Elitch Theatre

The Historic Elitch Theatre is a summer stock theatre located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was Denver's first professional theatre, serving as the home to America's first and oldest summer-stock theatre company from 1893 until the 1960s. The first films in the western US were shown there in 1896. Cecil B. DeMille sent yearly telegrams wishing the theatre another successful season, calling it "one of the cradles of American drama." History John Elitch and Mary Elitch Long first opened Elitch Gardens on May 1, 1890, with animals, bands, flowers, and an open-air theatre where Denver Mayor Wolfe Londoner spoke. Inspired by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the first shows were vaudeville acts by accomplished local and national performers. In 1891, the theatre was enclosed and rebuilt for $100,000. The Boston Opera Company performed musicals and light opera, starting with The Pirates of Penzance. In 1893, the first summer stock theatre company, the Norcross Company, was organized in the East and brought to the gardens. Vaudeville shows continued until 1900. In 1896, Edison's Vitascope was exhibited at the theatre showing the first film in Colorado. The Elitch Gardens Stock Theatre Company began performing in 1897 under the management of Mary Elitch Long. Its first season in 1897 opened with leading man James O'Neill, who had promised John that he would act in the new theatre when it was ready. The first show performed there was Helene. The company became known for putting on ten plays in a ten-week summer season and attracting internationally known stars of the theatre and screen. Sarah Bernhardt came to Denver in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake destroyed the California Theatre where she was scheduled to perform. At Elitch's, she played Camille at the matinée and LaSorcier at night. Douglas Fairbanks was hired into the same company. Prior to that, in 1905, he was hired to sweep the stage for theatre tickets. Operating the park became too costly for Mary Elitch. With the purchase of Elitch Gardens by John Mulvihill in 1916, she relinquished control of the Gardens and theatre. Two theatre boxes remained reserved for her and her friends. Mulvihill oversaw the theatre until his death in 1930 and was succeeded by his son-in-law Arnold Gurtler. In 1953, the Elitch Theatre was used to film scenes for The Glenn Miller Story. The Elitch Garden Theatre Company became its own incorporated business, separate from the Elitch Gardens Park, renting the theatre in 1963. The company stopped operating as a traditional resident summer-stock, switching to single, star-packaged shows from New York. The company had many successful years, but as time and culture changed, the theatre building was neglected. The park's Trocadero Ballroom was bulldozed in 1975. Fearing a similar fate, the community added the theatre to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Elitch Theatre Company's last season was in 1987. The park booked the "Incredible Acrobats of China" for a season, then one night musical acts before it was officially closed in 1991. The Robber Bridegroom was performed with Patrick Cassidy for the theatre's centennial anniversary. Actor Raymond Burr raised $2 million for an educational program at the theatre. The money was instead donated to the local Cole Middle School. The Elitch Gardens amusement park moved to the current central Platte Valley location in 1994. The new $94 million park was opened in 1995, with attendance reaching one million. Two fires in 1995 on the old Gardens property near the theatre caused public outcry for additional security. The original Elitch property was sold to Perry Rose LLC in 1996 with the conditions that the theatre and carousel shell never be demolished. In 2011, Barbara Medill, a friend of Mary Elitch Long, donated some of Long's possessions to the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation, including an engraved silver table setting. Around the same time, the hand-painted decorative historic "Ann Hathaway" (sp) curtain, (oil on canvas: 1894), was removed from its original wooden bats and stored for construction work. After years of neglect and severe water damage, the curtain was rolled and stored in a backstage room at the theatre. (The curtain had Anne Hathaway's name spelled as "Ann".) After a massive volunteer cleanup, the interior was opened for Doors Open Denver in April 2012. Musicians and Shakespearean performers were the first acts on stage in the 22 years since the building closed. In 2016, representatives from Curtains Without Borders, a non-profit organization promoting proper storage etiquette of antiquated theatre curtains and drapes, gave a lecture at the Elitch Theatre about theatre grand drapes and curtains. They were asked to review the Elitch Theatre's "Ann Hathaway" grand drape and consult on its restoration. The drape was removed from storage and unrolled by CWB representatives and theatre volunteers who discovered improper storage. The drape was illegible, and the paint dissolved into dust as the curtain was unrolled. The curtain was displayed on the backstage theatre floor for lecture attendees to view. Those who regarded it as a piece of Colorado history were devastated that it had been destroyed by time and neglect. In 2018, the outdoor films and summer children's programming at the theater were cancelled due to $800,000 in damages caused by wind and a hail storm. Restoration The theatre closed in 1991 and sat empty for the next 11 years.A nonprofit organization, the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation, was formed in 2002 to raise funds, maintain, preserve, and restore the theatre and carousel pavilion. In 2006, the Foundation received $5 million in federal, state, and city funding, plus grants and private donations, and work began on Phase 1 to save and restore the historic exterior. The groundbreaking for the renovation of the theatre began with restoring the building's exterior, including a concrete foundation under the exterior walls. The roof, gable, main entrance/lobby, and exterior walls were replaced and painted. A section of dressing rooms and shops on the West side of the building was demolished. Exterior restoration on the historic auditorium was completed in 2007. Phase 2 of the restoration (2013-2014) included various health and safety upgrades, including restoring electricity and lighting throughout the building and the addition of a fire suppression system. This upgrade allowed the theatre to implement temporary occupancy and begin tours and limited events. With the completion of Phase 3 (2020-2021), restrooms were added, a new roof was installed, and various other upgrades were made, allowing for the theatre to implement permanent occupancy. In summer 2022, the Foundation offered select free outdoor movie showings. In summer 2023, the interior had been sufficiently restored for a series of indoor movies and tours. By late 2023, the Foundation had high hopes for its Phase 4 progress, expecting to offer live shows in summer 2024, albeit without full lighting, rigging, and sound. Opening the 400 balcony seats is part of Phase 5. Fundraising continues for interior renovations, including the need for theatre rigging, lighting, and sound. The plan is to reopen as a multimedia performing arts complex for the community, offering education, film, live music, and theatre. Stars who appeared at The Elitch Theatre *** Brandon deWilde died in a motor vehicle accident in Lakewood, Colorado, days after his final performance at the theatre. Gallery References External links Historic Elitch Garden Theatre Foundation Elitch Theater - History Colorado Elitch Gardens Official Site A Word on the Elitch Theatre featurette Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre 2010 Video Elitch's Comeback Performance, 2012 story on Colorado Public Radio Curtains Without Boarders