David Byrne’s “Theater of the Mind” postponed, “Band’s Visit” canceled at DCPA
Talking Heads leader David Byrne’s new project, “Theater of the Mind,” will miss its scheduled world premiere in Denver later this year, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts said today.
However, the hotly anticipated project, co-created with writer Mala Gaonkar, will return on a new date. Rescheduled dates for “Theater of the Mind” will be announced at a later time, and updates will be posted at theateroftheminddenver.com.
“Postponing this production, which has been many years in the making, is heartbreaking for everyone involved,” said DCPA Off-Center curator Charlie Miller. “But given the uncertainties of what the future of this pandemic holds, we found ourselves with no other choice. DCPA Off-Center remains deeply committed to producing ‘Theater of the Mind’ in Denver, and we hope to share this groundbreaking experience with our community as soon as we safely and responsibly can.”
The production, scheduled for late summer or early fall of 2020, has been described as an experimental, immersive theater experience with audiences of only 16 people at a time. It was slated to take place in a 15,000-square-foot, Denver-area warehouse integrating both live and virtual effects.
“A group of 16 audience members will go from room to room and experience these perceptual things,” Byrne told Rolling Stone in November.
“When they leave one room, another group goes in there. That way, you can get 400 people in from 6 p.m. to 10. You get the same number as if it were a theater show, but you get more in small groups.”
Additionally, the DCPA Theatre Company’s new season, announced in February, will be pushed back due to the coronavirus shutdown, DCPA officials said. No new dates were provided. The upcoming production of “The Band’s Visit” has been canceled, and the touring version of The Lincoln Center’s “My Fair Lady” has been postponed — both had been scheduled for the Buell Theatre in July — with no new dates scheduled.
Summer education classes and the 2020-21 Theatre for Young Audiences production also have been canceled.
People with tickets to canceled events will receive an email with the option to request a refund or donate the value of their ticket to the DCPA, officials said. All other ticketholders will receive an email regarding updates and ticket options once decisions have been made.
Students of canceled classes will receive an automatic credit to their accounts and a follow-up email invitation to donate the value of their class or receive a refund.
DCPA, which produces shows at the Buell Theatre and other venues, has had a particularly rough go of it in recent weeks, cutting staff costs by more than 50% and pulling a U-turn on a big announcement. On April 15, it announced that tickets for the touring production of “Hamilton” would go on sale to the general public on April 20. But on April 17, DCPA pulled back the on-sale for the currently scheduled August-October run.