When the family-run Meyer Hardware shut its doors two years ago after nearly half a century in Golden, many feared outside developers would pounce on the real estate. But those visions of a strip mall filled with chain stores were dispelled when the local Miners Alley Playhouse (MAP) purchased the space for $4.95 million.
Producing artistic director Len Matheo hopes the move will transform the foothills town into a year-round hub for the performing arts.
“Miners Alley could be a Front Range Creede [Repertory Theatre] where people can stay in Golden for a week and see a bunch of shows,” he says. “We want to make downtown Golden an arts destination. [We] should be known for more than just beer and hiking.”
The journey to the Dec. 2 grand opening was a feat of meticulous planning. Acquired in 2021, Matheo and executive director Lisa DeCaro, the married leadership team, oversaw the building’s transformation in coordination with Semple Brown Design, aiming to open the center in two phases. Its first phase, which just debuted, includes a 157-seat black box theater, lobby, bar, box office and backstage area.
With construction on the renovations beginning in early 2023, the MAP team navigated a tight timeline to get the building ready for its opening night of The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical. DeCaro says the company received its certificate of occupancy for Phase One just two weeks before they planned to open their doors to the public.
This meant they had about 14 days to move in and set up everything, from light and sound equipment to lobby décor to their production of Trailer Park. The weeks leading up to the opening were a blur for Matheo and DeCaro, who say the whole crew snapped into action — including staff, cast and community members — to help make it happen.
“We kept telling our team, ‘Go home!’ but they wouldn’t, because they felt a sense of ownership over the space,” DeCaro says. “They all felt like this was their baby, and it is.”
Lisa DeCaro and Len Matheo at the Dec. 2 grand opening of the new Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden. Credit: Matthew Gale
‘What success looks like’
The atmosphere was electric at the grand opening of Miners Alley, which began outside the theater with an afternoon ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event included speeches from MAP leaders along with representatives from Colorado Creative Industries and the City of Golden, both of which contributed funds to the project. Following the ribbon-cutting, the crowd moved indoors for a reception and opening remarks from DeCaro and Matheo to kick off the evening’s entertainment.
“When I said, ‘Hey, welcome to the new Miners Alley Performing Arts Center,’ everyone screamed with delight,” Matheo says. “It hit me how much this space meant — not just to us and our team, but to the entire community. The crowd’s reaction was not your typical polite clap. It was an overwhelming response from a room full of people who had directly contributed to the success of the space.”
Riding high from the opening, DeCaro says there is still a full slate of renovations ahead. “There are a lot of things still to come in Phase One, but this is what we call our starter theater because we’ve needed to not have two spaces going with mortgages and rents,” she says. “Plus, Phase Two is when all the great spaces come in. We’ll be increasing the number of seats in the main theater to 300, expanding the bar, adding an education center, putting in more community spaces, a small theater and artist housing.”
Fundraising targets for the next phase include $7 million in construction funds and an additional $3 million to pay off the building loan. MAP plans to raise that money through a combination of government funds, corporate sponsors, individual gifts, family foundations and naming rights.
For now, Matheo says he’s excited to “find out what works in our new space and get back to doing what we do best, which is presenting great community-building theater.”
The current lineup at MAP showcases its diverse artistic vision. From The Great American Trailer Park Musical Christmas in the new building to the timeless charm of A Christmas Story and the interactive kids’ production of The Story of the Nutcracker as the final production in its former space on 1224 Washington Ave.
Looking ahead to the New Year, MAP’s programming includes six mainstage shows and five productions for young audiences, featuring everything from Misery to School of Rock. “We want to get a lot of people in the door,” Matheo says.
With its ambitious plans and current stage offerings, the Miners Alley Performing Arts Center is now officially embarking on its mission to transform downtown Golden into a bustling arts destination, fulfilling the vision of its leaders and the community behind them.
“Life is complicated right now and not easy for a lot of people,” DeCaro says. “If we can give them two hours where they’re having fun with a hundred other people, that’s what success looks like to us.”
