Denver's Curious Theatre Company has announced plans to sell its historic building near the Denver Art Museum after 26 years.
The bold decision comes as the company aims to ensure its long-term financial sustainability amidst the ongoing challenges facing regional theaters post-pandemic. In March, Curious launched a public emergency fundraising campaign to raise $250,000 by July, stating it could face existential consequences.
CPR News spoke with Artistic Director Jada Suzanne Dixon and Managing Director Jeannene Bragg, who both framed the move as an "exciting, thrilling opportunity" to reimagine the company’s future.
"We made a really hard and right decision… to sell our building," said Dixon. “It's about excitement, not at all uncertainty. And it is not the demise of Curious Theatre. It means allowing us to ensure our sustainability and longevity into the future."
Curious’ home is in a converted church at 1080 Acoma Street. The building was originally constructed in 1895 to serve the Swedish Evangelical Free Church. Curious took up residence in 1998 and bought the property in 2008 for $800,000.
But, like many historic buildings, the theater demands costly maintenance and recently required unexpected repairs.
The company, which tends to focus on political issues, social commentary, and hard-to-discuss topics, such as race, gender, and religion, emphasized in a statement that the decision to sell comes as COVID-19 continues to have lingering impacts on the arts sector and the audiences it relies on.
"The pandemic and the after-effects of the pandemic have challenged us to reflect and assess," the statement says.
Other regional theaters like Lakewood's Benchmark Theatre have taken similar measures recently, transitioning to an itinerant model after leaving their leased space.
While "nobody has it completely figured out," Dixon acknowledges the shared challenges theater companies are facing provide "comfort in knowing, both locally and nationally, that we aren't the only entity that is feeling that."
"Now we have an opportunity to talk to other people, get their thoughts, be partners with others, and maybe model an innovative solution for the future," she said.
Curious’ board and leadership are hoping for options like a sale with a leaseback agreement in the current building, selling to supportive investors for a redeveloped on-site structure, or using proceeds from the sale to relocate to a new Denver space. The company plans to remain in its current building for the upcoming 27th season, already supported by its "Fund the Future" campaign.
The announcement drew mixed reactions online, with some lamenting the building's significance and an "end of an era," while others celebrated it as a forward-thinking move.
"People love this building and people love this theater company," said Bragg. "And one of the things Jada and I and our board have talked about is… while our building has been an amazing asset for us, we are much more than a building."
Dixon added, "Yes, there's magic embedded in the walls of this old building. Our ethos sort of reverberates off the walls, but Curious and how we show up in community and what we bring to the Denver metro area is an integral component to this theater ecosystem. And it is beyond this building."
Both emphasized their excitement for Curious' next evolution.
"This is the next step in our evolution, but we are not going away," said Bragg. "The whole leadership team here is firmly committed to Curious' future, and we've always been known for taking risks."
"It is a time for us in taking a daring step forward...it is also a time to truly reimagine this theater company for and in the times we find ourselves in," Dixon stated. "We're not deluded. We know it's going to be a bumpy ride, but we are fully strapped in for that ride because we believe so wholeheartedly in Curious Theatre company, its future and all of the possibilities that are awaiting us."
