About Us
* History *
Looking Back - Passing the Hat in 1974
Visitors to Breckenridge in the mid-70s had the chance to loudly boo and hiss our performances, as our main fare in those days was Melodrama: black-caped villains and white-hatted heroes; wicked saloon gals and innocent young beauties. Enjoying unexpected success in performing in a series of bars and restaurants around town, Allyn Mosher, Shirley Martin, and Dan Miner incorporated the Backstage Theatre in 1976, and built its first permanent, 74-seat theatre. Live theatre had come to the mountains to stay.
Looking Back - The Sterling Years 1976-1980
Our space in the Sterling Building, at the corner
of Ski Hill Road and Main Street, had a home-made light board and a stage with 'barely enough
room to fit a Volkswagen', according to John Ashton of Rocky Mountain News, who warmly
reviewed our production of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap". Nevertheless, we produced a
year-round schedule of musicals, mysteries, and melodramas. Seeking to increase donated
support, in 1976 the Backstage initiated the fundraising auction in Summit County. For 8
years, the annual Labor Day auction brought in a substantial portion of the Theatre's
operating funds.
In 1977, we added a chamber music series conducted by Dr. Kenneth Evans, who later founded
the Breckenridge Music Institute, and on Sunday nights we offered a classic film series.
In 1979, Joyce Mosher began a ten-year series of innovative children's theatre shows and
workshops, which were awarded grants from the Colorado Council on the Arts and Humanities
for 5 consecutive years.
From the beginning, the Backstage was envisioned as an artists' collective, with the actors
and crew equally sharing a quarter of the box office receipts - the remainder going to
meeting the costs of the production and the overhead of the theatre. As Denver theatre
critic Alan Stern put it, "Community Theatre has rarely had it so good."
Looking Back - The Golden Decades 1980-2000
In 1980, Nick Marsch offered the Theatre space in
his new Village at Breckenridge development. Grants from the Gates, El Pomar, and the Coors
foundations, along with donations of money and services from hundreds of patrons, turned
architect Jon Gunson's drawing into the comfortable and functional performance home that we
enjoyed for twenty-one years.
Throughout the 1980s, the quality and professionalism of the theatre grew. The Denver Post
ranked our 1983 production of A.R. Gurney's "The Dining Room" one of the 10 best productions
in the Rocky Mountain region for that year, and praised the solo performances of Michael
Wilson in the 1987 production of "Give 'em Hell, Harry", and Carol Tuchschmidt in "The Belle
of Amherst".
In 1990, after 15 years as artistic directors, as well as principal director, costume
designer, and set designers for nearly 30 productions, Joyce and Allyn Mosher invited Wendy
and Bob Moore to assume the direction of the Backstage. During the Moores' nine-year tenure,
the Backstage undertook and increased schedule in the number of productions and the number
of performances. At the same time, Craig Sodaro renewed and expanded the Children's Theatre
Program, building it into a popular training ground for Summit County's aspiring young
actors.
In 1991, the Backstage entered its first production in the annual competition held by the
Colorado Community Theatre Coalition. Since then, the Backstage has sent a show every year,
consistently winning high honors.
In 1995, Wendy Moore created the Theatre's most successful outreach program, Backstage at
the Riverwalk. This annual large cast musical draws a new audience and creates fresh
enthusiasm for theatre in Summit County.
Looking Back - On the Move 2001-2002
Our 28th season was a mobile one - performing from Copper to Keystone, Dillon to Breckenridge -
our casts and crews bravely took on the challenge of making theatre in any venue that would have
us - and many did. Without the generosity of our hosts, we would have been silenced. A hearty
round of applause to our hosts: Hunt-Placer Inn, Lake Dillon Theatre Company, Colorado Mountain
College-The Speakeasy Theatre, Copper Mountain Resort, Town of Breckenridge-Town Hall, Father
Dyer United Methodist Church, Town of Breckenridge-Recreation Center, Stage Door Cafe,
Starbucks-Dillon, Breckenridge Mountain Lodge, Breckenridge Cattle and Fish Company, Ristorante
Ti Amo, Keystone Neighbourhood Co.-Quaking Aspen Amphitheatre and the Park Lane Pavilion, Sherpa
& Yeti's and the Summit County Arts Council-The Riverwalk Center.
With an enormous amount of help from the Town of Breckenridge and architect Matt Stais, we
opened the new Breckenridge Theatre at 121 South Ridge Street on December 21, 2002, with our
production of Coleen Hubbard's "Motherload". The playwright was in attendance and the show ran
smoothly, inaugurating what we hope to be a long run in this charming new facility.
Looking Back - A Backstage for the Backstage 2004
Our new dressing rooms addition was completed in the fall of 2004. The Backstage Theatre
would like to thank all those involved in helping make our dream into a reality, including:
Matt Stais Architects, Tony Harris Construction; Steve Little/Alpha Omega Electric; Jennifer
Cram, Town of Breckenridge Planning Department; Town of Breckenridge Planning Commission;
then-Mayor Sam Mamula; now-Mayor Ernie Blake; Breckenridge Town Council; the actors and
technicians who went without pay, and all those who gave of their time, money and resources.
THANK YOU!
Looking Ahead - The Tradition Continues
As we move into the 21st Century, the future looks bright for Backstage Theatre.
Our Children's Theatre program (which premiered in 2006 with "Hyronomous A. Frog: The Frog Prince"
and followed that up with an exciting new adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit") has proved
to be a huge success and will expand its seasonal offerings.
The New Voices Series has been established to introduce new writing, directing, and acting talent
to the American theatre stage.
Longer runs of hit shows, more varied programming, and new and innovative works are all in the offering.
Most importantly, our audiences continue to grow as they discover the level of quality found in each
of our productions. Our valued friends - businesses, donors, sponsors, advertisers, casts, crews and
volunteers - continue to contribute to Backstage Theatre in invaluable ways.
