Meet Trailblazer Helen R. Murray

Today we’d like to introduce you to Helen R. Murray.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Helen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was always destined for the stage, at least that is how my family sees it. Growing up, I was constantly involved in some form of theatre, and if there wasn’t a program nearby, then I just wrote and directed plays myself and roped in my siblings. Those neighborhood performances were probably torture for the parents. Or maybe I was a childhood genius and we were making great art. Who knows…

I went to school for theatre with a concentration in acting and promptly started working as an actor after graduation. I took a break from the stage when my kids were really little. Coming back to acting after being away for about five years was pretty scary. I felt so out of it. But pretty soon, I was back in the swing. That transition back, and trying to juggle kids and a life on stage, has made me very aware of artistic parents and highly supportive of them.

As my time on stage continued, I became more and more drawn to writing and directing. The transition started to happen when I was encouraged by some stakeholders to founding The Hub Theatre just outside of Washington DC. I am proud to have created The Hub Theatre with that amazing group of people and to have been its leader for so long. Artistic leadership, directing and writing took over more and more until I gave up acting altogether. It was also when I started writing more and began to have my plays produced. I was the AD at The Hub for a decade until I felt ready for a change. That’s when I was lucky to land my current position as Executive Producer for the Aurora Fox. I have also continued to write plays and just finished my newest, so we’ll see where that goes. I have been in Denver for over a year now and am loving my new home.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
A life in the theatre is always exciting, but I don’t know anyone who would call it smooth. Acting is a career in which you are looking for work every day. It wears at even the best of us. And I was one of the lucky ones to have worked as much as I did. I also wrestled with the balance of caring for young kids during the day and working on stage at night. I applaud all the theatre parents out there who make it work. I think one of the reasons I don’t miss acting is that I no longer have to be at the theatre every night. I like being home and seeing my kids. Granted I am still out many, many nights. Just not EVERY night.

I have had plenty of what you may call struggles in my theatre life – from the formation of a company and learning how to keep it afloat, and then how to make it thrive; to leaving acting and wondering if it was the right choice, to writing plays and opening myself up to a new level of critique; and to running now two organizations who’s success is on my shoulders. However, I don’t see these ‘struggles’ as anything more than the path forward. It is the work of this career. And I love the work.

To young people starting in this path, I would say – theatre is a service industry. We are here to share a narrative and be part of a cultural conversation. There are many ways to do this, so be open to following a path that you may not have envisioned and remember that there are many voices who are incredible at telling stories. Make sure everyone has a place. Be allies to your fellow artists and advocates for those who don’t always get to be heard.

Tell us about your work? What does it entail?
As Executive Producer, I do a lot of everything, but the big things are that I program and produce the line up of shows that are on our stages and direct between 2 and 3 shows a year. I am only able to do this with the amazing staff with whom I work. I assemble artistic teams for every piece we present. All productions are about putting together a family – from the director, designers, and musicians, to the casts and crew. Great art is made by great collaborators.

I tend to be attracted to newer work. Our current season at the Fox just kicked off with a Colorado premiere of a new musical called ‘Miss You Like Hell’, which is about a mother and daughter facing immigration issues and a host of other challenges. It’s an exciting ride. Within this season, we have 3 area premieres and a world premiere. The subject matter ranges from a comedic send up of a holiday classic to the historic friendship of Albert Einstein and Marian Anderson, to a family friendly musical based on a beloved book, to a play about a savage group of squirrels that represents the classism in America today. I try to make sure that a season is balanced and has something for all audience members.

However, as a playwright, I write from what I know. That is not to say my plays are autobiographical, but they do tend to start from a place that is very personal and then they grow into their own creation. I am attracted to writing complex and unexpected relationships, I enjoy the surreal and magical that can happen in our real world. I tend toward the comedic with a dramatic heart and by the end of seeing one of my plays I want to send audiences into the world with a sense of hope.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I am my mother’s daughter. She is an artist and her work is unique and singular to her. She has never tried to be anything she isn’t. She is true to herself and so generous in her support. A powerful sense of self was instilled in me at a young age. I am very close to my siblings, and they all incredible people. Everything about our childhood came from a home that was creative through and through. We were readers, artists, playmakers, pretenders, music makers, nature lovers, experimenters. We loved education, exploration, adventure, and I used it all as an application to artistic endeavors.

Contact Info:

• Address: Aurora Fox
  9900 E. Colfax Ave
  Aurora, CO 80010
• Website: AuroraFox.org
• Phone: 303-739-1970
• Email: FoxBox@auroragov.org
• Instagram: the_aurora_fox
• Facebook: @theaurorafox
• Twitter: @The_Aurora_Fox

              Image Credit:
helenmurray_hs2_hz – photo by Emily Howell
helendirecting2 – photo by Susannah McLeod
ThePavilion_HubTheatre_HelenMurray (my last time acting!)- photo by C. Stanley Photography
Songs_Backstage – photo by Christine Fisk
MYLH_HelenMurrayDirector – (the current production at the Aurora Fox) photo by Gail Bransteitter

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