Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy (KCAA) is a public, arts-magnet school serving K-12 students in southwest Denver. About 70% of the student body is Latinx and roughly 80% of those kids are considered lower income.

Yet, with only $2,000 in their total budget (including paper programs, posters, etc.), KCAA created King VIII’s world for three nights this past November. With a cast and crew of 39 children ranging from 12 to 18 and from a variety of backgrounds, these kids took audiences away from stiff wooden chairs and stuffy rooms to Tudor England to mount a play any adult troupe would be jealous of.

Unlikely beginnings

In 2021, KCAA’s drama teacher and director Michael Berquist had just finished another successful video production – Frankenstein. The COVID pandemic was raging, and schools were struggling for normalcy — especially theatre departments. Kristen Doherty, a playwright Berquist had never met, saw online pictures and contacted him. She thought her play Queens would be perfect for KCAA.

After reading it, Berquist agreed. But he knew the timing wasn’t right – this play needed to be performed live on stage. Fast-forward to 2023 and what Berquist calls, “A perfect casting pool.” Queens became a reality.

Designer Christy Izmirian was able to create sumptuous costumes for the cast. | Photo: Clay Jessen

Queens relates the story of Henry VIII’s and his wives. Before Henry took the throne, he was impacted by a long War of the Roses that ended with the Tudors, Henry VIII’s line, triumphant. So, when Henry VIII’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon produced only one child, a daughter (not considered an heir), he broke with Catholicism, divorced his wife, and started a new religion (the Church of England). Desperate for a boy, he married again and again.

As school children or Six fans remember, Henry had six wives: “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” After Catherine came the beheaded Anne Boleyn (mother of Elizabeth I); Jane Seymour (died in childbirth, giving the king a son — Edward VI — who perished soon after taking the throne); Anne of Cleeves (divorced soon after marrying); Katherine Howard (beheaded for having an affair); and Katherine Parr (a survivor who outlived the king).

A creative approach to set design, lighting and costuming

Although the school didn’t have the most updated lighting systems, Clay Jessen, technical director, worked with his team to get imaginative on setting a mood.

“We saved money by reusing parts and tools from our shop space,” Jessen says. “I don’t cut corners on safety, but I do try to be creative.”

As one example, he portrayed heads on spikes using actors along with PVC pipe, a clothes rack and hairbands. Without relying on fake heads, the result was gruesome — and effective.

The lighting was sparse, yet powerful. One of the most effective uses of light was the absence of it when queens were beheaded; at the axe man’s stroke, the stage went from completely lit to sudden darkness.

Money saved from the sparse set design went to costumes fit for queens and kings. Christy Izmirian was the seamstress behind them, knowing aristocrats needed to be bigger than life. The clothes were rich, but lightweight as some of the actors performed solo dances, including tumbling.

A focus on movement – plus unexpected music

Malia Gardner, director of choreography, worked with the queens to demonstrate emotion. Actresses, including Ava Ramirez (Catherine of Aragon) and Brighid Griffin (Anne Boleyn), conveyed sorrow and pain through movement. Some of the characters were lifted to show a significant moment, too – when characters were close to dying.

Two jesters, Ashley Corrales Barrera and Gunnison Custer, like Shakespearian fools dispatched wisdom as they entertained tumbling, taking pratfalls, and romping around stage delivering dialogue.

Rather than pick madrigals or music of the era, Berquist and the music director, Rachel Davis, selected pop songs such as “Unholy,” performed by Vitamin String Quartet with classical flair.

One of the most dramatic scenes came when the female ensemble sang, “What Happens When a Woman” by Alexandra Olsavksy. Led by Elizabeth I, Haven Chase, the song taunts Henry with what happens when a woman takes power. Sung a capella, it resonated throughout the auditorium, especially because Elizabeth I reigned for 45 years as one of England’s most successful monarchs.

Challenging circumstances

The school’s funding challenges weren’t without issues. Although they tried unique ways to resolve problems, two of the gossips didn’t have mics. Luckily those gossips (Dori Sauer and Felix Martinez) had strong voices.

The lighting design relied on old-fashioned halogen bulbs, without access to a color spectrum beyond red, green and blue. For audiences, the old auditorium seats were uncomfortable. Tiles dangled from the ceiling, ready to fall. Plus, the auditorium was warm, insufferable for performers. And yet they made magic.

Two thousand dollars, passionate teachers, talented kids, and creativity made Tudor England come to life. If you’d like to see their production of “Queens,” you can download it here. If you’d like to help KCAA continue to create theatre, including their next production – Little Mermaid – donate through GoFundMe.

The cast and crew of ‘Queens’ | Photo: Clay Jessen