Miners Alley Performing Arts Center is bouncing back after Xcel’s power shutoffs forced the theater to cancel five holiday shows.
GOLDEN, Colo. — Miners Alley Performing Arts Center in Golden was forced to cancel five sold-out holiday performances at the start of the weekend after Xcel Energy shut off power Friday as a precaution during a strong wind event, leaving the nonprofit theater scrambling to notify 800 patrons and facing a $20,000 loss.
The canceled shows included a performance of “The Nutcracker” on Friday, a sold-out performance of “It’s a Wonderful Life“, and a sold-out matinee of the same show, according to Len Matheo and Lisa DeCaro, who run the theater.
“It’s the busiest time of year for us,” DeCaro said. “For a lot of our patrons, this is the show they come to during the holidays.”
The financial impact extends beyond ticket sales for the nonprofit venue. “The shows we do this time of year pay for the shows we do the rest of the year,” Matheo said.
The couple said running the 30,000-square-foot theater without power proved impossible. They explored using a generator, but said the size needed to power the building was not available.
“Can we get people into the building and use flashlights and the problem is, it’s about safety,” DeCaro said.
Matheo and DeCaro said they expected the power to return before the weekend ended. “I said I guarantee we told our patrons we would tell them by 11 a.m. if we were going to cancel the matinee, and I guarantee at 12 noon the power is gonna go back on,” Matheo said. “And certainly right around there, it went back on.”
The power restoration on Saturday allowed the theater to salvage its 7:30 p.m. show that evening, though staff had to work quickly. Matheo said setting up for shows requires two and a half to three hours, plus an additional two hours to call all patrons who have tickets.
The couple expressed frustration with how Xcel Energy conducted the shutoffs. “You would think they would say this is gonna happen and this is gonna happen regularly, you should be ready for something like this opposed to one day’s notice,” Matheo said. “This can’t be the solution.”
Some patrons donated their tickets back to the theater after learning about the cancellations, according to DeCaro.
Despite the financial setback, the theater operators emphasized the support they received from their community. “Family sticks together, they do, and our patrons are part of our family, our employees,” Matheo said. “Everybody, it’s all one big Miners Alley family.”
The theater said shows cannot be rescheduled because they are sold out.
