Meet Katie Maltais of Curious Theatre Company in Golden Triangle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Maltais.

Katie, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve been involved with theatre since I was just a little kid forcing all the other little kids in the neighborhood to be a part of my backyard plays. Eventually, I realized I was better at the business side than the acting and directing and got my degree in arts administration. I’ve been in this field ever since and at Curious for four years now. I really think theatre can change the world and what I do is vital to that effort.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had amazing mentors and opportunities available to me. But nonprofit life is never easy. There’s always a pipe that bursts or a show that flops or a performer who backs out at the last minute or an epic snowstorm the night of a big show. How we handle the challenges is what defines us as organizations and as leaders. I tend to be fairly unruffled and solution-driven. Fix what you can fix rather than angst over what you can’t.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Curious is unique in the Denver theatre scene and we are incredibly mission-driven. We built our reputation with over two decades of doing new work – plays not yet seen in Colorado. That meant we were also doing diverse, interesting work by playwrights of color, LGBTQ+ playwrights and females long before the discussion of equity hit this town. More recently, we’ve honed in on our purpose even more concretely. We sit at the intersection of art and social justice and we really see our role as spotlighting an issue and raising the conversation around that issue. Each performance concludes with a discussion, often inviting experts as guests to discuss the play’s core social justice issue. We partner with social justice organizations to create action items and discussion questions so our art really drives change in the community. As an example, the ACLU of Colorado and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains are partners for a show this season called Roe which follows the four-decade tale of the lawyer and plaintiff of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case.

Curious is also a professional theatre, hiring artists and paying a living wage something that definitely distinguishes us. We are one of only two theatres in the City of Denver that have Actors Equity Association contracts the professional union of stage actors.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Seeking out the amazing talent and coaching for success. In every role I’ve ever had, my best decisions have been who I hired. Art is a team sport and so is business – I’m the coach, not the whole team.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1080 Acoma St
  Denver CO 80204
• Website: curioustheatre.org
• Phone: 303-623-0524
• Instagram: /curioustheatre
• Facebook: /CuriousTheatreCompany

Image Credit:
Michael Ensminger

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