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Unknown In March, a woman came to Telluride to talk about her son. One person in particular did more than listen. Jen Julia, director of Sheridan Arts Foundation's Young People's Theater company, followed Mary Shepard's example turning words into action. On Wednesday, May 12, 6 p.m., members of the SAF Young People's Theater high school acting group, Julia's "company," perform a staged reading of "The Laramie Project,"  a play based on the events surrounding the murder of Judy's son Matthew Shepard.

On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard was discovered bound to a fence in the hills outside Laramie, Wyoming, savagely beaten and left to die, an act of brutality and hate that shocked the nation. Judy Shepard's response was to turn personal tragedy into an international crusade, creating The Matthew Shepard Foundation to promote tolerance and diversity. Moises Kaufman & Co. created a play to honor Matthew's memory and advocate justice for all.
10 May, 2010 /
5-10 TFF poster Telluride Film Festival Cinematheque, a collaboration between the internationally renowned Telluride Film Festival and the five-star Wilkinson Public Library, is a vehicle for film lovers in the greater Telluride community to watch and discuss great films year 'round. Thanks to programming genius of Festival co-director Gary Meyer, the grand finale of the winter season in the "All About Food" series is the critically acclaimed "Big Night," (1996, 107 minutes). The event takes place Monday, May 10, 5:30 p.m. for the pre-show reception and 6 p.m. for the screening.

"Big Night" is a delicious tale of mouthwatering food and boiling passions. The story is built around a belt-popping pig-out at a Jersey trattoria which can't get no respect. The engaging dramedy revolves around two brothers in the pursuit of the American Dream.

09 May, 2010 /

Tea Leaf Green and Cornmeal are joint headliners for a post-PHISH party at Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House. Shows are August and August 10, 11 p.m. Tickets go on sale at sheridanoperahouse.com at NOON on Saturday, May 8 and will ONLY be on sale at...

07 May, 2010 /

Datenight_smallteaser "Date Night" (PG-13) is the movie at Telluride's Nugget Theatre the week of Friday, May 7-Thursday, May 13. Say your marriage is a little bland, a lot tied up with kids and jobs. How about a special night out to liven things up? No reservations at the fancy new Manhattan restaurant? No worries, just be proactive, so that when the couple who DID have a reservation don't show up, you are ready. Would some mob-controlled cops and self-inflicted mistaken identity spice things up? Well then, hang on. 'Cause that's the maguffin in "Date Night."

See below for showtimes and the Nugget website for reviews and trailers.

06 May, 2010 /

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Nick Day & Jennie Franks

This summer, the Telluride Repertory Theatre Company celebrates 20 years of providing staged entertainment to the Telluride community.  As part of their summer celebration, the Rep is teaming up with the Telluride Playwrights Festival (TPF) to produce an exciting staged production of Philip Gerson’s new play “This Isn’t What It Looks Like.”  Nicholas Day of the Telluride Playwrights Festival and Great Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre Company directs a cast of local talent. The opening is July 15 at Telluride's Palm Theater.

“This Isn’t What It Looks Like” is part of a summer of “Made In Telluride” performing arts, which includes the Telluride Playwrights Festival showcase performances, July 11 and 12, and the Rep's "Shakespeare in the Park"  starting August 18. The Telluride Playwrights Festival and the Telluride Rep look forward to offering a great line-up of summer theatre.

04 May, 2010 /
The 32nd annual Mountainfilm Festival will be the biggest ever with more venues in operation, more special guests and more programming. Festival Director David Holbrooke describes Mountainfilm as thriving.
 
“We are particularly excited about the festival this year,” he says. “We have a very strong and varied lineup of films, speakers and artists. We have accomplished mountaineers like Ed Viesturs and Conrad Anker, but we also have artists like Maya Lin and Chris Jordan. We have environmental activists like Dave Foreman and Tim DeChristopher but we also have civil rights activists with two Freedom Riders coming to town.”
 
Among the films to screen in Telluride at the end of May, Holbrooke highlighted the following as examples of Mountainfilm’s depth and diversity:
02 May, 2010 /

Kickass_smallposter Resized_How_To_Train_Your_Dragon_poster The Nugget Theatre in beautiful downtown Telluride has three movies on the bill for the week of Friday, April 30-Thursday, May 6. The early movie through the weekend is "How to Train your Dragon", rated PG. This is not your typical "boy-meets-dragon" story. Hiccup, a wise-guy Viking kid, will ultimately change the course of Viking history.

R rated "Kick Ass" posits a would-be super-hero with a problem: he has no super powers. He can't leap tall buildings at a single bound, can't bend steel with a hard look; you get the picture. But that doesn't keep him from inspiring a bunch of copycats, and of course, a bunch of super-villains. Not made for kids.

Thebountyhunter_smallteaser "The Bounty Hunter" (PG-13) starts with an interesting premise: wouldn't it be great to be a bounty hunter with a mandate to bring in your ex-wife. No story without a few twists, right?

See below for showtimes, and the Nugget website for trailers and reviews.

Friday, April 30
     5:00 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON   1hr 38min  PG
     7:00 KICK ASS                   1hr 58min  R

29 April, 2010 /
Poster The Sheridan Arts Foundation's Young People's Theater in Telluride, under the direction of Jen Julia, presents its third full-length musical, performed by a cast of 27 young locals, grades 3 – 5. Performances are April 30 – May 2, 6 p.m. ( one hour with intermission).

Hansel & Gretel is a fairy tale of German origins, made famous by the Brothers Grimm. The story follows a young brother and sister, who discover a Gingerbread house filled with candy in the forest, the home of a child-eating wicked old witch. The Grimm version differs from the original in one fundamental plot twist: there was no evil stepmother. It was the children's own mother who convinced the father to abandon his offspring in the woods, a not unknown practice during crisis such as famine, war, plague, pestilence of the late Middle Ages. The change was to smooth feathers in a society not able to conceive of a mother forsaking her own babes.
29 April, 2010 /

"Telluride Hiking Guide" author Susan Kees talks with TIO about her experiences in the region's high country. The third edition of her book is due out this year, and she also has a new website, www.telluridehikingguide.com. ...

28 April, 2010 /

180south
180 South

From over 600 submissions, Mountainfilm has whittled its 2010 official film selections down to roughly 75, a process that Festival Director David Holbrooke says was a "particular challenge" because there were so many strong films. 
 
“As always, we have a wide range of films on a dizzying array of subjects from exploration to environmentalism to ecstasy (the drug). Having to pick and choose what makes the most sense for us, what best connects or contrasts with our themes and sub-themes, is really tough. Saying ‘no’ to strong films and talented filmmakers is just hard, no two ways about it.”
 
However difficult the decision-making process, Holbrooke says he is excited by the quality and diversity of this year’s picks.

28 April, 2010 /