Grand Opening Celebration for Denver Academy’s Louise McCabe Performing Arts Center Held Oct. 25, 2023

Those invited to this special event included DA’s Board of Trustees, project partners, and donors to the school’s 50th Anniversary Building on Excellence capital campaign. Construction on the Performing Arts Center began in June 2022 and was completed in September 2023.

The Grand Opening kicked off with a dedication of the Catherine N. D’Amato Plaza in honor of her generous support of the Performing Arts Center. The D’Amato family was in attendance. The evening continued with a ribbon-cutting ceremony including the building’s namesake, retired DA teacher and faculty member Louise McCabe and her family. Attendees also enjoyed refreshments and self-guided tours of the building with the opportunity to talk to DA Staff and Performing Arts Faculty in their respective spaces about the center’s exciting features. Remarks were given by Head of School Mark Twarogowski, Denver Academy Board of Trustees Chair Kent Berke, and Denver Academy Dean of Arts & Media Katie Bradford. Piano entertainment was provided by jazz pianist and Denver Academy accompanist Hank Troy.

“A lot of our students find their home in the arts, and we are glad to be able to give them a first-class home,” said Denver Academy Dean of Arts & Media Katie Bradford. “I can’t wait to see what they do on this brand-new stage!”

The Denver Academy Louise McCabe Performing Arts Center is 16,000 square feet and replaces the school’s previous 49-seat theater on campus. The new Center provides an inspiring setting for students to create, perform, and thrive. Some building highlights include a grand 250-seat theater with sectional seating and a mezzanine; a black box theater; music classroom spaces; improved sound, lighting and AV systems; a scene shop with rollup doors; and a central lobby with a ticket office and room for pre- and post-performance functions. It also provides a DA community gathering space for events such as keynote lectures and the school’s biannual symposium on teaching and learning, as well as schoolwide assemblies.

The building is named in honor of Louise McCabe who worked at Denver Academy from 1977 to 2000. Having started her career at DA as a teacher’s aide, Ms. McCabe held multiple positions during her tenure and was the Head of Lower School when she retired. Within those years, she was an amazing teacher, mentor, and human being at Denver Academy. The lead donors to our Performing Arts Center chose to honor Ms. McCabe for the incredible impact she had as an educator for their child.  

In addition to Denver Academy community and Board of Trustees members, project partners for the new Denver Academy Louise McCabe Performing Arts Center include architects Clutch Design Studio, construction contractors JHL Constructors, Inc., and project managers Anser Advisory, LLC. Denver Academy also acknowledges CCS Fundraising for their partnership in the school’s 50th Anniversary Building on Excellence capital campaign.    

Denver Academy extends its thanks to donors Gayle and Steve Mooney, Nancy Gary, the Martin Family, the Morgridge Family Foundation; and to many more in the DA community and beyond who have donated to the Louise McCabe Performing Arts Center and DA’s 50th Anniversary Building on Excellence capital campaign. 

“The Louise McCabe Performing Arts Center is something we’ve been thinking and dreaming about since we moved on to this campus,” said Head of School Mark Twarogowski. “The beautiful building that has been created is beyond my wildest dreams and imagination. We are so grateful for the support of our generous donors, and the DA community, for making this amazing building and the entire Building on Excellence capital campaign possible.”

  

DA’s two-phased Building on Excellence 50th Anniversary construction project and capital campaign is now completed. The campaign began in 2016 to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary in 2022 and to prepare Denver Academy for the next 50 years. DA’s generous community joined together to fund the follow projects which are now complete: 

Founded in 1972, Denver Academy believes that students thrive when taught in the way they learn best. DA is one of the top schools in the nation dedicated to teaching students with varied learning profiles, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences. DA’s innovative, proven learning model is based on the balanced application of classroom management, information processing, and academic literacy. Small class sizes of 12-14 students facilitate student-centered differentiated instruction. Flexible placement and several academic levels within each core subject, including honors classes and advanced coursework, allow faculty to teach to each student’s optimal level. For more information, visit www.denveracademy.org.

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(Additional photos and video available upon request.)

Photo 1 (Left to Right): Sister and brother, Faith and James D’Amato; DA Head of School Mark Twarogowski; and Cliff D’Amato stand in the Catherine N. D’Amato Plaza in front of the Louise McCabe Performing Arts Center. Photos by Povy Kendal Atchison, Rockin’ A Studio.

Photo 2: Louise McCabe (Center), the namesake of the new Louise McCabe Performing Arts Center, is pictured with her family members in front of the building. Photos by Povy Kendal Atchison, Rockin’ A Studio.