Judi Wolf, the flame-haired grande dame of Denver theatre and the namesake of the Wolf Theatre at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, died Wednesday, March 25, at her Cherry Hills home after a long illness. For decades, her showstopping entrances and tireless philanthropy helped shape the city’s cultural life. A service is set for 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, at Temple Emanuel in Denver.
As reported by the Denver Gazette, the Denver Center described Wolf’s blend of worldliness, sharp intelligence and talent for connecting with people as central to her philanthropic impact. Her family has asked that, instead of flowers, memorial donations be directed to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Women’s Voices Fund. In John Moore’s obituary, he traces her long tenure as trustee and benefactor, and the many ways she turned gala nights and opening nights into full-on civic theater.
A Stage With Her Name in Lights
The Wolfs’ lead gift helped launch the Denver Center’s “A Grander Opening” renovation campaign, and following the project, the longtime Stage Theatre was officially renamed the Marvin & Judi Wolf Theatre. The updated space now seats 610, giving Denver a more intimate flagship stage, according to the Denver Center’s Wolf Theatre page.
Her Entrances Were Part of the Show
For Wolf, getting dressed for opening night was practically a performance art form. She famously wore a toga to the 2000 opening of Tantalus, then showed up to the pre-Broadway opening of The Little Mermaid in 2007 as Ariel’s mother. She liked to quip, “What is theatre without costumes? It’s radio!” Stories of those themed outfits and bits of theatrical mischief are lovingly recounted in the Denver Gazette obituary.
Where the Family Asked to Direct Gifts
The Wolf family has requested that memorial contributions go to the DCPA’s Women’s Voices Fund. The fund, established in 2005 to commission, workshop and produce plays by women, is currently valued at more than $1.7 million, according to the DCPA’s Women’s Voices Fund page.
Wolf’s blend of showmanship and stewardship made her a familiar presence across Denver’s cultural institutions, from Colorado Ballet to Central City Opera. Artists, trustees and audiences who knew her say that when Judi Wolf stepped into a lobby, the night felt less like an event and more like a premiere.
