^{Photos from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sin Street Social Club, Sense and Sensibility and The Diary of Anne Frank by Amanda Tipton and Matt Gale.}

For many years, we have made attendance at live theatre performances part of our lives, and we love supporting this art form.  It’s become part of the fabric of our lives and something we enjoy with our friends year-round, until the pandemic changed everything we took for granted.

The last 14 months have been challenging, but we are so pleased to see that the Arvada Center has reopened its doors with the play Small Mouth Sounds. More importantly, we are excited to see it in the Main Stage tomorrow! We know it will be a different experience with limited capacity and distanced seating, but it’s still an experience that we have been craving for many months.

^{The cast of Small Mouth Sounds (2021) by Leslie Simon}

Theatre has always been important to us for three reasons. We believe that theatre helps us see different perspectives and hear diverse voices. Theatre promotes social discourse, dialogue and potentially, social change. As a cultural phenomenon, theatre demands that society examines itself in the mirror. Through theatre, we can look at societal problems and attempt to find solutions.

Secondly, theatre reminds us that we are not alone because it is live and requires participation and human connection. As audience members, we share a unique experience with each other and with the actors on stage that happens only once. Yes, there is a script and multiple performances, but it changes every night so the experience is always different. No two performances are ever the same and can never be replicated.

^{Jessica Robblee and Abner Genece in The Electric Baby (2018) by Matt Gale}

Finally, and most importantly, theatre promotes education and literacy. As retired educators, we believe this alone is enough reason to support live theatre. Studies have shown that students who participate in theatre, either on stage or in the audience, do better in school. Theatre has a magical way of sparking curiosity and firing up our brains in new ways.

^{Darrow Klein in The Diary of Anne Frank (2019) by Matt Gale}

It’s been such a difficult year for theatres, actors, and production professionals. As we begin to emerge from this pandemic, please consider making a donation on top of your ticket purchase to help get our theatres up and running again. Colorado has always been rich in arts and culture. Let’s keep it that way.

Sincerely,

Diana and Mike Kinsey

Black Box Season Sponsors 

WATCH: Revisit some of our favorite moments from the Black Box Theatre! Every year, these productions make us laugh, cry, think and dream, and they could not happen without Diana and Mike Kinsey's support.