[/media-credit]Scene from Broadway's "The Book of Mormon."
The good news: Denver is the launch pad for next month’s “The Book of Mormon” national tour. The lousy news: the Ellie Caulkins Opera House shows have been sold out for months.
But thanks to Boulder denizen and theater-lover Brad Farkas, a new theater company dedicated to new work has a hip way of raising funds — and its profile.
Local Theater Company is auctioning 12 tickets to the Tony Award-gobbling musical on eBay. The auction ends Friday.
“Fundraising is always a challenge, but particularly with new plays,” Pesha Rudnick, the company’s artistic director, said in an email. “Farkas’ generosity is a real vote of confidence for LOCAL.”
The nascent company’s first production will be “Elijah: An Adventure” (Sept 19 – Oct. 7), one of three plays it workshopped at Chautauqua in March as part of its Local Lab New Play Festival. Rudnick will direct Michael Mitnick’s play at Boulder’s Dairy Center for the Arts.
An additional bit of fine timing comes by way of the casting of Benjamin Bonenfant as title character. At the recent Henry Awards ceremony, Bonenfant won outstanding supporting actor honors for his turn in “Red.”
“Elijah” was cast entirely with local actors, but it’s nice to have an up-and-comer in the mix. “Ben was our first choice to play Elijah, we’re thrilled that he’s accepted the role,” Rudnick said. “Ben has that unique combination of intelligence, introspection and courage as an actor. We’re very proud that he’s at the helm of this amazing ensemble.”