Less than a month after inaugurating its new digs in Denver’s RiNo district, the Paragon Theatre ensemble has announced that it will close permanently after the final performance of its current show, “Miss Julie.”

“It’s a sad, terrible loss,” said John Moore, the former drama critic for the Denver Post.

“I spoke at their tenth anniversary last year, and the big question when you celebrate 10 years for a theater company is: How did they survive when so many others come and go? There must be 100 theater companies in Colorado, but the names of those companies change one year to the next. Only a small percentage make it 10 years.”

Since its incorporation in 2000, the Paragon Theatre’s productions consistently have fared well against more well-heeled theatrical companies, annually winning Ovation and Henry awards, along with warm reviews. Paragon depended entirely on volunteers, with only one paid employee, who was charged with development.

“It was a hard decision to make, but we were fighting too hard with the city and building committees to get everything up to code in the new space,” said Paragon’s Warren Sherrill.

“Just when we thought we were going to get there, we got thrown a curve ball. Right before ‘Miss Julie‘ opened, we learned we had to add another bathroom. That was too much after already putting in expenses we hadn’t foreseen, like adding a handicapped ramp to the back of the building.”

As soon as its board of directors voted to close late last week, Sherrill and other Paragon ensemble members began personally calling longtime patrons and donors.

“That’s who we feel we’re letting down the most,” Sherrill said. He devoted most of the past weekend to those phone calls.

“We feel we’ve done what we set out to do. We have no regrets. If we get the energy and drive to try something crazy like this again, we might. But for now, it’s a good break. It’s a Seinfeld-type feeling. Or REM; someone mentioned them the other night. We’re ending on top.”

Moore called the decision to close “not just their loss, but everyone’s loss.

“Everyone thought the hard part was behind them. Paragon had a lot of good years left. They were just hitting their stride.”

Claire Martin: 303-954-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com