Colorado Theatre Guild to Honor Jo Bunton Keel with Lifetime Achievement Award

The Colorado Theatre Guild's 10th Annual Henry Awards will take place Monday, July 20, 2015 at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd in Arvada, Colorado. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails and a silent auction. The awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m., followed by an after-party at Cap City Tavern.

Tickets are $23 for CTG members (limit 2 per person), $30 non-members or $50 VIP. Tickets are on sale through the Arvada Center website at http://support.arvadacenter.org/ (Non-Member and VIP) or by calling the box office at 720-898-7200. Colorado Theatre Guild members will need to order tickets by calling the box office at 720-898-7200. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door for $35. For more information go to www.coloradotheatreguild.org.

Jo Bunton Keel was born R. Jo Richards on January 6, 1944 in Middleport, Ohio to Arnold and Florence Richards. Jo had a passion for knowledge and African-American history which was nurtured throughout her school years by her parents, who made sure reading and studying were always encouraged in the home. After graduation, Jo attended Ohio University and majored in Chemistry. She has a M.ED, Instruction & Curriculum; Integrated Arts, and a M.A, NPM

In 1968 Jo moved to Denver with her son, Brett Bunton. Brett followed in his mother's footsteps and became a dancer. One of Jo's proudest moments was when Brett began dancing professionally in Las Vegas. A desire to change her career from chemistry had Jo looking for an opportunity to further explore her artistic side. She met Cleo Parker Robinson and soon began dancing as one of the earliest members of Cleo's internationally acclaimed dance company.

Jo married renowned Denver musician Joseph Keel. To this union was born another son, Miles Keel. Even though Miles is a great vocalist and writer, his first love is football. Jo was and still is Miles' number one fan and supporter. At Miles' football games, Jo's vocal support and the shaking of her famous jug of pennies was legendary.

While dancing with Cleo, Jo concurrently was employed by CSU as a project development manager for Urban Arts. During this time, the Movement Free Dance Company was formed and joined with local playwright and musician John McCallum, founder of the Denver Black Arts Company. Together they created and produced theatrical works that excited and energized the Black arts scene in Denver.

After leaving her position with CSU, Jo took a major step in making her cultural center vision a reality. In 1982 she and Jimmy Walker founded Eulipions, Inc. - an organization dedicated to encourage and foster artistic and cultural works by and about people of the African Diaspora... The first space "Studio E" housed the Donald Todd Theatre, named in honor of a local educator and mentor whose motto "Excellence, not mediocrity" became the creed of the Eulipions family. Under her leadership, Eulipions won numerous awards and proved itself as a major theatrical force throughout Colorado with productions like the regional premieres of The Gospel at Colonus, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Ms. Ever's Boys, and Spell #7. The directors who helped guide Eulipions were: Buddy Butler, donnie betts, Andrea Edwards, Frank Burden, Kenneth Grimes, Anderson Johnson, Linda Robertson, Hugo Jon Sayles, and Jimmy Walker. The core of artists committed to Eulipions catapulted the organization known for high quality productions and a faithful audience. After 18 years, Eulipions came to a close in 2000.

In 2000 Jo's love for knowledge and community led her to Montbello High School where she continued to teach, head the theatre dept., mentor and encourage youth in the classroom and administratively until 2013 when she retired from DPS. Currently, Jo is a professor of Children's' Literature for the UNC Center for Urban Education.

Established in 2006, the Henry Awards honor outstanding achievements during the past season and serves as the Colorado Theatre Guild's annual fundraising event. The awards are named for longtime local theatre producer Henry Lowenstein. Nominations are determined through a judging process conducted by more than 45 statewide theatre reporters, educators and assigned judges.

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