It took the close brush of a tragedy to redefine the word “community” for an entire theater troupe.

The cast of the Ignite Theatre company’s production of “Spring Awakening” had moved into a new rehearsal space in July, an empty storefront in a shopping center mere blocks from the Century Aurora 16 theater. If rehearsals hadn’t been canceled on July 20, many of the actors would likely have headed to the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” after their dry run of the show.

They would have been in the auditorium when the shots rang out, when an attacker snuffed out 12 lives and injured dozens more.

“If they had not canceled rehearsal, my ‘Spring Awakening’ cast would have been there,” said Keith Rabin, artistic director and co-founder of the Lucent Performing Arts Group, which includes the Ignite Theatre branch. “That just made us all want to do something. We became so much more invested in each other, in the show. Ignite is so much more invested in the city of Aurora now for that reason.”

It’s been five years since Rabin first had the idea to start a new theater company. It’s been four years since the troupe started producing shows at the Aurora Fox theater, and a little less than two years since the company reorganized and changed its name from Gravity Defied to Ignite Theatre. In that time, Rabin and his collaborators have tackled ambitious productions, stagings of big-budget and risqué Broadway shows like “Bare: The Musical,” “Pippin” and “The Wild Party.”

As the company preps to launch its version of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Next to Normal” on Dec. 21, Rabin said he’s learned about management and leadership during his five years on the job. More importantly, he said, the company has worked to keep up a theme, a focus on hope and perseverance that runs through every show.

“Ignite Theatre and Lucent Performing Arts have a basic theme of things that involve light,” Rabin said. “There are going to be times when it’s really dark, but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel … That’s definitely what Ignite Theatre stands for.”

That message may be hard to find in “Next to Normal,” Rabin admits. The show, written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey and directed by Rabin, is an up-close-and-personal look at mental illness, a drama that tracks bipolar disorder in an unflinching and honest way. But Rabin and the rest of the troupe are used to taking risks, and he insists that the stark realism in the show doesn’t take away from its core message of hope.

“I like to stay away from holiday-themed productions. It’s not something that I really want to be producing,” Rabin said. “This isn’t a show to bring your kids to for Christmas, but you’re going to leave with a new respect for the love that you have for your own family. You’re not going to leave hating your life. You’re going to leave with a sense of hope.”

Starring Margie Lamb, who led the critically acclaimed production of the show at the Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins last year, the show rounds out the company’s 2012 season. Next year’s program will include nods to the troupe’s history in Aurora, including a remount of “Bare: The Musical,” the troupe’s inaugural show from 2009. The choice to remount the show came after plenty of drama. Rabin tried and failed to secure rights for several shows before settling on “Bare.”

“I had to change my shows up to three times,” Rabin said. “It was rough and it was tough. I think that we found exactly the productions that we were meant to be doing.”

And they’ll run in the ideal venue, Rabin added. Having a reliable forum in the Aurora Fox has been an important part of the company’s artistic growth. Being a part of a single community has brought its own struggles and trials, but it has helped the troupe stay afloat, a task that’s not easy for young theater companies in a rough economy.

“I think that our success is because we have such a great relationship with the Fox,” Rabin said. “Quite a big chunk of the people that come see our shows do have Aurora addresses. I think that’s been helped by the Fox. They push what we do and that’s really helpful.”

“Next To Normal”

Will run from Dec. 21 to Jan. 6, 2013 at the Aurora Fox, 9900 E. Colfax Ave.

Tickets start at $25.

Information and showtimes: 720-362-2697 or
ignitetheatre.com

Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com or 720-449-9707