One hundred years ago, Denver Mayor Robert W. Speer propelled Denver into the “City Beautiful” movement. He is credited with developing Denver’s tree-shaded streets, Civic Center Park, Sloan’s Lake Park, the Auditorium Arena and the Mount Evans highway. He was also driven from office amid allegations of corruption and election-rigging.

You can learn more about this part of Denver’s colorful history—and be royally entertained—at a unique theatrical fundraising event for Metro State’s Center for Visual Art (CVA). CVA and Curious Theater are teaming up for Acting up!, an evening of food, drink, art, music and theater on Friday, March 18. Tickets are $50, $35 of which is tax-deductible.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:

Act 1, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Eat, drink and socialize at the Center for Visual Art, 1734 Wazee Street. Music by DJ ColdFacts.

Act 2, 8 p.m.

“Paris on the Platte: The Remarkable Reign of Robert Speer” at the Curious Theater, 1080 Acoma Street.

Act 3, After the play

Dessert and coffee

The Curious Theater Company’s production of “Paris on the Platte” represents the first commission of an original play by the theater. Playwright Joan Holden, best known for “Nickel and Dimed,” wrote the script.

For more information about the evening go to http://www.mscd.edu/news/cva/spot.htm
To read more about the show and the Curious Theater, go to http://www.curioustheatre.org/shows/speer.html