Don't let me down like this!

I just checked the SCFD Free Days webpage and was disappointed to see that next week's free performance of "Sunsets and Margaritas" at the Denver Center has been cancelled. I was really hoping to make it out for that, as work got in the way of getting out in time to see last week's "Radio Golf," and this week's busy-ness will likely keep me from "A Prayer for Owen Meaney." I don't have much time here, people! Don't do this to me!

March 14 Mrs. Warren's Profession @ DCTC

The final round of plays in the Denver Center Theatre Company's season gets started this month. There will be an SCFD-funded free performance of Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession on Wednesday, March 14 at the Bonfils Theatre. Box office opens at 4:30, and curtain is at 6:30.

March 8 is International Women's Day

Although art that is purely agenda-driven doesn't usually do it for me, I believe that the arts do have tremendous power to impact society at large. I like to think that sometimes just hearing diverse voices telling diverse stories will help us all see things in new ways, which may in turn help us see each other in new ways, which may someday lead to global, everlasting peace. I appreciated Forest Whitaker's Oscar acceptance speech, and think his sentiment can be applied to any creative effort:

Because when I first started acting, it was because of my desire to connect to everyone. To that thing inside each of us. That light that I believe exists in all of us. Because acting for me is about believing in that connection and it's a connection so strong, it's a connection so deep, that we feel it. And through our combined belief, we can create a new reality.

Hey, a chicksinger can dream, can't she?

So today, in honor of International Women's Day, I'm going to blog against sexism and highlight some women's artistic ventures in the Denver and Boulder area. And also, because the personal is political, I just might be engaging in some self-promotion with this post.

If you -- that is, if there is a "you" out there reading this -- know of something I overlooked that you think should be included in this list, please leave a comment for me. Thanks.

Vox Feminista is a "multi-media, multi-passionate performance tribe of womyn" that is presenting an event this Saturday, March 10. From their website:

VOX RISING! proudly presents their first show "Closet Traumas" Saturday, March 10 @ Nomad Theater1410 Quince Ave, North Boulder at 8:00 pm --- $5-$500 sliding scale --- no one turned away
VOX RISING! is a safe-space theater for passionate youth to speak out on political issues. Through music, spoken-word, and group skits, young people will create dialogue on issues meaningful to them and their future. "Closet Traumas" is more than young people deciding what to wear. It is an exploration into the many dilemmas youth face in their possible futures.

Marin Alsop, Conductor Laureate of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, founded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship to "foster and encourage women who are studying or training to be orchestral conductors in orchestras or ensembles.” Rei Hotoda, the 2006 fellowship recipient, will be appearing with the CSO and Maestra Alsop in concerts March 9-11.

The Denver Women's Chorus is a lesbian community choir that will be presenting a joint concert with the Denver Gay Men's Chorus on April 13 entitled "A Night of Dark Music" at St. John's Cathedral.

The chorale Safonia is a "women's ensemble dedicated to the synergy of music, passion and excellence." They have concerts coming up April 14 & 15 in Denver based on the theme "The Poet Sings," featuring many works by women composers.

The ASTER Women's Chamber Choir is also presenting a spring concert entitled "The Poet Sings" (April is National Poetry Month) on April 14 & 21 in Broomfield and Boulder. Donations accepted, but tickets are free.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts has created the Women’s Voices Fund, an endowment fund "designed to foster the work of women playwrights in the American theatre." There don't seem to be any upcoming events scheduled in the immediate future, but keep your eye on the website for premieres and receptions.

March 7 Ramona Quimby @ Mizel Center

The Children's Theater Company at the Mizel Center will be mounting Ramona Quimby, a play for children and families, starting in March. Although I don't see any free performances for children listed, they will be having a free Teacher's Night preview performance for teachers and group leaders on Wednesday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m.

Reservations recommended. Call 303-316-6360

Feb. 28 365 Days/365 Plays @ Paragon

Huzzah for Paragon Theatre! I don't remember signing up for their e-mail list -- they must have rented someone else's database -- but their e-marketing lately has been really well done. A full week before this event, I got an e-mail with details on their 365 Days/365 Plays performance. Great job, Paragon!

Anyhow, they will be performing all of Week 16 on one night, Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 7:00 p.m. at the Phoenix Theatre. And because Parks threw in a play for Leap Year, this means there will be eight play-lets performed. Hey, wait a minute -- shouldn't the project be called 365 Days/366 Plays instead? Hmmm....

Feb. 24 New Generation of Race Plays @ DPL

From the Denver Public Library website:

Saturday, February 24, 1-2:30 p.m.
Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center

Discuss three new plays by three young writers exploring race relations in the United States. Written as companion pieces to Curious Theatre Company's mainstage production, A House With No Walls, each writer examines the themes of color and culture from the fresh perspective of the next generation. These three short plays speak directly to the issue of how history, gender and geography color our world. Readings and discussion hosted by the playwrights. For more info on Curious Theatre Company, go to curioustheatre.org

Feb. 21 In the Works reading @ Curious

Curious Theatre will present its In the Works Reading Series #3 at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The suggested donation at the door is $5, which includes food and drink.

recap of Feb. 10: New Play Summit

This recap of the New Play Summit and 365 Days/365 Plays at the DCPA on Feb. 10 is long overdue.

True to what the DCPA customer service rep had said when I called, I was able to snag a ticket to the 10:00 a.m. reading of A Visitor's Guide to Arivaca (Map Not to Scale) by showing up a few minutes beforehand. Because I then had to move my car into the pay lot (why pay $8 if there was no guarantee of a ticket?), I entered the packed theater a few minutes after the reading had begun. I recognized a few actors I'd seen in 1001 and King Lear, including Jeanine Serralles and Markus Potter, and wondered how many rehearsals for this they'd been able to squeeze in amid their busy performance schedule.

I left the reading with mixed feelings about the play, which has already been workshopped in Tucson (American Theatre magazine's Dec. 2006 cover article covers it here). Having just finished The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle, the territory felt familiar yet more distant. Whereas Boyle's novel focuses sharply on the personal experiences of four people to illustrate the issues/problems of illegal immigration, Evangeline Ordaz's play seemed more didactic. She has placed at the center of her story one Mexican couple attempting to cross the border south of Tucson, with the supporting characters all receiving plenty of stage time as well. On the one hand, Ordaz gives voice to the many sides of the debate, and is generally even-handed about it, but on the other I came away from the reading feeling like I'd heard from archetypes more than from individual characters.

Regardless, it's always a pleasure to see and hear good actors at work. Despite what had to have been limited time to prepare, the performances were superb across the board. Special recognition should go to William Hahn, whose first entrance as Eddie the stoned ranch hand had his castmates laughing and enjoying his performance as much as the official audience did.

At noon, a group of DCTC actors performed one of the 365 Days/365 Plays in the Bonfils lobby. These plays are more like play-lets, or tiny versions of plays that may someday grow and develop. This noon offering seemed to be part of the recurring Father Comes Home from the War theme that Parks has described in some article I read somewhere. (By the way, I added a link to the More Sites I Like section of this blog that will take you to 'today's play' on the TCG website.) It was short, spare, and left me with more questions than I had before it started -- who was the man posing for the portrait with what seemed to be the Father's family? Why does the injured Father end the scene by dancing? Ah well, such is cutting edge work.

After my side trip to the library, I returned to the Bonfils lobby briefly, wondering if I wanted to stick around until 3:00 to see another of the 365 Plays. When I realized that the New Play Summit panel discussion already in progress was also free, my decision was made for me. I had thought the panel would feature playwrights whose plays were being read over the course of the weekend, but Evangeline Ordaz and Jason Grote were the only playwrights whose works were being performed. The rest of the panel was made up of Octavio Solis, Thomas Gibbons, and Julie Myatt. As moderated by Kent Thompson, the discussion was already well underway, and the prevailing theme seemed to be views on writing characters from a background different than one's own. Again, it's always interesting and edifying to hear more about process and motivation from those who've been doing it for a while.

The next two 365 Plays followed the end of the panel discussion in fairly quick succession, even catching a few patrons unaware as they tried to make their way down the steps and past the performers. The real excitement of the inclusion of 365 Plays into the New Play Summit, for me at least, was watching art being presented in a space not designed for that specific purpose. I like the idea that theater can happen any time, anywhere, with the audience standing around the sides and even behind the action. There is value in that, I think, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the 365 performances through the year to see how they handle the challenges.

Feb. 20 & 23 365 Days/365 Plays @ DU

Again, props to John Moore, whose MySpace page was the only source of details for this week's offerings that I could find.

WEEK 15: UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
Suzan-Lori Parks' '365 Days/365
Plays' Colorado cycle now shifts to the University of Denver, where the Week 15 cycle will be performed at the following times:

*Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Driscoll Student Center Bridge.
When? 12:50 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:50 p.m.

*Friday, Feb. 23 in the Ritchie Center just before the school's 7 p.m. hockey game, and again after the first period ends (estimated 7:45 p.m.).

This is what we're told: "Look for the Babe Catcher, tap dancing, a man walking on water and the waitress from Coney Island Joe’s. You’ll see a woman in mourning, hear a short sketch performed in Spanish, and marvel at a painting on the wall of the King President’s bedroom." The performers are not from the theater department but from DU's Living and Learning Communities students and staff. They are "an ensemble of risk-takers with a passion for community engagement, performance, the arts and creative endeavors."

All performances are FREE. For more info, email Fay Coulouris (fcoulour@du.edu) or Roscoe Hill (rehill@du.edu).

March 1 Pure Confidence Director's Notes @ DCPA

I'm posting this event earlier than I might normally because registration is required and there's already a waiting list. The director of the DCTC's upcoming production of Pure Confidence, Kent Gash, will lead a Director's Notes session at 6:00 on March 1, featuring a discussion of the play and a tour of the theater.

Feb. 18 Lottery Party @ Boulder Fringe Fest

On Sunday, Feb. 18, the Boulder Fringe Fest will choose the 2007 line-up from all submissions by holding a lottery. In a smart marketing move, they're combining this very administrative task with an everyone-is-welcome party at 7:00 p.m. that will feature local performers. More details here and here.

Feb. 14-17 365 Days/365 Plays @ Dairy Center

This week's set of plays in the 365 Days/365 Plays cycle are being presented by madhause at The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder.

Week#14
February 14th, 16th, 17th at 8:00pm
February 15th at 2:00pm
The Dairy Center for the Arts
East Theater, 2590 Walnut Street

FREE ADMISSION

Feb. 9-10 New Play Summit @ DCTC

I just called the DCPA box office to inquire about the individual play readings that are described as being free on the Colorado New Play Summit webpage. They are free, but there are no tickets currently available. The box office associate I spoke with recommended that I either call back later in the week to see if there have been cancellations, or that I can try to get an unclaimed ticket 10 minutes before curtain.

Feb. 9-10 365 Days/365 Plays @ DCTC

The best place to find details on this week's presentation of 365 Days/365 Plays is again on John Moore's MySpace page. All plays will be performed at the Denver Center on Friday, Feb. 9 & Saturday, Feb. 10, in conjunction with the New Play Summit.

recap of Jan. 24 King Lear

I consider myself fairly well-versed in Shakespeare's body of work -- more so than the average American, but perhaps less so than a lot of English majors. In school we read the basics: Romeo and Juliet in 9th grade, Macbeth in 10th, and Hamlet in 12th. I know enough to know that Sting took the line "...nothing like the sun" from a Shakespeare sonnet. Because of my family's involvement in theater, I've seen As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing multiple times, and my Kenneth Branagh phase of the early 90s made me fall in love with Henry V (or "Hank Cinq" as I've heard it referred to).

I've seen mixed-bag productions in small theaters where the actors rush through their lines, I've seen surprisingly effective takes on what had become pedestrian, and I've seen top-knotch performances where every word and intention were crystal clear.

But somehow, with all of this education and exposure to theater, I had never seen nor read King Lear . I had tried once in junior high when our English teacher recommended we watch a made-for-TV version starring Laurence Olivier that was being broadcast. I made it as far as Cordelia's banishment before I bailed -- I may have been a 12-year-old geek, but even I had my limits.

The King Lear currently running at the Denver Center is probably as good as regional Shakespeare gets. As I mentioned above, I've seen some great productions, mostly at A Noise Within in Los Angeles, and I use that company as my benchmark. "Could the ANW crew have done that better?" When it comes to the actor playing Lear, Philip Pleasants, my answer is No. As well as -- perhaps. But better? It's hard to imagine that anyone could inhabit that role more fully than he does. His transformation made perfect sense, tragic and beautiful all at once, and I was surprised by what a witty fellow Lear could be through it all. Lear's death, coming as it does on the heels of his finally becoming fully alive for the first time, was moving without becoming maudlin. Pleasants also has played Scrooge here, and I told the guitarhero that we'll have to make a point of seeing any A Christmas Carol that he is in, if only to see him in a happy ending.

As for the rest of the production, I can say that it was very good overall, but I did feel myself at a loss because of not knowing the play going in. With Shakespeare, you sometimes don't know something is meant as a joke or a quip unless you already know the joke or quip. There were a few times when some of the audience (which filled over 80% of the house) reacted to a line that I completely missed. And I hate not knowing what's going on -- I'm smart and cultured after all, right?

Even so, there were other performances that I particularly liked, such as Mike Hartman as Gloucester, Markus Potter as Edgar (who lists an A Noise Within credit in his bio), John Hutton as Kent, and Remi Sandri as Cornwall. Rodney Hicks as Edmund was sexy and showy, but his musical theater background (ensemble in the original cast of Rent ) seemed a little too evident for this production.

As for the sisters -- those are tough roles, all three of them. I think that poor Cordelia can only pale next to her duplicitous siblings no matter who's playing her. Because most of the intrigue and plot twists depend on Regan and Goneril, I think my lack of familiarity with the play most impacts my view of those two performances. Sharon Washington as Goneril and Kathleen McCall as Regan were evil and scheming as required, but I'm just sorry that I don't know the roles better to have appreciated their performances more.

There were a few National Conservatory students in the cast, and their main duties seemed to consist of holding flaming torches while other cast members spoke. The two or three who did have lines, despite being talented and experienced students, still came off as novices among pros. A few women were cast as (male) soldiers, costumed in capes with their hair pulled back in manly ponytails. Even with their backs to my section of the audience, I was struck by how much the angle of one's head can betray femininity at the same time one is adopting a wide-shouldered, square-hipped stance. And after all is said and done, that's what I've learned from the great Shakespearean performances that I've seen -- don't ignore the details, for they are what transform the Bard's text into stories for a 21st century audience.

recap of Jan. 22 1001 & Su Teatro rally

I ended up seeing 1001 at the Denver Center Theatre Company on Monday the 22nd, not Wednesday the 17th as originally planned. When I got to the Bonfils Theatre last week at about 4:45, expecting to find myself at the end of a line of people already getting tickets for 1001, I found that the performance that evening had been canceled, but that they were allowing those who'd turned up the chance to reserve a free ticket for any of the upcoming previews. So I picked Monday the 22nd, thinking that I stood the least chance of having any conflicting events on that day.

Well, I was only partly right about that. A couple of days later El Centro Su Teatro sent around its announcement about the City Council meeting on Monday. It's true, I have become so obsessed with free tickets (I believe one coworker called me a "theater whore") that I viewed this as a potential conflict.

No matter, I decided, I'll make it work. On Monday I left my office a few minutes early, lucked out with easy traffic, and actually ponied up the $8 to park in the DCPA lot. After picking up my 1001 ticket from will call, I immediately set out to hoof it from the DCPA to the Denver City & County building even though it was already 5:30 at that point. And hoof it I did, making up for at least a few days' worth of inactivity. Once I found the correct building, I was directed to go down the hall and up to the 4th floor by a guard who was just like Michael Jeter, except more so. By now it was just about 6:00, and I wondered if it was even really worth it, considering the curtain for the ticket I already held was at 6:30 and I still had to walk back. But what the hell, I was already there, so I followed Michael Jeter's directions.

Once I made it to the chambers, I learned that not only did I miss the vote on Su Teatro's new space, but there hadn't been much to miss. There were a lot of people just sort of hanging around in the hall and chambers, some hobknobbing and some who looked like they were still waiting for something to happen. Not wanting to approach just any Latino to ask "where's my free ticket at?" I lingered until I saw a young woman passing by holding a stack of flyers & vouchers for I Don't Have to Show You No Stinking Badges. She gave me one while she shrugged and said, "Yeah, it was really quick. They just voted and it passed." So there you have it. And I now have a voucher for any Thursday night performance for the production that opens Feb. 15. More to come on that one.

I walked into the Bonfils about about 10 minutes before curtain and immediately felt a sense of being back, similar to returning after a few years to the home of a close relative where you spent good times growing up. That sense of, "Oh yes, I know this place, I know these people. This is one place I can feel I belong." My breath came more easily, I felt my brow unfurrow slightly, and in the mirror lobby I looked more like... me. Cause after all, everyone is beautiful at the ballet...
I thought to myself, Man, it's been way too long since I've been to see a play.

The house was full, mostly with folks in their 50s and 60s -- not a full-on 'blue hair' audience, but more of a traditional subscription-type crowd.

You definitely either 1) trust your supporters, or 2) don't give a rat's ass what people think when you decide to program a world premiere such as 1001 in a city like Denver. It defies easy explanation; I think my attempts to tell people about it have sounded like this: "Well, um, it's based on Scheherazade's One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and some it kind of takes place in that sort of mythical time. But then there's a modern couple living in New York, and their story kind of parallels it. And the stories kind of interweave and lead into one another. I mean, uh, an article I read kind of compared it to a webpage full of hyperlinks that take you to this story or that one, and they all relate on some level. And it's sort of like, uh, have you heard of magical realism? And it deals with 9/11 in a way but it's not heavy-handed. And an actor playing Osama bin Laden does Vincent Price's rap from 'Thriller,' and I totally laughed at that but I don't think the older people around me knew why. So it's kind of like that -- but you should totally go see it. I think you'd like it."

So now you don't need to ask me what 1001 is about because I just told you. It has some really beautiful moments, some jarring and surprising moments, a fantastic six-person cast, and a bitchin' DJ-as-sound board. You should go see it, especially if you don't see much theater and you're in that 20-45 year old age bracket that communicates a lot via e-mail and can recognize a Clash bassline when you hear it and have maybe even seen "Vertigo." I think you'd like it.

On Tuesday, I dropped a quick e-mail to Bret Saunders at KBCO, thinking that his is the perfect demographic for this production and maybe he'd mention the play at some point. On Wednesday my supervisor said, "Oh, someone on KBCO this morning was raving about that play you saw!" Turns out Bret read my e-mail on the air at about 8:30, so maybe I helped pay for my free ticket by getting a couple more butts in seats.

And the icing on this theatrical cake is that on Wednesday evening I got my own Q&A session with the playwright, Jason Grote. I had made his electronic acquaintance via the BCT Yahoo group for theater. So when the Denver Post published the article about 1001, I posted it to the group, and Jason and I e-mailed each other a couple of times about his plans to be here for the opening. He was completely gracious about offering to meet up for a cup of coffee when I told him of my plans to see King Lear on Wednesday, since he would be at the DCPA, too. So we met for about an hour. I followed my introduction by confessing that I hadn't realized how much he'd done until I read his full bio in the program; I knew wasn't a total neophyte, but I sort of thought of him as that playwright on BCT. Even so, this premiere at DCTC is still a big deal, which is why I was doubly impressed that he'd meet up with a local like me about whom he knew nothing. I got a chance to ask him a few questions about the play and how I thought some of the stories folded in on one another. I said that, especially having seen a very fluid performance, I wondered what the "Fuck you, Jason!" moments were that Ethan McSweeney, the director, had talked about in the Post article. While he didn't know of any specific moments, Jason said that he imagined they had to do with working out the tone and transitions, having had a few "Fuck you, Jason!" moments himself while writing the piece.

So I was a bit of a dork with my questions, and he was cool about it, and I came away from our meeting very appreciative of the opportunity to talk about the process with someone who really knows what he's doing. It made me feel again a little bit more like the me I hope to be.

Jan. 28-29 King Lear symposium @ DCPA & CU Boulder

From the Denver Post:
Former United Nations ambassador Ken Adelman, who originally said the war with Iraq would be a "cakewalk" but now thinks it has been "grossly mishandled," is the featured speaker of a symposium surrounding the opening of the Denver Center Theatre Company's King Lear. Led by artistic director Kent Thompson, panelists include Colorado Shakespeare Festival artistic director Philip Sneed.

Sunday
Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom, Denver Performing Arts Complex; 1-3 p.m.; free, RSVP 303-446-4881 (Call 303-492-1423 to learn of additional events)

Jan. 24 King Lear @ DCTC

The final free performance of January at Denver Center Theatre Company is this Wednesday, Jan. 24. On tap is King Lear, which I've never seen on-stage, or even read all the way through, come to think of it.

King Lear
Jan 24, 2007 · 6:30pm · Stage Theatre (box office opens at 4:30)

King Lear’s plan to test the love of his three daughters goes tragically awry and hurtles his kingdom into chaos, pushing Lear towards madness. An epic tale of political intrigue and family dysfunction, King Lear is Shakespeare’s harrowing look at the inevitability of death amid the conflicting values of love and duty, friendship and betrayal, leadership and loyalty, and good and evil. A Shakespearean masterpiece.

Jan. 22-26 365 Days/365 Plays @ Naropa U

Again, my plans to attend a performance in the Colorado 365 Days/ 365 Plays festival have been thwarted by my day job. This week's set of plays is being performed at Naropa University in Boulder during the lunch hour, Monday through Friday only. It's too bad, because it sounds very interesting.

The format here will be a contemplative, improvisational practice called 'The Red Square,' which involves calling upon audience members to help create each piece. The technique was developed by Barbara Dilley.

The only place I was able to find details regarding Naropa's performances was on John Moore's MySpace page, as the main Colorado page hasn't been updated in a few weeks.

Jan. 22 Support El Centro Su Teatro, receive theater tix

I received this notice through a Denver actors Yahoo group:

El Centro Su Teatro has been working to acquire the property at 215 S. Santa Fe Drive. The first step in this process is to receive a loan from the city. The last several months have been a long process, but finally congratulations are in order as Su Teatro's loan has passed two phases of the review process and is ready to go to City Council. Thank all of you who have been so supportive.

Now, we are asking everyone for your help to let the Denver City Council know that we have your support. All you need to do is show up, the more the better. As an added incentive all who attend will receive free tickets to I Don't Have to Show You No Stinking Badge good any Thursday night from February 15th -March 24th at El Centro Su Teatro at 4725 High.

El Centro Su Teatro Staff and Board
Support Su Teatro on Santa Fe Drive
Denver City Council meeting
Monday January 22, 2007 5:30 PM
Denver City & County Building

So, exercise your right to free assembly, support a Denver theater that does great work, and receive free theater tix! Not a bad deal at all.