If you’re looking for top-tier theatrical entertainment, Louisville’s Coal Creek Theater makes a compelling case for skipping the trip to Denver and attending a play produced right here in Boulder County.
“Coal Creek Theater is a fantastic example of what can happen when a group of people from the community come together for the love of theater to put on wonderful productions,” says Brian Dowling, the company’s board chair and fight choreographer for its current production, Deathtrap. “I really encourage people to come out and see what your community is doing, because exceptional things are happening next door.”
For Coal Creek’s 2023 slate of offerings, the 33-year-old locally owned and operated community theater has assembled a “killer season” of thrilling mysteries. Productions include Rope by Patrick Hamilton, Legacy of Baker Street by Brian Dowling and the aforementioned production of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, currently running through March 11.
“One of the reasons we choose a season full of thrillers and killers is that we get a really positive response from audiences,” says Steve Rausch, vice-chair of the board andsound designer and board operator for Deathtrap. “People seem to really like this genre. Comedy in theater is still king, but mysteries and thrillers are a close second.”
As the longest-running comedy-thriller in Broadway history, Deathtrap is a shining example of audience enthusiasm for the genre. It received four Tony nominations, including Best Play, and was made into a 1982 film starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve.
Set in the Connecticut wilderness during 1978, the story follows a creatively stifled Broadway thriller author named Sidney Bruhl, played in Coal Creek’s production by Michael King. One day, Sidney receives a promising script from Clifford Anderson (Thomas Fletcher), a student at the university where he teaches. He spooks his wife Myra (Renee Malis) by joking that he should kill Clifford in order to steal his play.
Sidney supposedly invites Clifford to his Connecticut home to work on his script, but when they meet, unspoken truths escalate the situation and frighten Myra. The meta-play pokes fun at the ridiculousness of the playwriting process and adds its own unique twists to established genre norms.
“What I like about this play is that it is not a straight-up murder mystery thriller,” director Robert Mess says. “There’s a comedic aspect in the script that appeals to me. I love that this play can make you laugh at one moment and then have a sudden murder that shocks the audience.”
Mess says this tonal variety in Deathtrap — switching between intense drama and playful comedy — can be challenging for performers, because they have to play both serious and silly scenes seamlessly without breaking character. Luckily, after auditioning more than 30 people for the production, the directing team was ecstatic to select King, Malis, Fletcher, Anne Sandoe and Sam Sandoe as their cast.
“Having a willing group of volunteer actors of this caliber is a gift,” Mess says. “Since it’s a five-person cast, we got to spend a lot of time talking about their characters’ motivation and getting into nitty-gritty details. It’s a reflection of Coal Creek Theater and the support they provide that so many people are willing to give their time to the theater.”
Though Coal Creek’s productions will never be as flashy as those of larger companies in the area, they believe a limited budget can inspire creativity.
“We aren’t the DCPA or the Arvada Center, so we have to make do with limited resources,” says Kathleen Rausch, the organization’s treasurer and costume designer for Deathtrap. “We provide directors with $1,500 per show, and we’ve found that most of the time, directors come in under budget because they understand how tight money is.”
Mess managed to stay within budget while planning a complex set, intricate costumes and numerous props for Deathtrap. The performers’ close proximity to the audience created some challenges, like how to keep crowds from getting covered in fake blood, but it also embodies the theater’s motto that “every seat is a front-row seat.”
“Deathtrap is an affordable, intimate night of theater in your community,” Mess says. “It’s your chance to see a professional-quality performance in a community space. The team knocked it out of the park on opening night, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how other crowds react during the remaining performances.”
ON STAGE: Deathtrap by Ira Levin. Various times through March 11, Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant Ave. Tickets here.
