Theatre Alumni

Theatre Alumni. The Historic Elitch Theatre. While we cannot showcase 100-years of stars, here are some of the brightest…, Antoinette Perry (1904 and 1908) , She may not be a household name, but you probably know the Tony Awards , the annual award for excellence in Theatre. Denver-native, Antoinette Perry, is the “Tony” of the awards. (The full name is: The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre.), She was an actress, director, and producer, and she helped found the American Theatre Wing to promote theatre. After her passing in 1946, the Theatre Wing created their annual awards and named it after Antoinette. She first appeared at Elitch's in an uncredited role in 1899 (her first time on stage) but she would return for larger roles in 1904 and 1908. , Cecil B. DeMille (1905) , "It is a very long time since I spent a very pleasant summer in stock at the Elitch Gardens. Today in Hollywood I can hardly go anywhere without meeting one or more now rather famous people who… played in what all actors and actresses consider one of the greatest cradles of the drama in American history." , , Cecil B. DeMille , 45-years before Gloria Swanson spoke the legendary lines: "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," the 1905 season at Elitch Theatre included the young actor, Cecil B. DeMille, who would appear in minor roles in eleven of fifteen productions that summer. However, Cecil B. DeMille went on to do much greater things as a director in Hollywood and is widely considered to be the man who made Hollywood the filmmaking capitol it is today. A Hollywood pioneer, he directed and produced films such as The Ten Commandments (1923), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and The Ten Commandments (1956). , Douglas Fairbanks (1906) , Mary Elitch recounted Douglas' early years at the theatre: "Many people already know that the beloved Douglas Fairbanks' very first stage experience was acquired on the Elitch theatre boards, for he has recounted the story himself… The little boy, I think he was about twelve, was a great admirer of Shakespeare; his mother, a student of the poet, having read all of the plays with him. On hearing that Shakespeare was to be given at our theatre, and not having sufficient funds to purchase a ticket, Douglas appeared at the theatre one morning and asked the janitor if there was any work he could do to earn one. On being told that there was not, the future star walked onto the stage, and after looking it over, suggested that a good scrubbing might help its appearance, and stated that he was perfectly willing to undertake the scrubbing if his price , a ticket to the next performance , would be forthcoming. The rough boards received their scrubbing and the enterprising little boy his ticket. In a very few years Douglas was treading those same old worn boards as a real actor. I think his first appearance was as Reginald Lumley in Cousin Kate." , Sarah Bernhardt (1906) , In her biography, Mary Elitch recounts: "One of my most precious experiences of my career was my first meeting with Sarah Bernhardt. The Gardens seemed to hum with expectation as the day of Madame Bernhardt's arrival drew near. Rather early one morning while I was engaged with household matters, I suddenly heard excited exclamations in a foreign language… Could it be possible the great actress and her French company had arrived ahead of time? Hurrying out I beheld a plainly dressed woman standing at my door, gesticulating and speaking rapidly apparently to the sky, the trees and the flowers." , "One look at that expressive face, upturned beneath the drooping black hat from which the heavy veil had been lifted, told me that it was no other than Madame Bernhardt. As this realization came to me she turned and our eyes met. There was no need for an introduction and I never sought an explanation of what followed , the strange attraction that drew us and the bond of understanding that held us gazing into each other's eyes. Then, without a word, we were folded in each other's arms. We sighed together, we knew a common language and we shared our delight in the knowledge, though our language was not the same. , Grace Kelly (1951) , Grace Kelly will always be remembered by Denverites as being a member of the resident stock company at the Elitch Theatre in the summer of 1951. Unbeknownst at the time, she was to become an Oscar-winning movie star, and later the Princess of Monaco. , In 1951, she received an invitation to become a member of the company at Elitch’s well-known Theatre. Although she was not yet a seasoned actress, Whitfield Connor stated that she had “a cool beauty, breeding and intelligence” and was “well-liked by the company and the Elitch Theatre audience.” , Debbie Reynolds (1970 and 1986) , An editor of the Rocky Mountain News saw Debbie Reynolds at Elitch and he described her performance as follows: "We joined a packed house at the Theatre for Debbie Reynolds' show. Debbie was just as we remembered her in Tammy, Singin' in the Rain, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown , cute, feisty, vivacious and energetic as a small volcano. Pure dynamite." , "She sang. She danced. She joked with the audience. Even came down from the stage to mingle and visit. She reminisced about filming Molly Brown and How the West Was Won here and wound up introducing her mother, who has a home in Ouray." , Vincent Price (1979) , Despite having appeared on the stage throughout his career, Vincent Price's greatest theatrical triumph was undoubtedly his 1977 one-man show, Diversions and Delights, in which he played the playwright and author Oscar Wilde. The play was transferred to Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in 1978. In the summer of 1979, Price performed the role of Wilde at Colorado's Tabor Opera House, in Leadville, on the same stage from which Wilde had spoken to miners about art nearly a century before. He appeared at the Historic Elitch Theatre that same summer. , Please visit our website for more , history from the past century , of the Historic Elitch Theatre! , HistoricElitchTheatre.org .