12 JULY 9-15, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | forts funded by downtown tax revenue have already come crashing down. The Dirt on DIRT In February 2025, Westword reported that two theater veterans, Steve Wargo and Blair Russell, were converting the former Patagonia store at 15th and Blake streets into Denver’s very own immersive theater hub, Denver Immersive Repertory The- ater (DIRT). A few months later, the DDA announced that it would award DIRT a $400,000 small business loan as part of its pilot business incentive program; at the end of 2025, Wargo and Russell said they were preparing to open the venue’s fi rst show, “Midnight’s Dream,” a reimagining of Shake- speare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” using Celtic folklore and faerie mythology. In December, Russell told Westword the DDA money was earmarked for renovating the building, part of a broader build-out he estimated at just under $1 million to create the “warm gray shell” that would bring the space up to code and “be our home for a good long while.” From there, Wargo estimated it would take roughly $600,000 to put on “Midnight’s Dream,” which was supposed to open in April. But by June, there had not been a single production of “Midnight’s Dream” at DIRT, because the theater still hadn’t opened. On June 15, the DIRT Facebook page said in a post that Russell and Wargo had decided to “release our performing company from their contracts rather than keep them wait- ing indefi nitely while we fi nish the build.” “In the last twelve months, DIRT has endured some unforeseen challenges that have caused signifi cant operational delays and fi nancial impacts towards completing construction on our building as originally envisioned,” Russell and Wargo told West- word in a July 1 statement. By July 2, DIRT was issued an eviction notice on 15th and Blake by landlord Fred Glick, who says the theater owes $51,000 in unpaid rent for May and June. The eviction came on the heels of a lawsuit against DIRT by Littleton-based Beaver Construc- tion Consulting, which alleges that the theater company owes $268,707 for unpaid work. A copy of DIRT’s DDA loan agree- ment, obtained by Westword, speci- fi ed that if the city deems the loan insecure, the full amount of the loan will immediately become due. Russell and Wargo did not re- spond to a request for comment about the lawsuit or eviction notice. As the idea of a downtown Denver hub for immersive theater exits stage left, a Mile High hub for fi lm artists is emerging — where drama only shows up in scripts and on screens, hopefully. Downtown Hub for Film Artists CAST’s building at 444 17th St. is set to be- come home to six artist studios, a micro cin- ema, affordable artist storage and a gallery. According to Louise Martorano, Managing Director of National Programs for CAST Colorado, the building could open as soon as spring of next year. On June 24, the DDA approved a $1.35 million grant to support the acquisition and conversion of the vacant 6,300-square-foot, ground-fl oor space. CAST settled on an ac- quisition price of $500,000 for the building, using the remaining $850,000 for renova- tions for the microcinema, studios, gallery and storage, Martorano says. The nonprofi t hopes to close on the building by early fall. Martorano, who spent 15 years at RedLine Contemporary Art Center — most of it as executive director — before taking on the job with CAST, says the downtown location “was envisioned in response to the lack of infrastructure for fi lm and video-based art- ists in the Denver area.” Over the last 18 years of working with artists across various media and mediums, there was a consistent request for affordable and secure screening space, performance space with non-concrete fl oors, and more opportunities and spaces to share contem- porary fi lm and video work,” she continues. “There is already an expansive community of independent video, performance and fi lmmakers in Colorado, so this resource is with them in mind and the communities that surround their practices and ideas.” Martorano aims to provide a locally- driven, centrally located creative hub for arts and culture organizations to offer cre- ative programming and events to locals and visitors alike. “This new space comes without pretense or expectations, but rather a sincere offering to share in an afford- able resource and creative infrastruc- ture for artists that our city and state art agencies believe in and want to support,” she says. Founded in San Francisco in 2013, CAST’s expansion into Colorado marked the agency’s fi rst extension to another state. Earlier this year, CAST secured the East Street School in Trinidad as an affordable housing project and studio space for artists; Colorado Creative Industries hosted its annual summit there last month. Looking forward, Martorano is excited to facilitate 444 17th St.’s transformation into a community- driven resource for fi lm, media and video as well as a space for affordable artist studios and fi ne arts storage space. If all goes well, it should be open before next summer. “Both are critical to continue supporting artists who choose Denver as their home, and this funding approval is a validation that artists need permanently affordable space to thrive, that culture matters, and it’s worth every ef- fort and process to protect,” Martorano says. How Do Artists Get DDA Funds, Anyway? The DDA wants to continue funding arts and cultural projects. According to Marion, applications for artistic installations will reopen later this year, and the event infra- structure category is currently open, Marion says. Entities can apply through a formal application process on the city’s Downtown Development Authority webpage. “The city then completes an evaluation process, which includes working with ap- plicants to better understand and refi ne their proposals,” Marion says. “Art displays in- volving public right-of-way have additional review for assessment of traffi c and public access impacts. Projects are then sent to the [DDA] Board of Directors for consideration of funding.” He adds that most reviews are expected to be complete within 30-90 days, with an additional 30-90 days for the approval process. It took nearly six months for DIRT to receive its DDA funding after being picked as a loan recipient. Marion says the length of time to receive DDA funding “varies largely by project and is based on a number of factors specifi c to each project/proposal, including the applicant’s ability to successfully execute a contract with the [DDA].” Not every project has been an immediate success, but the positive effects are already noticeable in downtown Denver. “Skynets” waved its colors over Denver PrideFest, which was held for the fi rst time on 16th Street on June 28, bringing thou- sands of people downtown. Meanwhile, as visitors step out of Union Station this sum- mer, they’ll be immediately greeted by even more cool art. And, if they’re lucky enough, two guys fi ghting in a splash pond. Email the author at kristen.fi [email protected]. Patrick Shearn, artistic director of Colorado-based art studio Poetic Kinetics, works on the “Sun Splash” “Skynets” installation at Union Station. The exterior of the Denver Immersive Repertory Theater’s space at 15th and Blake. PHOTO BY MICHAEL CHAVEZ Culture continued from page 10 TONI TRESCA FOR WESTWORD
