazer; orchestrations and vocal arrangements by Jeff Waxman

• Production Stage Manager: Steven Neale

• Lighting Designer: Kate Bashore

• Costume Designer: Linda Morken

Home,Reignite the Arts,Art at Home,Support Arvada Center Artists,Virtual Auction,Donate Now,Donate Now,Corporate Giving,Art Circle,2023-2024 Theatre Season,Renew,Visit Us,View All Events,Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express,Roland Bernier: In Other Words,Word Play,Animal Farm,Cleo Parker Robinson Dance presents Summer Suite,Big Band Royalty,Lola Montejo: After Another After,Floyd D. Tunson: Ascent,Anthony Garcia Sr: Pigment,A Tribute to the Boston Pops,The CJRO presents A Night of Sizzling Soul with Larry Braggs,Pink Martini featuring China Forbes,Carlou D,Pamela Webb: Hand + Hammer,Lauri Lynnxe Murphy: Seeing the Trees For the Forest,Pink Progression: Collaborations,Imprint: Print Educators of Colorado,528.0 Regional Juried Printmaking Exhibition,Wood.Works,Carley Warren: Three Pieces,Viral Influence: Art in the Time of Coronavirus,Brady Smith: (Don’t be embarrassed by) Your Trouble with Living,Melody Epperson: 100 Years + 1,Blurring The Line,Dawes,Melissa Etheridge,Narkita Gold: Black In Denver,Australian Pink Floyd,José González,Art of the State 2022,Into The Woods,Rockley Instrument Sale,Elle King,Madeleine Peyroux In Concert,One Sheet,The River Bride,Fine Art Market,Holiday Pottery Sale,The History of African American Music Part 3,Hazel Miller and the Collective: Christmas with Soul,Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,Colorado Abstract +10: A Survey,Gary Staab: Second Nature,Flora: Scientific Botanical Illustrations of Colorado Plants,Charlotte's Web,Art + Science,Jeffco Schools Foundation High School Art Exhibition,Arts For All Gala,Wendy Kowynia: Following the Thread,Spring Pottery Sale,Teacher Appreciation Concert,A Year With Frog and Toad,Damn Yankees,Bueno: Mark Bueno,Mary Poppins,A Tribute to Chick Corea with Eric Gunnison,Big Band Royalty: Nothin’ But the Blues,Latin Sounds From Legendary Artists,Swing, Swing, Swing: Benny and Beyond ,Denver Gay Men's Chorus: Divas, Icons and Justice Warriors,Keb' Mo',Ben Folds,Lucero,Face Vocal Band,George Thorogood and the Destroyers,Toad the Wet Sprocket and Cracker,A Night at the Movies with the Colorado Symphony,The Denver Brass: In Pursuit of Leisure,Our Town,The Book Club Play,Boz Scaggs,The Ladies of Soul,Guitar Stars and Friends,Rocky Mountain Guitar Stars,Mozart Under Moonlight,Big Draw Colorado,Beautiful - The Carole King Musical,Drawn: From The Source,Collective Soul,Ramón Bonilla: The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for me.,Indigo Girls,Dining Partners,Amplify,Amplify Performers,Theatre,Upcoming Shows,2023-2024 Theatre Season,Performances for Students,Auditions,Million Dollar Quartet Auditions,The Laramie Project Open Auditions,Cinderella Local General Auditions,Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Local Auditions,Holiday Plays,Galleries,Current Exhibitions,Wood.Works Know Before You Go,Gallery Events,Upcoming Exhibitions,Art Sales,Art Submissions,Viral Influence Call for Entry,Big Draw Colorado,Sculpture Field,History Museum,Archive,Education,View All Classes,Summer Camps,Full Day,Summer Camp Performances,FAQ,Classes for Kids,Classes for Adults,Ceramics,Front Range Youth Symphony,Dance Academy,Arts Day,Arts Day Outreach,Ageless Adults,Scholarships,Yesterado,Teen Intensive 2021,Yesterado,Field Trips and Outreach,ECE Field Trips,K-5 Field Trips,Middle and High School Field Trips,Outreach Programs,Preschool Partnership Program,Music and Dance,Jeffrey Siegel,Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra,Summer Concerts,AEDA Summer Concerts,Humanities,On Their Shoulders We Stand,Private Event Rentals,Caterers,Vendors,Straight Talk Series ,Straight Talk with Philip Sneed,COVID’s toll on Colorado theatre: 224 productions and counting ,Straight Talk with Lynne Collins,Straight Talk with Rod Lansberry,Straight Talk with Phamaly, Buntport, Colorado Shakes and Rocky Mountain Rep,Straight Talk with Creede Rep, Town Hall, Candlelight and Theatre Company of Lafayette,Straight Talk with Aurora Fox, BDT Stage, Cherry Creek Theatre and Misfits,Straight Talk with Su Teatro, Vintage, Backstage and Counterweight,Straight Talk with Local Theater Company, Theater 29, The Source and Equinox,Straight Talk with the Denver Center, Jesters Dinner Theatre, Glenwood Vaudeville Revue and Germinal Stage-Denver,Actors' union issues safety guidelines for re-opening,Straight Talk with square product, Forge Light, Springs Ensemble Theatre and Coal Creek Theatre of Louisville,Straight Talk with the Fine Arts Center, Miners Alley Playhouse, Dangerous Theatre and Lone Tree Arts Center ,Straight Talk with Lake Dillon Theatre Company, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company and Northglenn Arts,Straight Talk with The Catamounts, Bas Bleu and Thingamajig,Straight Talk with Curious Theatre Company,Straight Talk with OpenStage, Firehouse and Adams Mystery Playhouse,Straight Talk with Platte Valley Players and Theatreworks,Straight Talk with Parker Arts, Stories on Stage and Thunder River ,Staight Talk 2 with Philip Sneed: This much is uncertain,Pivoting With,Pivoting with The Black Actors Guild,Pivoting with ... Emily Van Fleet and Nathan Jones,Pivoting With ... Tammy Franklin and the Curtain Playhouse,Pivoting With Nick Sugar and the Town Hall Arts Center,Pivoting With Helen Murray and the Aurora Fox,Pivoting with Edith Weiss and Christy Montour Larson,Pivoting With Scott RC Levy and the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company,Pivoting with Todd Debrecini for Halloween,Pivoting with Ashley Campbell,Pivoting with Meghan Anderson Doyle,Pivoting with Jenna Moll Reyes,Pivoting with Erik Fellenstein,Pivoting with Ray Bailey ,Pivoting with Tara Falk,Community News,Inside the Arvada Center,Director's Notes: A Midsummer Night's Dream,All About Printmaking Techniques,Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Collin Parson ,Arvada Center Makes Masks,Christina Noel-Adcock,"Bright Star" cast unveils video as message of hope,Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Christine Moore,Humans of the Arvada Center: Steven Cogswell,Humans of the Arvada Center: Ashi K. Smythe,City of Arvada to install new sculpture in Hoskinson Park,Humans of the Arvada Center Jessie Page,Here are the 2019-20 Henry Award nominations,Arvada Center to Offer Students World’s First Zoom Musical,Humans of the Arvada Center Cal Meakins,Humans of the Arvada Center: Adam Stolte,Supreme Court workplace ruling hits home for Lisa Leafgreen,'Time for talk is over': Arvada Center launch 'Amplify' series to raise black male voices,Humans of the Arvada Center Jon Olson ,New Arvada Center, Aurora Fox seasons reflect current complexities,It's virtually impossible not to have fun in our summer camps,News roundup: Who The Denver Actor's Fund DEAR Fund has helped,Humans of the Arvada Center: Abygail Rosales,Pink Progression Collaborations: Jina Brenneman and Margaret Kasahara,Pink Progression: Julia Rymer and Drew Austin,Revealing The Dialogue,Amplify Epiode 3 launches, series expanding to include black women,Photo Blog: Sweeney Todd Rehearsals,Humans of the Arvada Center: Gabriel Morales,Pink Progression: Sangeeta Reddy and Jodie Roth Cooper,Front Porch Series Kickoff,Cleo Parker Robinson dances back in the box with Arvada Center,Amplify turns the mic over to local Black women ,Beth Malone bringing 'joy bomb' to Arvada Center oon September 4,Theatre news: Live streaming panel Monday on a big new 'Idea',Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Emily King,Amplify Women Episode 2,Special Book Honors Special Dance Teacher,Arvada Center pivots to radio-play series for fall ,amplify-series-comes-to-powerful-conclusion,How COVID is impacting individual artists,Take a stroll through 'Sculpture in the Field',Arts In Education Week,Colorado Theatre News: Miscast pivots to CAST ,Essay: Was the Aurora Fox a safe house on Opening Night? ,Lessons from a summer of outdoor theatre in the time of COVID ,Humans of the Arvada Center: John Hamilton,Theatre news of the week: DCPA launches Recovery Fund,Zachary Andrews take a one-man bite out of 'Dracula',Spotlight Manos Soap,Doreen Montalvo in Denver: Compassion and grit,What to do: Theatre happenings for October 23,Betty Hart's presidential promise: Build a bigger tent,Theatre happenings October 30,Virtual theatre sprouts a new branch with Arvada Center's 'The Family Tree',Humans of the Arvada Center: Brenna Clendaniel and Sophia Koop,Theatre happenings November 12,the barnstormers are back,On being Black in Denver and all the colors that it brings,Getting to Know: Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales,Theatre happenings November 19: Companies entering cancellation mode,2021 in live theatre: A look into the Crystal Ball,2020 True West Awards: Buntpivot ,2020 True West Awards: Lily Bradford,2020 True West Awards: The Scenesters,2020 True West Awards: Podcastic,2020 True West Awards: Phamaly takes 'Honk' to Japan,2020 True West Awards: Christine Moore,2020 True West Awards: Alive Inside,2020 True West Awards: Michael Ensminger,True West Awards: They Wrote the Book,True West Awards: Rent-A-Pals,True West Awards: Of Spacious Skies,True West Awards: Christopher Page-Sanders,2020 True West Awards: Suffer the little children,2020 True West Awards: Spirit of Giving,2020 True West Awards: Secret Gardeners,2020 True West Awards: Denis Berkfeldt,2020 True West Awards: Amplify,2020 True West Awards: Reclaiming One Star,2020 True West Awards: William Hahn and Jessica Robblee,2020 True West Awards: Lisa Wagner Erickson,'The Family Tree affords actors rare chance to work during pandemic,SCFD: New picture of COVID carnage on metro nonprofits,New Arvada Center video offers diverse slate of holiday stories,20 for 20,Meet the Frasers,Bev Newcomb-Madden: Colorado's feisty, ferocious fairy godmother passes away ,Lucy Roucis' final act is a gutpunch,Reunite the Arts Collin Parson,Jodie Steeves and Nancy Terry,Reunite the Arts Lisa Leafgreen,Remembering John Gratkins,Reunite the Arts: From our CEO,Adapting the Great Gatsby,Small Mouth Sounds returns,Danielle Johnson Q&A,Reunite the Arts Lynne Collins,The Show Must Go On,Diana and Mike Kinsey,Get to Know Kazu Oba,Meet Suzanna Champion,The Gear of Million Dollar Quartet,FRYS and the Symphony,Get to Know Carlou D,Stories From the Studio,Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Lares Feliciano,21 for 21,An interview with Geoffrey Kent: The Liar,Art of the State 2022 Awards,An interview with Jada Suzanne Dixon: Stick Fly,An interview with Jessica Robblee: Animal Farm,Fast Facts About Kinky Boots,Costume Department Boots Up,Rod A Lansberry Announces Retirement from Arvada Center,Lynne Collins Named Artistic Director of Arvada Center Theatre,Getting to Know José González,2022 Henry Award Nominations,Getting to Know Joan Osborne and Madeleine Peyroux,Sit Under the Stars at the Front Porch Series ,The Many Sounds of Carlou D,The Tunes of the Daniella Katzir Band,Setting the mood: Into the Woods Set Designer Brian Mallgrave,Into the Woods Directors Note,The River Bride Director's Note,What is Magical Realism?,Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Ana María Hernando,The CJRO Sessions featuring Robert Johnson,Meet Ceramics Artist Luanne Burke,From student to teacher: Hadley’s story,Tackling the Beast,Be Like Belle on Colorado Gives Day,Things to Know About Our Town,Creating the Look of Our Town: A Q and A with Set Designer Brian Mallgrave,Whatever Lola Wants - A Deep Dive into the Damn Yankees Signature Song,Selling Your Soul - A Pop Culture Favorite,The Book Club Play Reads,Metatheatre Elements in Our Town - When a Play Knows It's a Play,90s Throwback Vibe with Arvada Center 2023 Summer Concert Series,Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra at the Arvada Center,Arts Advocacy,Volunteer,About Us,Ticketing Policies,Group Tickets,Ticket Discounts,Contact Us,Accessibility,Health and Safety,Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access,Careers,Know Before You Go,Tours,Adopt an Actor 2023,Adopt An Artwork,Temp,Virtual Theatre FAQ,New Website ,Pink Progression Events,On Demand Troubleshooting,Blog,Lorem ipsum,Lorem ipsum 2,Newk’s,Steuben’s Arvada,The Family Tree FAQ,Home for the Holidays,Land Acknowledgement,What To Expect at the Theatre,One Sheet Music,Gift Certificates,Gala,Gala Sponsors,Errors,404,The Family Tree Dining Offers,Privacy Policy,Our Town Synopsis,Concessions