Why "DANGEROUS" Theatre?
Two Reasons...
First, it is a dangerous proposition to attempt to make a living producing theatre.
Second, the focus of Denver's Dangerous Theatre is to give a stage time to original or new works that might not otherwise be produced in Denver. Trying to get audiences to come see plays they have never heard of before is also a dangerous proposition.
Denver's Dangerous Theatre (DDT) is unique in many ways.
~ For starters, it is owned by one person - Winnie Wenglewick. Until this year she has been the head cheese at DDT. Starting with the 2010-11 season she has brought in Eric Mindykowski as her new Co-Artistic Director and Winter Maza as her Video Producer.
~ DDT is also a for profit business. Winnie hates dealing with a Board of Directors. She is also rather bossy and likes to make desicions herself. That way, if something fails there is no one else to blame. So we don't do fundraisers for the theatre. You will get requests to tell your friends about the theatre if you like what you see. That's a form of word of mouth marketing. Good marketing (especially that which costs the theatre nothing) is what keeps for profit businesses around.
~The plays Winnie chooses to produce are unpublished and never have been produced in Denver. Unless of course it is a play that she has produced and just can't resist doing again. Playwrights are paid 7% of the ticket sales.
~ At DDT the playwrights, actors and staff are appreciated for their talents and paid. Winnie dedicates %50 of the ticket sales to pay her playwrights, actors and staff. This is part fo the reason why you will usually see plays with a small cast at DDT. You will also notice that we do not have very many "staff". The fewer there are the more money there is to pay the cast and crew. Winnie and her directors do as much of the work as possible.
~ Where's the set? At DDT we try to make the focus of the production be on the actors telling the story. There is little emphasis on set design or costuming so the audience is required to use their imagination a little more. The same can be said for the lighting design. Not very high tech. But high tech costs money, money I'd rather pay the actors.
~ Refreshments are included in your ticket price. That's right! DDT has a fridge stocked with cold soda, a coffee pot of fresh brewed coffee, hot water and tea bags and hot cocoa mix and a selection of bagged snacks and sweets. Sometimes Winnie puts out specialty treats related to a particular production. Why does Winnie do this? Well, for starters if you are too busy thinking about how hungry or thirsty you are, you may not enjoy the play as much. But the main reason is that Winnie doesn't want to have to bother figuring out sales tax to sell a can of soda for a buck. If you would prefer to have an adult beverage while you watch the play, bring it with you. DDT has wine glasses and a cork screw available.
Why did Winnie want to open a theatre in the first place??
Winnie has been involved in theatre in one way or another since 1991. She got her start volunteering at SAK Theater Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida. She went on to wear many hats at SAK Theatre. When the owners of SAK, Terry Olson & Andy Anthony, started the Orlando International Fringe Festival she joined that artistic endeavor as well. She worked for the Orlando Fringe for 10 years, primarily managing the cash office and working with artists. It was through Fringe that she fell in love with original, alternative and small, intimate theatre. She opened her first theatre in Orlando in 1998 - Performance Space Orlando (PSO). PSO was a 970 sq. ft room that allowed local artists a space to produce whatever they wanted. Winnie, a licensed hair stylist, ran her hair salon out of the back of the theatre to help financially support the space.
She moved to Denver, CO in June 2001. Her original goal was to produce a Fringe Festival in Denver. A goal she still has. She really started to produce & direct when she moved to Denver. She rented numerous venues for different productions and came to the conclusion she really needed her own space if she was going to build any kind of following. Now she has it.
Who's Who at Dangerous Theatre...
Winnie Wenglewick
Owner ~ Producer ~ Artistic Director
Winnie is the major creative force behind Denver's Dangerous Theatre. She admits that this is primarily a selfish endeavour. After all, she gets to choose the plays she wants to see. Then she gets to work with some very creative and talented actors to get it up and running, Best of all, she does not have to spend 40 hours a week doing something she hates for a few hours on the weekend to do something she likes! She prefers not to care if productions get reviewed. Although her actors deserve to get reviewed. Winnie recently decided that she needed to get off her ass and produce The Denver Fringe Theatre Festival. She is very passionate about this project. She hopes that the event becomes one of the biggest and best attended cultural events not only in Denver but in the region. She is also a parent. Her son, Colin, you may see running around the theatre or offering pre-show entertainment. Her daughter, Maeve, may be working the door at times. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask them, either after the show is over or give her a call at 720-233-4703.
Eric Mindykowski
Co-Artistic Director
Eric proved he had a twisted, if not libidinous, view of things just like Winnie. So she asked him to come on board as a staff member.
Eric started acting when he was only 3 years old. Or was that just compulsive lying?!?! Who knows? Either way he has been a character his whole life. Throughout high school Eric worked both on stage and behind the scenes in multiple productions. He can't really tell you if acting or production work fulfills him more but he can say that he loves every minute of it. In 2008 Eric met Winnie and sparks flew..... Strictly Platonic.... I swear.... He was first cast in the Original Production of Who Killed Santa? as The Little Drummer Boy. In 2009 Winnie brought him back to reprise his fabulous character once again. In Spring of 2010 Eric was asked to Co-direct Rusty Pipe. Together he, Winnnie and a wonderful cast brought the dark comedy to life. Eric is excited to come on board in the 2010-2011 season at Dangerous Theatre as Co-Artistic director. He is very excited to start doing more production work and make the magic of theatre come to life.
Winter Maza
Video Producer/ Social Media Guru
Winter is a very talented and dedicated actor, who also has a passion for film. He has been offering to do video work for the theatre since he walked in the door over 3 years ago. Since Winnie knows nothing about film, other than nothing even seems to exist unless it is posted on Youtube, Winter is taking over in that arena.
Seven Grey
Webmaster Extraordinare & Graphic Artist
Winnie loves what Seven does for Dangerous Theatre so much she considers him a staff member! Not only did he design the theatre logo, but he does all the print promotional design work as well. I am so thrilled to have this website that I, myself, can easily edit anytime I want. Totally awesome!! On top of all that he is a consumate professional, and a darn nice guy. OK, I'm done gushing about him. Here is what he wants to share...
Founded in 1991, Seven Grey Media first specialized in print media with design of brochures, catalogs, logos, business cards and more. In about 1993 the internet and world wide web began to become popular with the business world and existing clients started asking for websites. As a result, Seven Grey Media expanded its services to include website design and animation for web. In 2007 the company relocated to Lakewood, CO (just west of Denver) where it resides today.