Colorado In-Person Shows Set for 2021-2022

By Steve Graham

In early March, Wonderbound was planning a new world premiere dance production, while most ballet companies were still shuttered.

“We were one of only five companies in the country doing live performances for live human beings,” said Dawn Fay, president of the Denver contemporary ballet company. “… We are very, very proud that we have been able to continue getting paid and getting our artists paid.”

Wonderbound has not only survived the pandemic, but opened a new performance space. After years of shows at various theaters around the metro area, Wonderbound has a permanent space, where it is currently staging its final show of the 2020-2021 season. “The Garden” is sold out, but season tickets are on sale now for the 2021-2022 Wonderbound season.

The season includes a broad variety of formats and genres, with recorded music. Due to COVID restrictions, Wonderbound cannot currently continue its tradition of using live local musicians to provide the soundtrack for the ballets.

The season opens with the one-act “Penny’s Dreadful.” Just in time for Halloween, it’s a vampire story based on Victorian-era gothic novels that used to be produced and sold for a penny per chapter.

“It’s just going to be really fun,” Fay said.

After the return of a popular winter discotheque cabaret, Wonderbound will debut a new full-length two-act work inspired by classic romance novels. One act will be written and directed by Artistic Director Garrett Ammon. Associate choreographer Sarah Tallman will craft the other act, and she plans to use classic 1980s music by Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and other artists.

The final show next April and May will be a contemporary spy story. Wonderbound will stage all four shows at their new theater at 3824 Dahlia St.

Fay said rushing to open the new space last year was “quite the whirlwind.” But it was worth the effort for the stability of a single performance space.

“In a world of great uncertainty, to have a certain home is a huge relief,” she said. “It’s such the perfect space for us.”

While audiences are still very small due to COVID restrictions, the new permanent space has kept the company financially viable, and has allowed for more creativity and experimentation.

“It’s provided a lot more freedom and a lot more artistic possibility, and that’s been exciting,” Fay said.

The Dance Archive at the University of Denver also recently named Fay a “Legend of Dance” honoree. They will recognize her at an awards show this fall.

“At Wonderbound, she is the exceptional operations leader, fundraising champion, the architect of community programming and the collaborator in creations with artistic director Garrett Ammon,” said Wonderbound board chair Julie Wolf.

Fay said she is proud of her globe-spanning 22-year career in dance before she started running a dance company.

“To be able to stay with something you have done since you were 3 years old after your, quote, career was over, I feel so lucky to be in that position,” she said.

She said the pandemic has been very difficult for dancers, and a National Endowment for the Arts report in late 2020 said 77 percent of dancers were out of work.

“I hope to inspire new dancers to stay the course,” Fay said.

Wonderbound’s 2021-2022 season at a glance

Oct. 14 to 31
Penny’s Dreadful is a new creation by artistic director Garrett Ammon about a female vampire, inspired by the “Penny Dreadful” serial novels of the Victorian era.

Dec. 2 to 19
Winterland: A Discoteque Cabaret is a theatrical revue that premiered last year but had a long waitlist for limited tickets and a short run.

Feb. 2 to 20

Romance, Revenge, Redemption is a world premiere and a full two-act a classic romance production. “Think ‘Wuthering Heights’ meets ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ with an ultra-modern bent.”

April 20 to May 8
Oh Me, Oh My! Is a light-hearted spy story. “It’s all cloak-and-dagger as our heroine, a master of espionage and disguise, chases bad guys (and a little tail) for love of country and cheeky fun.”