CMU offers glimpse inside new Asteria Theatre

By ANN WRIGHT

Ann.Wright@gjsentinel.com

Part inspirational and part aspirational, Colorado Mesa University has named its new theater for the stars.

The Asteria Theatre — Asteria selected for its “of the stars” Greek etymology — will roll out the red carpet for patrons to fill its 860 seats for its opening night featuring the play “Amadeus” on Sept. 27.

The public also will be invited into the Asteria for an open house in September to show off the new theater with auditorium seating that rises with balconies and boxes instead of going back, “which means there’s not a bad seat in the house,” said CMU President John Marshall while leading a tour of the Asteria for the Sentinel’s editorial board earlier this week.

But even before the tour arrived in the Asteria’s auditorium, Marshall as well as Mo LeMee, head of the theatre arts department, and Darin Kamstra, head of the music department, were keen to point out the Asteria’s special features.

The terrazzo floor in the main lobby depicts the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers, and the rust-colored plates along the stairs at the back of the lobby portray the canyons of the nearby Colorado National Monument.

Natural colors and materials are used throughout the Asteria so it “looks and feels very much attached to this place,” Marshall said.

Even the lighting fixtures are special. In a large room off the main lobby, lights hang in a pattern similar to lines on a topographical map, and on the exterior of the theater’s high fly tower there are small LED lights that will appear at night like soft starlight, Marshall said. “There is a lot of intentionality in the design,” he said.

The Asteria comes with a $54 million price tag covered in part by $39 million from the state of Colorado. CMU designated $6 million to the project with the balance coming from a capital campaign.

The theater will be operated by OVG360 with CMU’s academic, community and financial goals in mind, Marshall said. OVG360 also manages the

See GLIMPSE, page 4A ➤

Colorado Mesa University President John Marshall giving a tour of the new Asteria Theatre on the CMU campus on Tuesday. The new 860-seat theater will roll out the red carpet for patrons for its opening night featuring the play “Amadeus” on Sept. 27.

CHRISTOPHER TOMLINSON/ The Daily Sentinel

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city-owned Avalon Theatre and Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park.

“This is the largest stage in western Colorado as of now,” Marshall said over the noise of continued construction work as the tour moved into the Asteria’s auditorium.

Along with the benefit of the stage’s size, the auditorium was designed to accommodate a wide range of needs both acoustically and technically, from music performances to theater and dance. “We tried to find that sweet spot,” Kamstra said as he looked down at the stage from the upper balcony.

In addition, the back of the house has dimensions not found at the city’s Avalon Theatre or at Robinson Theatre, which until now has been CMU’s main performing venue.

There are two semitruck bays for large acts to easily access the facility. There is a large room where sets can be built off stage and tall doors that will allow those sets to be moved to and from the stage with ease. There is a room with a sprung floor where dancers can warm up without fear of injury due to concrete floors and musicians can play without being heard by an audience.

Along with meeting CMU’s academic theater arts and music needs, the Asteria will serve as a civic forum for speakers and debates and a performance venue for community groups — the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and Colorado West Performing Arts Company already have dates at the Asteria — and touring professional shows, Marshall said.

“There are a lot of things we’ve missed out on. … There’s just a lot of limitations,” said Maria Rainsdon, a general manager for OVG360, who was part of the tour along with Sam Garza, who will oversee the Asteria for OVG360.

Some of those limitations are related to space and some are technical. “No one is going to come if your sound system is insufficient,” she said.

With the opening of Asteria, “we’ve hit it out of the park,” she said.

The Asteria really is a “regional asset,” Marshall said.

Creating something that didn’t exist was a goal as well as an opportunity, he said, noting that for inspiration among other things “humans have always looked to the stars.”

The Asteria is a chance “to aspire to something bigger,” Marshall said.

The outside of the new Asteria Theatre on the Colorado Mesa University campus is shown Tuesday. Natural colors and materials are used throughout the Asteria so it “looks and feels very much attached to this place,” CMU President John Marshall said.

Photos by CHRISTOPHER TOMLINSON/ The Daily Sentinel

Colorado Mesa University President John Marshall points out some of the features during a tour of the new Asteria Theatre on campus on Tuesday. Along with meeting CMU’s academic theater arts and music needs, the Asteria will serve as a civic forum for speakers and debates and a performance venue for community groups — the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and Colorado West Performing Arts Company already have dates at the Asteria — and touring professional shows, Marshall said.

A view from the stage looking out at the auditorium at the new Asteria Theatre on the Colorado Mesa University campus. The auditorium was designed to accommodate a wide range of needs both acoustically and technically, from music performances to theater and dance.

The new Asteria Theatre on the Colorado Mesa campus has auditorium seating that rises with balconies and boxes instead of going back and will be operated by OVG360 with CMU’s academic, community and financial goals in mind.