Who’s behind the new, improved Rippon?

When the Colorado Shakespeare Festival opens its 69th season in June, patrons will discover a whole new experience when attending plays at the historic Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, following a 3-year, $105-million renovation of the Hellems Arts and Sciences building in which it’s housed.

It took almost a decade to plan, fund and complete the makeover, thanks to contributions from CSF donors and staff, CU personnel, the state of Colorado, architects and builders, and others. These are key players who helped usher the refreshed Rippon onstage.

Funding

CU Boulder’s government-relations team wrangled the process of securing funding from the state Legislature. The University of Colorado and the state of Colorado each provided about half of total funding.

Donors

Several key donors made gifts to buy essential theater equipment, notably a new, state-of-the-art lighting setup: Pam and Duke Hartman; The Schramm Foundation; Dan and Amanda Mones; Lin and Matthew Hawkins.

CU Staff

Project Management Team Lead Blake Guyer and Dena Heisner, Project and Process Manager for Design and Construction, both under Facilities Management, worked closely with CSF staff throughout the process.

Vince Aquino, lead arborist for Facilities Management, helped preserve healthy trees bordering the stage.

CSF Staff

Staff members provided input throughout the process, regularly meeting with design and construction teams to help them understand how CSF uses the space and offer input. Production Manager Jon Dunkle and Managing Director Wendy Franz oversaw tech and operations needs. Operations Manager Kurt M. Mehlenbacher and Franz represented audience services. And Producing Artistic Director Tim Orr provided ongoing input.

College of Arts and Sciences

Zack Tupper, former assistant dean for infrastructure at the college, now Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Resource Management, was instrumental in getting the project off the ground and helped bring key stakeholders together with architects and builders.

Architects, Engineers and Builders

Hacker Architecture, Handprint Architecture, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, a crucial consultant on making sure the building and theatre remain structurally sound, and construction contractor Adolfson & Peterson Construction all played major roles in bringing the project to fruition.

Café

CSF, staff from Arts and Sciences dean’s office and CU’s Real Estate Services chose Boulder’s Stingers Café to provide drinks — the festival’s license to serve beer and wine is expected to be finalized before opening night on May 30 — and light fare to patrons before the show and during intermissions, in part because of its existing presence at CU Boulder and assurances that an owner will always be on hand for each performance.

Season and single tickets for Colorado Shakespeare Festival are on sale now at coloradoshakes.org.