ABOUT US | Denver | The SOURCE Theatre Company

ABOUT THE SOURCE THEATRE COMPANY

Striving to plant the seeds of artistic excellence within the Denver theatre community

MISSION

We are a non-exclusive African-American theatre company dedicated to cultivating an ensemble of indigenous artists to create original theatrical works of cultural and historical significance in the African-American tradition. We engage the younger generations of the community through educational, cultural, and historical training and awareness to create theater as a lynch-pin, participatory activity for the African-American community.

VISION

The SOURCE Theatre Company (The SOURCE) is an ensemble of theatrical artists who create original works from an organic inner space to convey genuine depth and greater meaning. The SOURCE's vision is to keep live theatre alive within the multi-ethnic community of Denver by teaching the art & history of theatre to current and future generations. The SOURCE strives to give actors, directors, playwrights, designers and theatre lovers in general a platform and/or springboard to express their creativity. The SOURCE works to bring quality, never-before-seen entertainment to all cultures that enjoy & love the art of live theatre.

Anchor 1

The SOURCE Theatre Company (founded by Hugo Jon Sayles, Jimmy Walker, Arnold King, Kiana Coney & Anastazia Coney) began it's life in August 2011 as an artistic initiative simply called The SOURCE, devoted to developing new works for the African-American community of Denver. In partnership with the 15-year-old Shadow Theatre Company, The SOURCE developed a community based workshop process for developing new works and training actors for ensemble work. This process was used to help workshop The Sisters, Sweetwater and stage The Final Mile to Providence.

During this time, The SOURCE helped Shadow Theatre Company draw a parallel from it's 2010/11 season "Sankofa" (the Akan word for "go back and get it"; used to symbolize the concept of taking from the past what is good and bringing it to the present) to the 2011/12 season "Regional Distinction" (presenting theatrical work distinct to the Denver region). In helping facilitate consideration of the past and the future, it was discovered that the true 'legacy' embodied by Shadow is that it is a continuation of developing an artistically strong African-American theatre company in Denver that began in 1976 with the Denver Black Arts Company, the company that initially nurtured today's leaders in Black theatre in Denver.

With this discovery, The SOURCE evolved into a theatre company to continue the legacy that has passed from the Denver Black Arts Company to Eulipions Inc. and to Shadow Theatre Company. The SOURCE Theatre Company intends to take the artistic spirit that took root 43 years ago and move it into the future.

Denver Black Arts Company

Eulipions Inc.

Shadow Theatre Company

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS

Hugo Jon Sayles has been involved in the performing arts for more than thirty years as director, performer, choreographer, writer and teacher. He is one of the most prolific members from the Denver Black Arts Company, Eulipions Inc. and Shadow Theatre Company. Hugo has been a teaching artist with the Aurora Fox and has served as associate artistic director of Shadow Theatre Company from 1997 - 2009 and as artistic director from 2010 - 2011. He has directed productions such as From Okra to Greens, Topdog/underdog, Smokey Joe's Café, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Life & Times of Ol' Alfred, A Good Child Too Soon and Suicide Lies; and performed in productions such as Avatar and Barca: Men of Lightning with DBAC; The Gospel at Colonus and Bubblin' Brown Sugar with Eulipions; Bless Me, Ultima and La Carpa Aztlan presents I Don't Speak English Only with Su Teatro; Rashomon and A Christmas Carol with the Aurora Fox; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Fences and Two Trains Running with Shadow. Plays written by Hugo include Voices from the Soul, In Search of Eckstine: A Love Story, Amistad, Civil Rights Stories, An Evening with Nina and In the Presence of God. He is the recipient of the 1997 Colorado Council of the Arts Fellowship for his play Voices From the Soul; the 2002 Marlowe Award for Best Direction for My Children, My Africa!; and he was a 2002 finalist for the Jerome Fellowship for his play The Sisters, Sweetwater.

Anchor 2

Anchor 3

Arnold King has been involved in the local theatre scene for the past 20 years in over 100 productions. While serving primarily in a production capacity as a lighting designer (Maya Productions and Curious New Voices), stage manager (Shadow Theatre Company, Firehouse Theater Company and The Avenue Theatre), electrician (the Aurora Fox) and/or technical director (Su Teatro). He has also performed on stage as an actor in productions such as Landscape of the Body with Paper Cat Theatre Company, Oedi with Subversive Intelligence Theatre Company & A Good Child Too Soon; served as director for productions like Beyond Therapy at the Larry D Carter Theatre,The Waiting Room with Brooks Center Arts and The Sound of Freedom. He has also taken on playwrighting with The Final Mile to Providence, Morning Star/Eden and the one-act play A Man & His Shadow presented at the 1st Annual Celebrate African-American Theatre Day. Arnold produces and designs the audio plays in the REGIONAL DISTINCTION podcast.

Anchor 4

Kiana Coney was one of the driving forces behind the endeavor that is The SOURCE Theatre Company. Before the company's founding, she enjoyed her first major roles as a fresh face within Shadow Theatre Company (appearing in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, In Search of Eckstine: A Love Story and The Final Mile to Providence)- where she also had the pleasure of wearing various other theatrical hats being house manager; props master; costume designer; office manager; box office associate and volunteer coordinator. She received the 2013 True West Award for Best Costume Design for The SOURCE/Su Teatro collaborative production of The Gospel at Colonus.

Anchor 5

Jimmy Walker has a career in the performing arts that has spanned over thirty years. He has performed with such noted companies as the Denver Black Arts Company (In the Wine Time, The River Niger, The Hobbit); the Movement Free Dance Company (Porgy & Bess), the National Black Theatre Company and was the co-founder of Eulipions Inc. with Jo Bunton Keel. For The SOURCE, he has directed The Gospel at Colonus; Packin' It In: Two Star-Crossed Artists; The Sisters, Sweetwater and The B Word and wrote the plays The Five Points/Wrapped Around My Soul & A Good Child Too Soon. He works extensively in the community as a resource for artists and progress in the Arts. Jimmy co-produces the MONDAY! MONDAY! MONDAY! CABARET with host Sheryl McCallum.

Anchor 6

Anastazia Coney prodigiously got involved in professional theatre at a young age and hasn't looked back through the course of several productions between Shadow Theatre Company (An Evening with Nina, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Life & Times of Ol' Alfred, Innocent Thoughts, The Final Mile to Providence); Grand Design Inc. (Amistad, Civil Rights Stories); The SOURCE Theatre Company (In the Presence of God, The Gospel at Colonus); Su Teatro (Solitude, Outside the Circle, 2nd EVER WordFest); and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. She has served in many functions, including actor, lighting technician, lighting designer and stage manager. She is thankful to have been able to learn from so many wonderful teachers.