CREEDE – A half-century of memorable performances on the stages of the Creede Repertory Theatre (CRT) were honored Sunday night as Christy Brandt’s 50 seasons were remembered at the Creede Hotel with more than 200 friends and fans in attendance in a standing-room-only crowd.
Brandt, tabbed as the “Grande Dame of CRT,” was accompanied by husband John Gary ‘Brownie’ Brown as longtime theatricians and others recapped her first season at CRT in 1973 until now where she is currently playing Lady Bracknell in the Oscar Wilde classic, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” This is the third time she has acted in an adaptation of the play at CRT.
New Artistic Director Emily Van Fleet and Kate Berry, interim artistic director, moderated the nearly two-hour tribute to Brandt that saw several of the earliest CRT actors commending her on her tenure, including Steve Reed and well-known musician John Green, a high school friend of Brandt. Green will be performing a concert at CRT on August 25, featuring Brandt and Betsy Miller Randle from the hit series “Boy Meets World.”
Among others honoring Brandt were longtime friends, former CRT board member Larry Morgan and his wife.
An email tribute from one of CRT’s most famous alumnus Mandy Patinkin was also read.
It was estimated that Brandt has appeared in around 150 productions at CRT over the past 50 years.
In the 2024 season program, Brandt said, “I have spoken over a million lines on the CRT stage, and yet I can’t come up with a line that describes how happy I am to be back for another season.”
She said some of her favorite roles included Marilyn in “Ripcord,” Miss Helen in “The Road to Mecca” and Kimberly Akimbo in the title role of Helen in “The History Room.”
Brandt said she has been truly blessed to have worked with so many talented actors and supporting staff over the years.
While CRT was established by Kansas University theatre students in 1966, it wasn’t until 1973 that Brandt joined another group of KU students to take the stage in Creede.
As the 2024 CRT program states, “Brandt is beloved by generations of theatregoers and is a powerful example of the values of Creede Rep. She embodies community, intentionality, artistry, and grit.”
