Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an open house gala and cabaret at their building on Saturday, June 25. The event will feature food trucks, including Mama’s Pierogi, and a bar for adult attendees courtesy of Marble Distilling.
The action will take place outdoors on the lot surrounding the theater, with a stage set up for some of the Valley’s top performers, like Consensual Improv, Nina Gabianelli, Nikki Boxer, Mike Monroney and other cabaret singers known to TRTC. The event will conclude with a performance by local children with the Stage of Life Theatre Company. To top it all off, those in attendance can expect to hear some special announcements about the theater’s direction.
Ticket prices, ($50 if purchased in advance, $60 at the door) include dinner and a show. Executive Director Sean Jeffries sat down with The Sopris Sun to discuss the beloved nonprofit’s rebranding efforts.
Without divulging too many details, Jeffries said they’ve got a new logo to encapsulate the organization’s continued evolution. The new logo, he shared, is meant to be a symbol for a new and exciting creative edge the community staple will pursue.
“We have, in recent years, been ramping up in quality — left, right and center. We started to feel like the logo needed a refresh, and an overall new look,” he said.
Over the past six years, TRTC has been nominated approximately 30 times by the Colorado Theatre Guild and has won eight awards. The nonprofit felt that a new logo was necessary to help tell their story, pushing the creative envelope with their space since 1995 — when the original logo was created.
Jeffries continued, “I am definitely looking forward to seeing how we can grow with this community, and that is another fun reason for doing the gala at the theater itself, because it is a lot more personal and a lot less industrial. We want people to be in the place they are supporting, that ‘welcome to your theater’ sort of feeling.”
TRTC board member Laurie Bernhard expressed excitement and hopefulness for the nonprofit to continue deepening its connections with the community.
“We are moving into a really exciting new time where we are expanding our involvement with the community as a whole,” she said. “We are so looking forward to what is happening around the space and we are hoping it’ll become what we have always hoped for it to be.”
Bernhard also provided a small teaser as to some of the announcements attendees can expect. She spoke of new opportunities for writers, as well as actors and stage hands looking for opportunities for involvement. Unfortunately, The Sopris Sun was sworn to silence regarding those details. On Saturday, June 25, all will be revealed.
This 25-year anniversary and fundraising event was intended to take place in the summer of 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeffries said he hopes the event has a “carnival” feeling of festiveness.
Masks are optional and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test is required upon entry. For more information on this and upcoming TRTC events, visit www.thunderrivertheatre.com