Every Space A Universe

Graduating East Seniors Treated To the ‘Angel Multiverse’ Of Escapades For After-Prom Party

Story and photos by Reid Neureiter 

For the GPHN

Talk about a dizzying array: Dueling jumpsuit-clad Elvises (Elvi?), a massive “silent” disco, bouncy castles, a graffiti-festooned karaoke studio, a neon bingo hall, and parents costumed as extraterrestrials.

On the night and early morning of May 13-14, the Denver East class of 2023 was celebrated with an enormous “Angel-Multiverse”-themed after-prom party.

The after-prom is produced every year by parents of East’s graduating class to provide a safe and substance-free event for seniors after the formal prom dance. For the celebration, the entire high school, including the hallways, cafeteria, and both gyms, is elaborately decorated to the point of being nearly unrecognizable.

East parents Blythe Kingsbury and Emily Bovard were co-chairs of this year’s steering committee, which raised approximately $40,000 to support the event. Sara Donnelly, parent of senior Elli Cannon, served as “decorations” co-chair. The decorations committee is the creative department of after-prom and Donnelly came up with the “Angel Multiverse” theme.

“I was working on after-prom as a ‘space’ captain in 2021,” she said. “I thought it would be a fun idea to have no theme, just have every space be its own interactive art space. From that came the idea of each space being its own universe.”

Putting on the party takes an enormous effort, involving hundreds of volunteers. Initial planning began in the fall, and the buildout of the sets in early February. “There were 23 steering committee members, and each space has at least one space captain,” Donnelly said. “This year we had about 20 space captains. Then it took hundreds of volunteers to move us in from our workspace, help set up, and then run the event.”

Faculty and staff help out the night-of, including serving as card dealers in the mock casino. Said Donnelly, “We could not do it without the cooperation and help of the East staff, including Principal Terita Walker.”

The after-prom offered numerous attractions and amusements. There was a psychedelic movie theater, a pinball arcade, and giant inflatable trampoline with massive padded rotating arms that would knock students over, like something from the television show Wipeout.

Another universe consisted of a small room equipped with a Lego table, a professional-quality lighted dance floor and sound system to practice hula-hooping, a fashion catwalk, and a Guitar Hero console.

Particularly popular was the Las Vegas-style wedding chapel, where couples could choose from one of two Elvis impersonators (either the sleek or rotund version) to join partygoers in mock matrimony. Also a crowd favorite was the casino (the converted cafeteria), where seniors could play blackjack or roulette and exchange their winnings for prizes, including custom water bottles. East High graduate and professional magician Scotty Weise performed feats of magic and mentalism throughout the night to the amazement of party-goers.

Fueling the revelry was a nearly unlimited supply of food, candy and refreshing beverages. These included popsicles, burritos, pizza, a Sabrett’s hot dog stand, popcorn, a cotton-candy machine, an enormous selection of sugar-laden cereals, and cupcakes at the wedding chapel. Everything was free.

“We all wanted to make sure that the East seniors had a fantastic party after this very challenging school year for them,” said Donnelly, a reference to the gun violence and related lockdowns that have left students, faculty and administrators at the school shaken.

East parent Danielle Anderson Martines gave the event top marks. “The seniors had such a blast! They were all blown away by the effort that went into making this night so memorable for them.”

Her senior son Ian Martines agreed, calling the after-prom “one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.”