DCPA Gala: Saturday Night Alive

THE MOST FUN GALA YOU WILL ATTEND ALL YEAR

June 13, 2026
5:30pm – Midnight

Now in its 45th year, DCPA Gala: Saturday Night Alive is Denver’s most fun charitable gala. No long programs. No endless speeches. Just pure celebration of the arts and the people who make it thrive.

Each year, 600 guests gather for an unforgettable night featuring an elegant, seated dinner, a one-night-only performance by NYC-based artists and DCPA Education students, one of the largest online auctions in the region, and an electric after-party with dancing and a silent disco.

Saturday Night Alive is a night to connect, to celebrate, and to invest in the future of the performing arts at the DCPA and in Colorado.

For more information, contact Megan Stewart.

COCKTAIL HOUR-AND-A-HALF

Step onto the red carpet for an unforgettable evening where glamour meets purpose. Sip signature cocktails and savor gourmet bites during our lively cocktail hour-and-a-half, featuring a step-and-repeat photo moment and a 360° photo booth that captures the energy and elegance of the night from every angle.

Whether you’re unwinding in the exclusive VIP Lounge or reconnecting with fellow performing arts enthusiasts, the air hums with sophistication, warmth, and the thrill of what’s to come.


 ENTERTAINMENT

As the lights dim in the Wolf Theatre, the stage comes alive with a one-night-only performance that blends Broadway brilliance with Colorado’s rising stars. Direct from New York City, professional performers share the spotlight with DCPA Education students and Bobby G Finalists — the most talented young artists from Colorado’s High School Musical Theatre Awards. It’s a joyful, moving tribute to the power of theatre and the promise of the next generation.


DINNER

Guests are then welcomed into the stunning Seawell Ballroom as a beautifully curated dinner awaits, complete with tableside wine service and impeccable ambiance. As you dine, the excitement builds — because the region’s most anticipated online auction is in full swing, offering luxury packages, exclusive experiences, and one-of-a-kind items that support DCPA’s theatre and education programs.


AFTER-PARTY

When dinner ends, the celebration continues with a high-energy after-party. Dance the night away with a live DJ and groove in a glowing silent disco or stay put at your table while you sip on wine or cocktails and continue to build your own community with fellow DCPA and theatre lovers.


Alive with Impact

Over the last 44 years, Saturday Night Alive tickets, donations and auctions have raised more than $24.5 million in support of our theatre and education programs. As one of the largest nonprofit theatre organizations in the country, the DCPA entertains and educates nearly 1M patrons, including 150,000 students, each year. Your participation helps us:

  • Ensure that every Coloradan can access life-changing artistic experiences
  • Share stories that resonate with and reflect the diversity of our vibrant community
  • Provide opportunities for children as young as three through our Theatre for Young Audiences program
  • Enable on-site and in-school workshops that boost critical thinking skills and build confidence, empathy, and creativity
  • Provide scholarships for classes and field trips for students to experience live theatre
  • And ultimately, make theatre accessible for everyone

GALA SPONSORSHIP

Saturday Night Alive sponsorships and tables of 10 are now available. For more information, view our Sponsorship Brochure or contact Megan Stewart.

GALA LEADERSHIP & HONOREE

Co-Chairs

Everett Schneider & Robert Phifer
Paul Washington & Nadia El Mallakh

2025 Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award Recipient

John C. & Hillary Morgridge of Morgridge Family Foundation



SPONSORS

Diamond Sponsor
U.S. Bank

VIP Lounge Sponsor
Dorota & Kevin Kilstrom

Gold Sponsors
The Anschutz Foundation
Bedrock Landscaping Materials
Brisa & Mark Carleton, & Steve & Kris Schenbeck
Chevron
Keith & Kathie Finger
MDC Richmond American Homes Foundation

Silver Sponsors
BuildStrong Foundation
Delta Airlines
iFinancial
IMA Financial
Elizabeth & Nelson Hioe
Westin Denver Downtown

Bronze Sponsors
Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck
CBS Colorado
CIBC
CLA
Jerome & Jackie Davis, Canvas BOD Business Development
DaVita
Dimond Family/Copford Capital
El Pomar Foundation
FirstBank
HealthONE
Deborah Kelly
Morgan Stanley
Morgridge Family Foundation
Nelson Mullins
Semple, Farrington, Everall & Case
Janice Sinden
UCHealth
University of Colorado Foundation
Wolf Energy Company
Xcel Energy
Sylvia & David Young

Donations received at the event will be matched thanks to a gift from the Tuchman Family Foundation.

*Sponsor listing as of May 12, 2025.

ANNALEIGH ASHFORD

Tony Award-winning and Emmy and Grammy Award-nominated actor Annaleigh Ashford has spent her career collaborating with acclaimed directors and actors across stage, film and television and she continues that award-winning work with several upcoming projects.

Ashford is currently on Broadway in All In: Comedy About Love for a limited engagement, and next will star opposite Dennis Quaid in “Happy Face” for Paramount+ that premieres on March 20. The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name, that itself was based on Melissa Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence. Ashford will play Melissa, who discovered at age 15 that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.” As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison. The series is executive produced by Robert and Michelle King and Michael Showalter will direct the pilot episode.

She will next star in Searchlight Pictures’ horror thriller, Dust, opposite Sarah Paulson and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The film follows a woman who is trapped by increasingly deadly dust storms while haunted by her past. The film will stream on Disney’s DTC platforms as a Hulu Original.

Ashford recently completed her run on Broadway opposite Josh Groban in the Tony-nominated revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Her performance as Mrs. Lovett has earned her a Tony Award nomination for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical” and a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Musical Theater Album.” She won the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical” and the Drama League Award for “The Distinguished Performance Award” for her role. Set in Victorian London, Sweeney Todd tells the penny dreadful tale of a murderous, revenge-seeking barber and his pie-baking accomplice Mrs. Lovett, who uses her culinary skills to dispose of bothersome corpses. The team behind Hamilton, producer, Jeffrey Seller and director, Thomas Kail, helms the production. Ashford is one of very few actresses, among them Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, and Angela Lansbury, who have performed in more than one of Sondheim’s Broadway shows.

In 2022, Ashford starred opposite Kumail Nanjiani in the Hulu limited series “Welcome to Chippendales” from creator Robert Siegel. “Chippendales” is the true story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee (Nanjiani), the Indian-American entrepreneur who started the famous male revue show, Chippendales. Ashford plays the series regular role of Irene, an accountant by trade and wife of founder Banerjee, falling in love over a shared passion for tax loopholes and revenue expansion. The role garnered her first Emmy nomination.

Ashford also starred as Paula Jones in Ryan Murphy’s “Impeachment: American Crime Story” in 2021, which unraveled the national crisis that swept up Jones, Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp as principal characters in the country’s first impeachment proceedings in over a century. The Los Angeles Times raved “her performance is inflected with humor as well as compassionand Entertainment Weekly proclaims, “Ashford shines through an elite ensemble.”

Also in television, Ashford starred in two seasons of the hit CBS comedy “B Positive.” Created by Marco Pennette and Chuck Lorre, season two starred some legendary actors like Linda Lavin, Hector Elizondo and Ben Vereen. Matt Roush at TV Insider praised: “It’s about time that someone gave Tony-winning spitfire Annaleigh Ashford a lead role that takes full advantage of her madcap personality and offbeat comic timing.” In 2014, Ashford starred as ‘Betty DiMello’ in Showtime’s Golden Globe®, Emmy®, and Critics’ Choice® nominated series “Masters of Sex.” Ashford also played opposite Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney in HBO’s “Bad Education,” which won a Primetime Emmy® for “Outstanding Television Movie” and was nominated for a Critics Choice® Award. Additionally, she was seen in the Netflix series “Unbelievable,” starring Kaitlyn Dever, Toni Collette and Merritt Weaver.

In 2008 Ashford made her film debut in Sex and the City: The Movie and then appeared in the Jonathan Demme film Rachel Getting Married. Ashford was also in the 2016 independent film Love on the Run, starring Francis Fisher, the 2019 Amazon film Late Night alongside Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson, and she voiced a troll in Disney’s critically acclaimed and Academy Award® winning animated feature Frozen, opposite Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. Ashford has had roles in the television shows “The Big C,” “Gifted Man,” “Law & Order,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Smash,” and “The Good Fight.”

On Broadway, Annaleigh garnered a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics’ Circle Award for her portrayal of ‘Essie Carmichael’ in the 2014 Broadway revival of You Can’t Take It With You. She starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George. The show was slated to play a limited engagement on London’s West End in June 2020, but has since been postponed due to the global pandemic. Ashford made her debut as the original ‘Margot’ in the 2007 production of Legally Blonde: The Musical. Following, she starred as ‘Glinda’ in the 2003 Broadway production of Wicked and ‘Jeannie’ in the 2009 critically acclaimed revival of Hair. Ashford also originated the role of ‘Lauren’ in Kinky Boots, a performance for which she received a Tony nomination in 2014. Other theatrical roles include ‘Marcie’ in Joe Mantello’s 2012 musical Dog Fight and ‘Maureen’ in the Michael Greif 2011 Off-Broadway revival of Rent, for which she was nominated for a Drama League Award and Clive Barnes Award.

In 2015, Ashford starred in a cabaret performance titled Annaleigh AshfordLost in the Stars at ‘54 Below’ in New York City. The critically acclaimed show was musically directed by Will Van Dyke.

Born and raised in Denver, Ashford now splits her time between Los Angeles and New York.

Auction

The DCPA Online Auction is one of the most anticipated in the region featuring extensive travel from Delta Airlines, Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, DCPA VIP experiences, local cultural institutions, world-class venues, and other packages with businesses that want to align themselves with a major performing arts institution in our country. The online auction seeks donations that include:

  • Items that buyers cannot easily access or purchase
  • Provide a special or behind-the-scenes experience
  • Packages from businesses that want to align themselves with a major performing arts institution and receive marketing exposure to the 250,000+ households on our mailing list in Colorado and 130,000+ social media followers

We would be thrilled to receive your donation to our auction where all proceeds benefit DCPA theatre and education programs.

To donate, please click the below link and fill out the information for your donation. Thank you for your support!

Alive with Impact

Over the last 43 years, Saturday Night Alive tickets, donations and auctions have raised more than $22.5 million in support of our theatre and education programs. As one of the largest nonprofit theatre organizations in the country, the DCPA entertains and educates 150,000 students and one million patrons each year. Your participation helps us:

  • Ensure that every Coloradan can access life-changing artistic experiences
  • Share stories that resonate with and reflect the diversity of our vibrant community
  • Spark a love of theatre through deeply discounted tickets
  • Provide opportunities for children as young as three through our Theatre for Young Audiences program
  • Enable on-site and in-school workshops that boost critical thinking skills and build confidence
  • Provide scholarships for classes and field trips for students to experience live theatre
  • And ultimately, make theatre accessible for everyone

$300 Cocktail Ticket

For the first time ever, we’re offering an exclusive $300 ticket that grants you access to an unforgettable evening from 5:30 – 8:30pm, including: Cocktail Hour and a Half, Heavy Hors d’oeuvres, Open Bar, and Access to the One-Night-Only Gala Performance. Limited availability.

Please note: Ticket placement in the Wolf Theatre will be assigned based on level of support and date of purchase.

If you would like to purchase tickets or tables over the phone, contact Megan Stewart directly or call 303-446-4821.

Tickets & Tables

For information about the 2024 sponsorship levels, please click here. To purchase a sponsorship for a full table of ten (10) guests to attend the event, please contact Megan Stewart directly.

$2,500 Gold Ticket

Includes VIP Lounge access during cocktail hour, a premiere seat in the Wolf Theatre, a seat at a VIP table for dinner in the Seawell Ballroom, and after party access.

$1,000 Individual Ticket

Includes cocktail hour, a seat in the Wolf Theatre, a seat for dinner in the Seawell Ballroom, and after party access.

HONOREE

2024 Daniel L. Ritchie Spotlight Award:
Robert & Judi Newman

LEADERSHIP

Trustee Co-Chairs: Dr. Jessica & David-Jacques Farahi
Community Co-Chairs: John Farnam & Paul Heitzenrater

2024 Host Committee

Barbara Bridges

Wanda Colburn

Chris Davis

Adrienne Ruston Fitzgibbons

Molly Fortune

Rachel Garcia

Ruth Krebs

Robert Phifer

Marcia Romero

Chris Ross

Sheila Salem

Everett Schneider

Maren Stewart

Susan Stiff

Elaine Torres

If you are interested in serving on the 2024 Host Committee, please contact Megan Stewart directly. Host Committee members are asked to attend the event, purchase a table or ticket, and help secure auction items.

2024 SPONSORS

Diamond Sponsor

Morgridge Family Foundation

U.S. Bank

After Party Sponsor

Genesee Mountain Foundation

VIP Lounge Sponsor

Dorota & Kevin Kilstrom

Gold Sponsors

The Anschutz Foundation

Bedrock Landscaping Materials

Chevron

Delta Airlines

Keith & Kathie Finger

MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation

Robert and Judi Newman

Westin Denver Downtown

Entertainment Hospitality Sponsor
Mark Sexton & the Sexton Family Foundation

Silver Sponsors

Jim & Kristin Bender

Monarch Casino

Oakwood Homes

Wine & Spirit Sponsors

Neyers Vineyards

Quattro Theary

Total Wine & More

Tres Agaves

Bronze Sponsors
Alpine Bank

Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck

CBS Colorado

CIBC

CliftonLarsonAllen LLP

CU-Denver

Jerome & Jackie Davis, Canvas BOD

DaVita

Dimond Family Foundation

Stanton Dodge

FirstBank

HealthONE

Ruth Krebs & Peter Mannetti

Metro State University of Denver

Morgan Stanley

Polsinelli

Semple, Farrington Everall & Case

Wolf Energy Company, in honor of Marvin & Judi Wolf

UCHealth

Xcel Energy

Polsinelli

Sylvia & David Young

*Sponsor list as of May 20, 2024.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is very pleased to present: LaChanze, for one night only! Join us for an unforgettable evening in the Wolf Theatre, featuring a specially curated setlist from a bona fide, Tony Award-winning powerhouse of the stage and screen.

With a career that has spanned thirty-eight Broadway seasons, LaChanze consistently brings women of complexity and triumph into the cultural lexicon.

Last season, LaChanze made her debut as producer on two shows, the 20th anniversary revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ acclaimed Pulitzer-Prize-Winning play, Topdog/Underdog, as well as Kimberly Akimbo, a new musical by Tony Award Winning Composer Jeanine Tesori and Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, earning a combined 11 Tony Award nominations and 6 Tony Award wins, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical, respectively. This season, she produced Kimberly Akimbo, Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White. In Spring 2024, she will join the producing team of The Outsiders, a new musical based on S.E. Hinton’s beloved novel. She will also make her New York City directorial debut with Alice Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness at Classic Stage Company.

LaChanze won a Tony Award for her performance as Celie in The Color Purple, originated the role of Ti Moune in Once on This Island (Tony Award nomination), and upheld her commitment to artistic excellence this past season as Wiletta in Alice Childress’ historic play, Trouble In Mind (Tony Award nomination). Other notable stage performances include roles in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Tony Award nomination), A Christmas Carol, The Secret Life of Bees, If/Then, The Wiz, Ragtime, Uptown… It’s Hot! and Dreamgirls.

On screen, she has delivered memorable roles in both TV and film including: “East New York,” “The Blacklist,” “Handel’s Messiah Rocks: A Joyful Noise” (Emmy Award), Melinda,” “The Help,” HBO’s “The Night Of,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Good Fight,” “Sex And The City,” and Disney animated feature film “Hercules” among other titles.

She is the President of Black Theatre United, a community of creatives dedicated to awareness, accountability, and advocacy. Proud mother of Celia Rose and Zaya LaChanze. She resides in Westchester, New York with her three cats and gardening hats.

Check out a recent CBS Sunday Morning feature on LaChanze from February 2024.

Alive with Impact

Over the last 43 years, Saturday Night Alive tickets, donations and auctions have raised more than $22.5 million in support of our theatre and education programs. As one of the largest nonprofit theatre organizations in the country, the DCPA entertains and educates 150,000 students and one million patrons each year. Your participation helps us:

  • Ensure that every Coloradan can access life-changing artistic experiences
  • Share stories that resonate with and reflect the diversity of our vibrant community
  • Spark a love of theatre through deeply discounted tickets
  • Provide opportunities for children as young as three through our Theatre for Young Audiences program
  • Enable on-site and in-school workshops that boost critical thinking skills and build confidence
  • Provide scholarships for classes and field trips for students to experience live theatre
  • And ultimately, make theatre accessible for everyone

2022 AUCTION OPEN!

Support DCPA theatre and education programs and participate in our highly anticipated online auction!