Denver School of the Arts Brings Down the House

2 of 8 Mayor’s Awards Recipients, Plus 1 Runner Up, From Park Hill School

Staff report

Two of eight recipients of the 2015 Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in Arts & Culture are home on stage at the Denver Center For Performing Arts in Park Hill.

Thespian Jimmy Bruenger, a senior and theatre department president, was one of six recipients chosen by a panel of former award winners and members of the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs. He received the Youth Arts & Culture Award.

Shawn Hann was one of two people’s choice awards winners, voted on by the general public. She won for In-School Arts.

In addition, DSA instructor Eric Mills was a runner up in the awards, which were announced Nov. 17 at a reception and presentation in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

“Denver is so proud of those who contribute so much to our thriving creative economy and cultural vitality,” said Mayor Michael B. Hancock in a release. “Arts and culture continue to shape our great city into the vibrant, diverse community that it is. That contribution to the progress of our city deserves recognition and gratitude.”

The Denver School of the Arts, at the corner of Montview Boulevard and Quebec Street, is a Denver Public Schools arts magnet school for grades 6-12. In addition to its academic program, students engage in intensive studies in Creative Writing, Dance, Music, Stagecraft and Design, Theatre, Video Cinema Arts, and Visual Arts.

According to the release, Bruenger, a senior, has held lead performances as Link in “Hairspray,” Lefou in “Beauty and the Beast” and was Hanschen in the musical “Spring Awakening.” Currently the thespian/theatre department president, Bruenger will be choreographing the eighth grade production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” in the spring. Additionally, Bruenger raises funds and awareness for the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the local charity Denver Actor’s Fund. He spearheaded a fundraising campaign that helped to raise $2,000 for each charity.

People’s Choice Awards recipient Hann has been teaching since 1994 and has been the chair of the theater department at DSA since 2001. She works with 160 thespians grades 6 to 12 each school day.

According to the release, Hann likens the theatre to a ‘time capsule.” She works with her casts by first educating them on the time period of the production – the economics, the social world, the political world, art and architecture of the time, and religion. This process, she notes, helps to educate the cast about the world around them, and creates a basis for character building and development. Hann also works extensively with the production designers to create an accurate world on-stage.

Mills, a runner up, teaches humanities at DSA. He is a classically trained pianist, and spent time studying music therapy and African percussion in college. This allows for a wide variety of conversations with students familiar with music notation and rhythm.

Mills has his African-American literature course read the history of 20th-Cenury America through the bifurcated lens of “white America” and “black America” while grounding itself in the real world and music. After the events in Ferguson, Mo., last year, Mill’s students organized peaceful and organized walkouts, largely a result of classroom discussions about the #blacklivesmatter movement. These protests led to a larger community conversation around race.

  Since 1986, the Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in Arts & Culture have annually recognized individuals and organizations that make significant and lasting contributions to the arts in the City and County of Denver.

The other recipients this year include RTD Public Art Manager Brenda Tierney, the Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave, the Hope Tank, the RedLine Contemporary Art, and the Phamaly Theatre Company and Lone Tree Arts Center in Lone Tree (which won for Arts & Culture innovation and People’s Choice).

Denver Arts & Venues’ mission is to amplify Denver’s quality of life and economic vitality through premier public venues, arts and entertainment opportunities. Arts & Venues is the City and County of Denver agency responsible for operating Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Colorado Convention Center, Denver Coliseum and McNichols Civic Center Building.

Arts & Venues also oversees the Denver Public Art Program, Create Denver, and other programs and cultural events, including the Five Points Jazz Festival, Urban Arts Fund, and implementation of IMAGINE 2020: Denver’s Cultural Plan.