Buntport Theater Is Buying Its Building

Buntport Theater is starting its 25th season with a lot of room to grow. The theater now has more than double the space available for rehearsals, storage and productions, thanks to a new deal in which it is leasing to own the building where it has been renting space for more than two decades.

Company members were surprised when a “For Sale or Lease” sign popped up in front of the building at 717 Lipan Street. The theater collective, which has been bolstering Denver’s theater scene since 2001 with quirky and original plays and musicals (like its upcoming revival of Edgar Allen Poe Is Dead and So Is My Cat), had tried in the past to purchase its part of the building without luck.

Company member Erin Rollman says that at one point, the group had the right of first refusal written into the contract so that if the landlord decided to sell the building, Buntport would have some protection and control over the situation. “It’s hard to be a renter,” Rollman laments. “We’ve been in the same space for 25 years, but you don’t feel total security. At any time, we could be moving somewhere else.”

That became a real possibility when a development company made an offer on the building. “We felt like they were going to raze the building and we were going to be kicked out,” Rollman says. “We were like, ‘We probably only have two years here at most if we let this happen,’ so we had to scramble and figure out a path to getting it ourselves.”

That path opened up with what Rollman calls an “angel investor” who bought the building as a stopgap; Buntport Theater is now leasing to own the building and just launched its 25th season with a five-year capital campaign to raise more than $2 million to support the purchase, renovations and other related costs.

Over $1 million of that goal was already raised before Buntport went public with the campaign, as company members reached out to individuals who had supported the group in the past. According to Rollman, the members plan to apply for grants as well, but “that process is just longer than being able to have conversations with individuals.”

The five members of Buntport are running the capital campaign to keep administrative costs minimal, allowing donations and grant funding to go directly to the purchase of the building.

Buntport Theater previously occupied about 3,500 square feet of the converted warehouse space just south of downtown Denver; now the company will take up the whole 10,000 square-foot building, with plans to add a rehearsal space for the community, more storage areas, a sewing room, a woodshop and more.

Previously, props, costumes and sets were built on-site in the theater, which meant there was less time for the space to be rented out. “We’d have to block it off like a month in advance so we could build the set and get everything up for our show, but now we should be able to have the theater be in use for longer before we open,” Rollman explains.

Meanwhile, a 55-by-35-foot rehearsal space will now be available for other local theater groups and artists to rent. In the future, it may also work as a small performance space if the performance doesn’t need a lot of tech, Rollman adds. Meanwhile, the theater space will still be available to rent by those looking for a more traditional format — Buntport Theater has always been a community space, hosting not only theater, film, visual art and dance, but also meetings, workshops, birthdays, weddings, funerals and more.

The need for rehearsal space is big in Denver. “We’re really excited to be able to bring more people in and provide more options,” Rollman says. “It’s a tough town in terms of both performance space and rehearsal space — there’s just not that much out there.”

As grassroots efforts to renovate the space are underway, the priority is to get the rehearsal space up and running; there are already plans to have a company rent that space on November 1 to rehearse a one-person show. “Luckily, rehearsal spaces are pretty bare bones,” Rollman says. “We’ll have some tables, chairs, rehearsal boxes, access to spike tape and basic needs, as well as access to bathrooms and a little kitchenette.”

After 25 years of an uncertain future as renters, Rollman is excited about the company’s newfound security and sustainability. “We feel finally, this is for real our home; we get to make decisions about it, we get to make it look the way we want, we get to care for it and love it in the way that we want to,” she says.

And day-to-day operations will be improved, too, as well as the future outlook. “Right now, our storage areas are very cramped,” Rollman admits. “You have to clamber on top of things to get other things, and things tumble and fall and break. The fact that we’re going to be able to more easily access those things quickly is a big deal.”

But out of all of the benefits, Rollman is most excited about the positive impact on the community that the added space will usher in. “It’s really hard to stay motivated when only you are benefiting from something,” she says. “It’s exciting to me that other people get to use the space.”

Always focused on affordability (tickets for Buntport Theater’s shows are pay-what-you-can), Buntport is committed to keeping rental rates low so that the space is accessible for any creatives who need it.

“The incredible initial response to our capital campaign demonstrates that others also value this work and commitment to original theater,” Rollman adds, “and we’re so grateful to everyone who has stepped forward to support us.”

Learn more about the capital campaign or donate here. Edgar Allen Poe Is Dead and So Is My Cat will be staged October 31 through November 16 at Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan Street.