One of the more embarrassing events of the electoral season (for all sides) is heading toward a restorative conclusion.
A series of unfortunate events led Denver city council member Chris Hinds to the historic old Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre on Feb. 13 with no access to the stage where a debate had been scheduled for District 10 council candidates. The 98-year-old building is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the stage itself is not. Still, going back decades, the dance company has been able to accommodate special-needs groups like Phamaly Theatre Company and others – with advance notice.
Denver Councilman Chris Hinds.
Hinds, who made history in 2019 when he became Denver's first elected official at any level who uses a wheelchair for mobility, says he would have lost public financing for his reelection campaign if he had skipped the event. But no one from the dance company had been told of the need for ramps or other temporary accommodation for this event. So, when Hinds arrived just before the debate was scheduled to begin, there was no easy (or dignified) way to get Hinds and his chair onto the stage. Still, Executive Director Malik Robinson took full responsibility, saying: “It is not incumbent upon visitors to assure our compliance to accessible spaces in our facility.”
Hinds described the moment as a humiliation. In its 52 years of existence, the acclaimed and beloved dance company had never before found itself on the receiving end of community outrage. The regrettable incident drew coverage from The New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek and others.
Malik Robinson issued an apology to the Hinds campaign, saying, in part: “This incident was an important and visceral reminder that accessibility, in many forms, is critical for all members of our community.”
Several additional election events scheduled at the dance theater were canceled, though a planned mayoral debate involving 12 candidates went off without issue.
Adding to the overall bummer of the whole thing: We reported here a year ago that the state of Colorado has issued $4 million in revitalization funds to go toward the company’s capital campaign to expand its facilities at 119 Park Avenue West in Denver’s Five Points. Those funds will help CPRD, which is in the final stages of its first capital campaign, to add a new 25,000 square-foot, four-level building that includes a theater, a healing-arts center, three movement studios, four activity rooms and a shared office space for resident partners. It was to be (and will be yet) a victory for equity, inclusion – and access, because, of course, the new facility will be fully ADA compliant. But it won’t be complete for another two years.
In the meantime, “Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is currently undertaking a more comprehensive plan to address physical-accessibility issues that challenge access for all throughout our historic building,” Malik Robinson said. Toward that end, the company on April 3 will begin the installation of a chair lift that will provide access to the theater stage that officials hope will be operational within a few months. But, like anything involving a historic building, it is not at all a simple undertaking. The installation requires a doorway expansion to comply with safety regulations. And because it is an old building, expanding the doorway cannot be undertaken without asbestos testing.
“We wish it could be a simpler solution,” company spokesperson Pat Smith said. But it is getting done.
“I deeply regret it took this incident to elevate the urgency for this change,” Malik Robinson said, “and we are committed to ensuring that no one experiences lack of access to the stage again.”
Water that built up in the Tattered Cover's elevator shaft on Sunday never made it into the store itself, officials say. This photo is from an author Q&A taken in January.
Tattered Cover primes the pump
A rough week for the Tattered Cover’s flagship store on Colfax Avenue could have been much worse. Due to a water-pump failure, the store had to close at 4 p.m. Sunday and did not reopen until noon Monday. And here’s something I did not know: Water runs underneath the building that was once the majestic Bonfils Theatre. All the time. Always has. That’s why the Tattered Cover has a permanent bilge pump that removes water from way down there 24-7 – only, on Sunday, the pump failed. That caused water to collect in the pit underneath the elevators, which caused the fire alarms to go off. It took staff overnight to pump out the water and get the elevators working again, but fortunately, the water did not damage any stock. In fact, no water got into the actual store at all. As things like this can go in a really old building, “this ended up being pretty minor,” said CFO Margie Keenan.
Book: 1920s Denver D.A. takes on KKK
Alan Prendergast, who has been writing for Westword for more than 30 years, has a new nonfiction book called “Gangbuster: One Man's Battle Against Crime, Corruption, and the Klan.” It is described as the inspiring history of the war waged by rookie Denver District Attorney Philip Van Cise against the Ku Klux Klan, organized crime and government corruption at the highest levels throughout the 1920s. Prendergast also teaches journalism at Colorado College.
Superhero’s recovery
Chuck Rozanski, founder of Denver’s Mile High Comics, home of the largest comics warehouse in the world, is recovering from a nasty fall on March 3 while walking his dog outside his building. He was hospitalized with bruised ribs, a concussion and a small brain bleed. At 69, Rozanski, a bit of a superhero himself, remains committed to connecting American comics to a global audience. He says of this whole awful affair: “We should never forget that we are all but one drunk driver from instant oblivion. That is why I try to live my life at full throttle every single day and never forget that each new tomorrow is a pleasant hope … but never a guarantee."
Gay Men’s Chorus’ largest concert
The Denver Gay Men's Chorus will take to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House stage Friday night and Saturday afternoon for the largest concert in its history: “Disney PRIDE in Concert” sets the LGBTQ+ experience to timeless songs and animation from the Disney canon, while featuring 120 singers, a 25-piece orchestra, choreography and archival film visuals. Tickets at axs.com.
Briefly …
COVID Watch: A positive COVID test forced the cancellation of Wit Theatre’s March 26 “Shakesbeer” performance of “Julius Caesar.” It’s a comic, condensed adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy with beer (on and off stage). It’s back at 4 p.m. Sunday at Grandma's House Brewery, 1710 S. Broadway …
Denver’s non-profit Levitt Pavilion, which offers a mix of free and ticketed outdoor summer concerts at the base of Ruby Hill Park, has added 12 more events to its free-show calendar, notably Flobots (July 1), Shakedown Street (Aug. 5) and Slim Cessna with Snakes (Aug. 6). For the complete list, including four dates with performances in Spanish, go to levittdenver.org.
Podcast winner of the week: ‘Navalny’
This week’s big local winner in the podcast world has got to be Denver-born film producer Shane Boris, who just won the Academy Award for producing the Best Documentary, “Navalny.” No less than David Letterman offered an unsolicited endorsement of the doc on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. Seeing the story of the imprisoned Soviet dissident who was poisoned and imprisoned for speaking out against Vladimir Putin was an epiphany for Letterman. “You think, ‘Holy (bleep), I’ve got to do something,’” Letterman said. “It’s terrifying because it’s 2023. Why are humans behaving this way still?”