It started with a question.
“How come there are no Asian-American theaters in Denver?”
That’s what Maria Cheng asked her friend Tria Xiong in the spring of 2012 while the two were acting in a production of “The Joy Luck Club” at the Vintage Theatre in Aurora.
Nearly three years later, the duo’s Asian-American theater company, Theatre Esprit Asia, has over a half-dozen shows under its belt, nearly a dozen awards, a three-member board of artistic directors and soon, something that often eludes even established entities within the performance
industry.
A permanent home.
“This is a huge boon to us, and puts a whole new complexion on our second, three-year plan,” said Cheng, now executive director of TEA. “I think it’s another step toward the sound governance, stability and legitimacy of our company.”
This spring, TEA is slated to move into a 240-square-foot office space in the bustling ACAD building at 1400 Dallas Street in north Aurora, as well as temporarily convert the gallery into a 48-seat performance space.
“We’re much, much, much smaller than The Vintage or The Fox, so in the ACAD building 48 seats is perfect for us,” Cheng said.
Over the past three years, TEA has bounced around several performance spaces in the metro area, including small ACAD venues like the Aurora Fox Arts Center and The Vintage Theatre studio spaces. Cheng said that now having a permanent, central location is a huge asset to the company, which is currently headquartered in a board member’s basement.
TEA will rent the Dallas Street space from ACAD for $240 a month, which is in line with the district’s rate of charging tenants $1 per square foot. On Jan. 20, the city approved a $2,880 Colfax Economic Enrichment Program grant for the company to cover the first year’s rent.
“It’s amazing, of course that’s an incredibly discounted rate, and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” Cheng said.
Cheng trumpeted the new space’s proximity to other area theaters like The Aurora Fox, The Vintage, and what will be a new performance space the city recently purchased at 9995 E. Colfax Ave., which will be operated by Kim
Robards.
“We’re excited about having another little theater, because we’ll bring in more traffic and business, especially being just one block from The Vintage and two-and-a-half from The Fox,” she said.
She added that the venue will provide a permanent home for a segment of theater enthusiasts that is vastly underserved. TEA is the Mountain West’s first and only theater company catered specifically to Asian-American show runners and theatergoers. The company has a three-pronged mission to provide work for Asian-American theater artists in Colorado, tell contemporary stories that originate or are inspired by the traditions of Asia, and create a better understanding and communication between Asian communities as well as among the Asian and majority communities, according to Cheng.
“It’s absolutely fitting that we should be in Aurora, too,” she said. “Aurora is the best place for us because more than any other community in Colorado, Aurora has the highest Asian population.”
According to the 2010 Census, more than 10 percent of Colorado’s 139,000 self-identifying Asian residents live in Aurora, with the highest national segment being the Korean population.
As of now, Cheng’s tentative plan is to move into the new ACAD office by April 1, and have the space outfitted and ready to host the company’s second production of the year by opening night on May 8. TEA plans to showcase three seasons a year through 2016, with shows typically running between three and five weeks.
But before any performing can take place, TEA’ artistic directors need to sit down with ACAD board members and city officials from Aurora’s Planning and Development Services Department to flesh out electrical amperage and ensure the space is properly coded to serve as a temporary theater. Andrea Amonick, who manages the development services division, said she believes the company will be able to move into the Dallas Street building without hitting any snags.
“The question isn’t whether or not to convert it, it’s can we flex it to make it work,” she said. “We believe the building has the capacity, and we’re looking to see if we need to make any physical adjustments to the space, but I feel fairly confident that we won’t need to do that at first.”
Cheng and the TEA board are currently in the process of fundraising to professionally and permanently outfit their potential new performance spot with the necessary scrim, lighting and sound equipment, the total cost of which will top $6,000. TEA aims to be able to buy the equipment instead of renting it in order to make the space more financially sustainable for a longer period of time.
Cheng has been in talks with Amonick to see if the city might have the capacity to cover a portion of the necessary equipment cost.
“It hasn’t been determined who should purchase the equipment yet, but we are in the process of examining that,” Amonick said.
Tracy Weil, executive director of the ACAD, has expressed interest in covering the cost of the soundboard, something the building has long-needed.
“They (TEA) do need a little more fundraising to kind of retrofit the space as needed,” he said. “But we have been thinking about getting a sound system for the whole space because we’re holding benefits and parties and it’s definitely something we could use long term.”
Weil pointed out that TEA is just the latest in a string of entities to move into the former police dispatch station on Dallas St, which is nearing full capacity for the first time since the city took over control of the property in late 2013, with 13 of 14 available studios currently rented.
“We’re doing really well,” he said. “And I think it was really important to our board to be able to make sure the space remains flexible, so we can do a performance with TEA, take out the set and it’s a gallery again – that flexibility is super important.”
Weil touted TEA’s successes and added that their desire to outfit Dallas St. with a theater enhances that much-desired flexibility.
“We’re really excited, because they’re a great group and Maria is super energetic and passionate, which is exactly what we need,” he said. “We thought that a performance space was a cool idea, because we’ve done similar things with poetry slams and small musical performances, but we’re excited to take it up a notch.”
Amonick said that adding yet another theater to the ACAD will add to the destination arts experience the city has long been trying to create within the district.
“It gives us more options,” she said. “The whole goal of the district is to encourage destination.”
The city took control of the Dallas St. building in Dec. 2013 following the former owner’s, Other Side Studios, inability to pay rent and repay the loans they took out in order to purchase the building in 2003, according to Amonick. Currently, the city rents the building to the ACAD for $10 a year.