It's going to be another hot weekend. But if you're willing to slather on the sunscreen and brave the overheated elements, Colorado has a lot of open air entertainment on offer. And for those who want to ensure their fun comes with a healthy dose of air conditioning, theaters around the state have plenty of new shows opening up too.
Arts and culture news of the week
The 5th Annual Colfax Canvas Mural Festival announces this year’s artists
Over the past four years, the Colfax Canvas mural festival has added more than 30 works of art to the block along and around East Colfax in Aurora. In September it returns, this time showcasing the work of ten artists (nine from Colorado) on four different buildings in the neighborhood, including Vintage Theatre, Scorpion Tax and Mango House.
Among this year’s cohort of artists is Danielle SeeWalker, who will collaborate with an all-Native American team to create a work on the walls of DIA Market on Del Mar Parkway.
“I’m excited to be working with another Native artist and to have that representation, as an underrepresented group,” SeeWalker said in a statement. She described once hearing from a resident who felt grateful and safe to live near one of her murals. That testimony taught her the impact of public art, especially in more marginalized neighborhoods.
“I never thought that would be possible for my artwork,” she said.
The teams will be at work over the first two weeks of September. The festival wraps up with a neighborhood block party and guided walking tours on Sept. 14 at Fletcher Plaza.
Springs Ensemble Theatre opens its season with a strange tale
In “Smudge,” a dark, absurdist comedy, the birth of a child far different from what her parents expected — with a tail, a single eye and no limbs — sends a young couple down different paths. The play veers across tones and tampers with reality as it explores the sticky territory of normalcy and family love. The production opens SET’s 15th season.
“Smudge” runs Aug. 1 through 18 at the Fifty-Niner Speakeasy (hidden in the back of Dice Guys Game Store) in Colorado Springs.
The Brontës get ‘Gin & Gothic’ at the Ellie
Take the three sisters of Victorian literature, mash in a heavy dose of headbanging and what do you get? “Gin & Gothic: A Brontë Rocktale,” the latest original production from Denver’s Band of Toughs theater collaboratory. The show promises to make full use of its venue, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, moving audiences from place to place as it unfolds a tale of romance, literary creation and sibling rivalry.
“Gin & Gothic: A Brontë Rocktale” runs Aug. 2 through 23 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver.
Friday, Aug. 2
Cowgirl Artists of America
In Trinidad, the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art opens a new show subtitled “Women’s Work” aimed at spotlighting the diverse and nuanced roles women have played in the West and the art they’ve created. For this show, more than 50 women from the Cowgirl Artists of America community were paired with a woman who works in ranching to develop art capturing her experience.
Free opening reception Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the A.R. Mitchell Museum in Trinidad. The show runs through Sept. 30.
A ‘comedy musical whodunnit’ in Colorado Springs
Friday is opening night for the Colorado Springs Conservatory’s production of “Curtains.” The show, from the team behind “Cabaret” and “Chicago,” follows the backstage investigation into the murder of an extremely untalented — and extremely dead — leading lady.
“Curtains” plays Fri. and Sat. at 7 p.m. and Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m., at Colorado College’s Kathryne Mohrman Theater at Armstrong Hall.
“As You Like It” at the Wright Opera House in Ouray
No Holds Bard brings their “extremely physical, totally accessible, often wild” approach to Shakespeare’s forest-fleeing, gender-bending, dizzyingly complicated comedy. At a No Holds Bard show, actors play a different part in every performance, working from rolled cue scripts not so different from how actors in Shakespeare’s day might have done it, with often surprising results.
“As You Like It” opens Fri. at 7:30 and runs through Monday night at Wright Opera House in Ouray.
An ode to summer in dance
Cleo Parker Robinson comes to the Arvada Center on Friday with PRISMS, a collection of original works that celebrate the hottest time of the year, created by members of the company with their colleagues in mind.
PRISMS from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Fri. at 7:30 at the Arvada Center.
Saturday, Aug. 3
Sand and sun at Aurora Pride
This annual family-friendly festival at Aurora reservoir bills itself as Colorado’s only beach party Pride. The sands at Aurora Reservoir will fill up with revelers on Saturday, along with local entertainment, drag shows, food trucks, beach volleyball and more.
Aurora Pride runs from noon to 7 p.m. at the Aurora Reservoir. Early access tickets allow festivalgoers to enter the park starting at 9 a.m.
Evergreen Dam duck derby
The waters of Bear Creek will turn yellow Saturday as a flotilla of rubber duckies race through town, from the dam spillway down to the Highland Haven Creekside Inn. The day starts early with some pre-race festivities, including face painting, baby goats and live music. But organizers urge race fans to stake out their creekside spots by 1 p.m. to catch all the “quaction.”
Race activities run from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the duck drop at 1 p.m. at Evergreen dam. The town will have free shuttles running throughout the day.
A global musical journey in Manitou Springs
From South American rhythms to French chansons and Eastern European folk music, the “It’s a Small, Small World” concert at St. Andrews Episcopal Church reimagines music from around the world. This free concert features soprano Priscilla Viteri and pianist Judy Biondini.
“It’s A Small, Small World” concert, Sat. at 6 p.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Manitou Springs.
Al fresco opera in Boulder
Boulder Opera holds its annual “Opera in the Park” concert Saturday evening. This year’s theme is “A Royal Affair,” whirling audiences through scenes from such famous shows as Verdi’s Macbeth, Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.
Opera in the Park begins at 7 p.m. at the Boulder Bandshell at 1212 Canyon Blvd. This is a ticketed event.
Sunday, Aug. 4
PlatteForum launches its first Arts + Community Fair
Denver’s oldest park is the site of its newest festival. The celebration at Mestizo-Curtis Park will feature live performances, both musical and theatrical, as well as more than twenty artist vendors working in a range of media and booths showcasing community organizations. The event highlights the work of PlatteForum, “an urban art and activism laboratory” that brings together creative young people with established artists to work on long term projects.
The Arts + Community Fair runs from 2 to 6 p.m. at 32nd and Curtis streets in Denver.
All Weekend
Closing weekend for the Colorado Renaissance Festival
If you’ve made it this far into the summer without dining on a giant turkey drumstick or being insulted by corset-clad washerwomen, this weekend is your last chance to hit the Colorado Renaissance Festival. For its final huzzah, the annual gathering of Tudor-inspired entertainments and artisans opens its arms to “everyone from the past, present, and future” with a time-travelers themed weekend.
The Colorado Renaissance Festival , Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. off I-25 in Larkspur.
10th Annual Taste of Ethiopia Festival
The food and culture of this ancient horn of Africa nation will be on full display Saturday and Sunday. The entertainments include fashion shows, the Ethiopian Youth Dancers of Colorado and music ranging from traditional to contemporary, including a closing concert from the pioneering artist who brought electronic music to Ethiopia. This is just the festival’s second year back at full strength after an extended pandemic hiatus.
The Taste of Ethiopia Festival starts at 10 a.m. Sat. and Sun. in Denver’s Parkfield Lake Park. The closing concert, which is a ticketed event, is Sunday evening at The Stampede in Aurora.
Colorado Scottish Festival
This year marks the diamond jubilee for Colorado’s annual Scottish Festival. The weekend includes Scottish Games, with competitors tossing around stones, weights, hammers, tapered logs and burlap bags packed with straw, as well as a parade and blessing of dogs of the British Isles and nonstop Celtic music. Admission is $20 per day or $35 for the weekend.
The Colorado Scottish Festival, Sat. from 7 a.m. to 9 pm. and Sun. from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Denver Polo Club in Sedalia.
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.
