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Sure, Broadway stars take the stage every night. But usually Coloradans have to fly to them. Tonight, they come to us.
For the past eight years, Lake Dillon Foundation for the Performing Arts has brought Broadway performers to Summit County for its gala benefit. Tonight, its 8th Annual Broadway at the Summit features Tony-nominated stars Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner at the Silverthorne Pavilion.
In 1997, Ripley and Skinner earned nominations for their roles in “Side Show,” in which they played conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, a fairly well-known song-and-dance team. “Side Show” ran for two months, but Ripley and Skinner rehearsed for eight hours a day, six days a week for two months — proverbially joined at the hip, Ripley said. And, it paid off. The pair made Tony history; only one other time have two performers been co-nominated as a team for the same award.
Oddly enough, the performers didn’t really get to know each other until years later.
“At the end of the (rehearsal) day, instead of hanging out together afterwards like theater people often do, we would separate and sprint home alone when 6 o’clock rolled around,” Ripley said. “I feel like we’re just now getting to really know each other.”
These days, Ripley describes their rapport on-stage as relaxed and familiar — never formal.
“We like to kid each other, and I think the audience likes that. Also, the songs we sing in our show reflect an intimacy with each other and the material itself,” she said.
Performing arts director Chris Alleman is a big fan of theirs, and he thinks others will love their talent as well.
“They are very personable on stage and make a great connection with the audience,” Alleman said. “They have a wonderful show that they do together, and it is a great fit to some of the performances we have had in the past.”
While Ripley describes Skinner as “lovely, brainy, delectable, wry, shy, complicated, mesmerizing and generous,” Ripley herself has a bit more of a rock ’n’ roll side to her. Under the band name RIPLEY, she has been rockin’ in New York City since 2001, and she imagines Skinner would describe her as “nuts, stubborn and silly.” Her standard e-mail signature: “Destroy Logic and Come Alive.” Her favorite character she’s played: Diana, who suffers from bipolar schizophrenia.
“I learned a lot about myself through my exploration of Diana, and I was able to reveal aspects of my psyche with the audience that even I had never realized was there,” Ripley said. “Through this exploration, a wondrous and powerful healing is still taking place inside of me.”
Intriguing women, indeed. And, at $100 a pop, tickets are a bargain, considering what traveling and staying in New York City would cost. Alleman’s goal is to raise $30,000 tonight.
“This fundraiser is extremely important, as it raises roughly 7 to 8 percent of our operation budget,” he said. “Especially in the economic situation the country is in, the monies are more important than ever.”
For the past eight years, Lake Dillon Foundation for the Performing Arts has brought Broadway performers to Summit County for its gala benefit. Tonight, its 8th Annual Broadway at the Summit features Tony-nominated stars Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner at the Silverthorne Pavilion.
In 1997, Ripley and Skinner earned nominations for their roles in “Side Show,” in which they played conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, a fairly well-known song-and-dance team. “Side Show” ran for two months, but Ripley and Skinner rehearsed for eight hours a day, six days a week for two months — proverbially joined at the hip, Ripley said. And, it paid off. The pair made Tony history; only one other time have two performers been co-nominated as a team for the same award.
Oddly enough, the performers didn’t really get to know each other until years later.
“At the end of the (rehearsal) day, instead of hanging out together afterwards like theater people often do, we would separate and sprint home alone when 6 o’clock rolled around,” Ripley said. “I feel like we’re just now getting to really know each other.”
These days, Ripley describes their rapport on-stage as relaxed and familiar — never formal.
“We like to kid each other, and I think the audience likes that. Also, the songs we sing in our show reflect an intimacy with each other and the material itself,” she said.
Performing arts director Chris Alleman is a big fan of theirs, and he thinks others will love their talent as well.
“They are very personable on stage and make a great connection with the audience,” Alleman said. “They have a wonderful show that they do together, and it is a great fit to some of the performances we have had in the past.”
While Ripley describes Skinner as “lovely, brainy, delectable, wry, shy, complicated, mesmerizing and generous,” Ripley herself has a bit more of a rock ’n’ roll side to her. Under the band name RIPLEY, she has been rockin’ in New York City since 2001, and she imagines Skinner would describe her as “nuts, stubborn and silly.” Her standard e-mail signature: “Destroy Logic and Come Alive.” Her favorite character she’s played: Diana, who suffers from bipolar schizophrenia.
“I learned a lot about myself through my exploration of Diana, and I was able to reveal aspects of my psyche with the audience that even I had never realized was there,” Ripley said. “Through this exploration, a wondrous and powerful healing is still taking place inside of me.”
Intriguing women, indeed. And, at $100 a pop, tickets are a bargain, considering what traveling and staying in New York City would cost. Alleman’s goal is to raise $30,000 tonight.
“This fundraiser is extremely important, as it raises roughly 7 to 8 percent of our operation budget,” he said. “Especially in the economic situation the country is in, the monies are more important than ever.”
