The Denver Center Theater Company has announced it will mount full productions of two shows from last year’s Colorado New Play Summit. "Reservoir" by local playwright Jake Brasch will receive a world premiere co-production in January 2025. The production will then move to Atlanta's Alliance Theatre before ending at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
"I have immense gratitude for the Denver theater community, for my family and for my friends that have allowed me to be my radical queer, clown, sober self in the world. And to get to be doing the thing that I always wanted to do... There were enough people saying, 'Go for it dude!' And now I'm here and it means the world," said Brasch. (Full disclosure: Jake Brasch is the brother of CPR reporter Sam Brasch)
Additionally, "The Suffragette’s Murder" by Sandy Rustin, known for "Clue" and Broadway's "The Cottage," was also announced for 2025. This dramatic comedy pairs the history of the 19th century women's rights movement with the hilarious hijinks of a murder mystery who-done-it.
Read more about the two plays in our coverage of the 2023 New Play Summit.
Miners Alley Theater Company opens the regional premiere of “A Jukebox for The Algonquin,” Paul Stroili’s play about sex, drugs and rocking chairs this weekend. Director Len Matheo likens it to a Neil Simon play with ‘all the feels.’
“It also triggers a wonderful conversation about something that we really don't like to talk about because it's really uncomfortable, which is how we relate to people once they get so old, so to speak, that they end up in a facility where they can't be taken care of or where there's no more relatives or maybe they're alone,” said Mantheo. ”This play really touches on all those different areas. So I really hope to foster that conversation and that we can all become better people because of it.”
After seeing the world premiere at The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan, Matheo said he knew it would be a great step for Miners Alley Performing Arts Center as a company that produces new work. “I really want to foster new work like this, and not just new work from Colorado, which there is a good amount, but just from all over the country.”
A Jukebox for The Algonquin runs March 1 - Apr. 7 at the Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden.
Thursday, Feb. 29
Cleo II, the second company of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, presents "Springtime In Mourning." In addition to the title work by Cedric D. Hall, which is set to the music of Aaron Copeland, the program includes "Check Cashing Day" by Cleo Parker Robinson and "Timber" by Winifred R. Harris.
“Springtime in Mourning” by Cleo II runs Thursday, Feb. 29 and Friday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Parsons Theater in Northglenn.
Friday, March 1
Hương Ngô's first solo exhibition in Colorado, "Ungrafting," opens with an informal discussion as part of First Friday at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. The conversation will cover intergenerational knowledge transmission, land in anti-colonial movements, and the archive in artistic production. Chadwick Allen of the University of Washington, Colorado College Assistant Professor Aline Lo, and University of Illinois at Chicago Assistant Professor Justin Phan join the artist. This event is free but requires an RSVP.
A Conversation with Hương Ngô, Chadwick Allen, Aline Lo, and Justin Quang Ngyuen Phan, Friday, March 1, from 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs.
Also opening Friday is a new exhibit by Tricia Waddell, “The Moon in Her Mouth,” a series of soft sculptures and conceptual self-portraits. Rooted in the intricate interplay of dye, cloth, texture, and form, the exhibit was created in conjunction with a group of ArtLab Interns who recently mentored under Waddell for six weeks.
The Moon in Her Mouth by Tricia Waddell Opening Reception: Friday, March 1, 6 - 8 p.m. at A.I.R. Annex Gallery in Denver. On view through March 17.
Saturday, March 2
You’ve heard of dinner theater, but on Saturday and Sunday, Boulder Opera presents a Dinner Opera event at the Longmont Dickens Opera House. The company is staging Giacomo Puccini’s one-act tragedy “Suor Angelica,” the third in the triptych of one-act operas written by the composer. The story follows Angelica, whose aristocratic Florentine family forced her to don a nun's habit after she gave birth to an illegitimate child, and the heartbreak that follows her. A two-course prix-fixe dinner is available before the show but must be reserved in advance.
Boulder Opera Company's Dinner Opera event, “Suor Angelica,” Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3, at the Longmont Dickens Opera House.
The Hina Matsuri Japanese Doll and Cultural Festival in Arvada offers a unique showcase of Japanese Dolls, kimono, ikebana, bonsai, and other Japanese arts. The event also includes performances of Japanese dance and music, martial arts, and taiko drumming and a demonstration of the traditional tea ceremony. Visitors will also find arts and crafts and Japanese food for sale.
Hina Matsuri Japanese Doll and Cultural Festival Saturday and Sunday, March 1 - 2, from 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Simpson United Methodist Church in Arvada.
Sunday, March 3
Ebner-Page Productions, which created the 2017 "United in Love" performance that raised the most money ever for the Denver Actors Fund, is back with "Love Changes Everything," a new DAF benefit concert at the Aurora Fox.
The lineup, which is subject to change, includes Colorado favorites, as well as virtual visits by local Broadway and TV talents Annaleigh Ashford, Melissa Benoist, Mara Davi, Andy Kelso, Beth Malone, Jason Veasey, and Elizabeth Welch.
"Love Changes Everything," Denver Actors Fund benefit Concert Sunday, Mar. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Aurora Fox Arts Center.
All Weekend
The 2024 Boulder International Film Festival Adventure Film Pavilion screens new adventure films and hosts discussions with renowned adventurers and filmmakers. The weekend will also highlight non-profit organizations addressing important issues within the adventure community.
The Adventure Film Pavilion runs Thursday, Feb. 29 to Sunday, March 3 at the Grace Commons Church in Boulder.
Other arts and culture events around Colorado
- Denverite Things to do in Denver this weekend
- KRCC community calendar for Southern Colorado
- CPR Classical Concert calendar
- Indie 102.3 calendar
How we pick our events: CO Arts Spotlight highlights events around the state to give readers a sense of the breadth of Colorado’s arts and cultural happenings, it is not — and can not possibly be — a comprehensive list of all weekly events. Entries are not endorsements or reviews. Each week’s list is published on Thursday and is not updated. Some groups that appear on the list may also be financial sponsors of CPR but have no input into our editorial choices.
Some groups mentioned in the Spotlight may be financial supporters of CPR News. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
Editor's Note: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how many years the Colorado Environmental Film Festival has been in operation. Also, the spelling of Paul Stroili's name has been corrected.
