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🎭 In the Spotlight

A few weeks ago, we had the best time at the Superior Farmer’s Market, and this week’s BYLPie spotlight goes to someone who jumped in immediately, volunteering to give glitter tattoos to kids and spreading joy all afternoon ✨

You might recognize him from some of our recent fall musicals as unforgettable villains (Gaston and Pulitzer), but don’t be fooled, Connor is truly one of the kindest, most thoughtful humans you’ll meet.

Get to know Connor a little better below!

🎭 BackStory Backstory
“I first got involved in elementary school with an after school program, and I’ve stayed with BackStory ever since.”

⭐ Dream Role
“Hamilton or Hades”

🍿 Snack Break
“Whatever I happen to bring that day”

🎶 Earworm
“I don’t currently have one”

🌟 Wildcard
“I am a certified 1st degree black belt in taekwondo”

We’re so lucky to have young artists like Connor in our BackStory family, on stage, off stage, and everywhere in between.

🎭 Summer Production: A Christmas Carol

🎟️ TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Who said you can’t celebrate Christmas early? 🎄
At BackStory, we fully believe in Christmas in July… I mean, we’re pretty much halfway there, aren’t we? 😉

Join us this summer for a timeless classic that asks the questions that never go out of style:

Is it ever too late to change?
Can one person make a difference?

These themes mattered in Dickens’ time—and they still matter just as much today.

📅 July 9 & July 10 — 7:00 PM
📅 July 11 & July 12 — 2:00 PM

Directed by Rae Debord

Don’t miss this heartwarming summer celebration of a holiday classic, brought to life by our incredible young performers. Secure your seats now and celebrate a little Christmas magic in July! ✨🎄

https://www.backstorytheatre.org/copy-of-a-christmas-carol

The Off Script Outing last month was such a hit… we’re making it monthly! 🎉

This month’s featured event: Showtune Karaoke Night! 🎤

We’ll kick things off with a themed craft led by our BYLPies, then gather for a theatre-family meal before opening the mic for an evening of show-stopping (and sometimes delightfully chaotic) karaoke performances.

Whether your kid is ready for main character energy and standing ovations, or prefers to cheer from the audience, everyone belongs at BackStory. Join in, sit back, or jump into group numbers… you do you 🎶

Parents: this is a drop-off event, so enjoy a few hours of your own well-earned main character moment.

📅 Thursday 6/25 | 5:00–8:30 PM
📍 BackStory’s Home Theatre, 3400 Industrial Lane, Unit 10D, Broomfield
🎨 Crafts • 🍽️ Dinner • 🍪 Treats • 🎤 Showtune Karaoke
👧 Ages 5+
💲 $30 per ticket | 10% sibling discount

100% of proceeds support local youth and their incredible productions at BackStory Theatre.

Save your spot: https://www.hisawyer.com/backstory-theatre/schedules/activity-set/1927445

Mark your calendars! July 23rd from 6–8 PM, you are invited to the event of the season: BackStory Theatre's 20th Birthday Bash! 🕺💃

And since so many great things came out of 2006 (besides BackStory, of course), we're going to Party Like It's 2006!🌠

The excitement is already building. Silent auction donations have started rolling in, and we can't wait to share what these amazing local businesses have gifted our BackStory community. Keep an eye on your inbox for sneak peeks and event updates!

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Know of a business that would be a great fit for our community? Email [email protected] for more information.

Stay tuned for more details coming soon. We can't wait to celebrate 20 years of creativity, community, and storytelling with you! 🧡

⭐️ In the Spotlight ⭐️

Meet the woman behind the popcorn machine mission:
🍿 Katie Svoboda-Rini 🍿

Today, Katie serves on BackStory's Board of Directors, but her journey with BackStory began as a mom searching for a place where her daughter could truly belong.

A young performer from the start, Katie's daughter dreamed of being on stage. After trying several programs that didn't feel quite right, their family found BackStory during one of the most challenging seasons of their lives.

After being displaced by the Marshall Fire, Katie's family was navigating loss, recovery, and the feeling that everything in life revolved around the fire. They needed a place where they could simply be themselves.

That place became BackStory. 🌟

"Through the years, it has been the one place that she really feels a sense of acceptance and belonging."

Inspired by the dedication and leadership that kept BackStory thriving, Katie decided to give back and joined the Board of Directors, where she now helps support the organization's mission (while apparently fighting an ongoing battle with a popcorn machine - full story in our weekly newsletter 🤭😂)

A few fun facts about Katie:

🎬 Dream Role:
King George from Hamilton... although Elphaba from Wicked is a close second.

🥤Favorite Rehearsal Snack:
Coke Zero and kettle corn.

🎶 Current Earworm:
"Naughty" from Matilda, thanks to her daughter's current obsession with the show.

🧐 Fun Fact:
Katie grew up in North Pole, Alaska and has been chased by moose twice.

Thank you, Katie, for helping make BackStory a place where young performers can find confidence, creativity, and belonging.

If you are looking to get involved or donate check us out: 

[email protected]
https://www.backstorytheatre.org/donate

Colorado has a strong tradition of live theatre, and across the Front Range, from Westminster to Fort Collins. There's no shortage of companies creating bold, memorable work in spaces of all sizes.

We want to take time to highlight those companies.

Over the next several weeks we want to introduce you to maybe some old friends, or companies you didn't know existed, or to add your voice to the loud cheers these incredible companies have come to know.

And we want you to introduce US to THEM!

But let us not get ahead of ourselves...

Hi, we are :11 After Theatre Company.

Many of you know us, and to some hopefully we are meeting you for the first time.

:11 After Theatre Company is a nomadic company.

You may ask yourself what that means?

It means we have the rare privilege of partnering with theatre companies across the Front Range.

Bringing bold, high-level productions into spaces as intimate as 75 seats and as expansive as 300. We have partnered with The Longmont Museum, Coal Creek Theatre Company of Louisville, Theatre Company of Lafayette, The Louisville Underground and the list goes on and we want to add more names to that list.

For over 20 years, :11 After Theatre Company has taken many shapes, different spaces, different artists, different chapters. But the reason we exist has never changed.

We believe in the power of theatre.

In the kind of storytelling that doesn’t just entertain, but shifts something. Quietly, unexpectedly, and sometimes all at once.

When :11 After was founded, it wasn’t just about producing shows. It was about building something rooted in values, ones that every person who walks through our doors actively carries. Not just something we say, but something we practice whether it be in rehearsal rooms, design meetings but probably the most important, in the way we show up for each other.

Because the goal isn’t just great theatre.

It’s creating a space where audiences, actors, directors, designers, technicians can walk in and feel it immediately:

There’s a place for me here.

A place where emerging artists aren’t just welcomed, they’re trusted.

Where experienced artists aren’t just showcased, they’re challenged.

Where collaboration feels less like hierarchy and more like shared ownership of something fleeting and alive.

There’s always been a little bit of magic in our story, those strange, meaningful moments when the clock hits :11 (hint hint the name of the company) and something ordinary opens into something more.

That’s what we chase.

Not perfection. Not spectacle for its own sake.
But connection. Presence. The kind of work that lingers after the lights go down.

What we’re building is more than a company.
It’s a home. For artists, for the audience, for anyone searching for something real.

This is :11 After Theatre Company.

And the story is still unfolding.