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Performing Arts

 It's tired but true to say Telluride is a unique corner of our Blue Marble. It follows that it's local institutions are just as unusual. The five-star Wilkinson Public Library acts as a community center and regularly shows documentary and feature films. The Telluride Historical Museum regularly produces special events, including theatrical, on-mountain (Monday morning's Ski Into History), and bar crawls. Christ Church, focuses on sustainability, world religion, and meditation. And now St. Patrick's Church is turning itself into a concert hall for a world-class operatic tenor/musical theatre performer and concert singer.

On Thursday, February 24, 6 p.m., cocktails, and 7 p.m.,concert, tenor Dennis McNeil returns to Telluride for an encore performance at St. Pat's. The evening is a fundraiser for the 115-year-old house of worship in need of restoration. The program includes Broadway tunes, spirituals, and Irish tunes.

12 February, 2011 /
[click "Play", Tracy speaks with Buntport's Erin Rollman]

 

 

by Tracy Shaffer

CNPS-web.sflb For the first time in its six year history, Denver Center Theatre Company has included a local theatre company in the upcoming Colorado New Play Summit. Buntport Theatre Company is a zany/brainy collaboration of theatrical inventors, who have consistently delivered Denver’s most original theatre for the past ten years. Taking on Hamlet, Kafka, Ovid and O’Neill, Buntport has proven itself a true mix of the ridiculous and the sublime.

08 February, 2011 /
[click "Play" to hear Tracy speaking with Bruce K Sevy]

 

 

by Tracy Shaffer

CNPS-web.sflb It's that time of year again! Writers and artists, actors, directors, agents and theatre buffs from around the country will descend on Denver next week for the Colorado New Play Summit. Denver Center Theatre hosts it's sixth annual playwright lovefest, February 10-12, with staged readings of new works by commissioned playwrights and scripts submitted for inclusion. This year marks the return of two "rock star" writers, Octavio Solis and Michele Lowe, along with Lisa Loomer, Samuel D Hunter, Lloyd Suh and a commissioned piece by Denver's award-winning Buntport Theatre. The white hot Octavio Solis, who brought us the glorious "Lydia" in 2008, brings the much anticipated script, Cecilia Marie, to town for a staged reading and the equally scorching Michelle Lowe has her "Map of Heaven" on the Denver Center boards for its world premiere production. Ms. Lowe won the 2010 Francesca Primus Prize for her previous Denver debut, 2009's Inana.

06 February, 2011 /

 This long weekend, Friday – Monday, February 4 – February 7, 6 p.m.,Telluride's Sheridan Arts Foundation's Young People's Theater company presents an encore performance of the 1930s period masterpiece, "Anything Goes."

With this her latest production of the Cole Porter hit, director Jen Julia is clearly playing a game of "Can You Top (Hat) This?"

Back in 2002, Jen's original adaptation of the Broadway musical hit was, well, "a Picasso painting, a Bendel's bonnet, a Shakespeare sonnet, Mickey Mouse." The best. It too featured an abundantly talented group of 30 local teens, 9th – 12th graders, singing, dancing and jiving. And yet, of the 2011 incarnation of "Anything Goes," Jen exclaims:

31 January, 2011 /

 Telluride's Palm Theatre venue for Ailey II, Thursday, February 3

“The entire company looks terrific. Clearly, the future is theirs.” The New York Times

In Telluride, if I say "Revelation," you say, "Bowl." It's all about high-alpine powder surrounded by 13,000-foot+ peaks. Mostly right – just not this time. This time "Revelations" refers to a peak dance experience, a jubilant, soul-stirring suite that is easily one of the most uplifting ballets in the modern dance repertoire.

"Revelations" is a tribute to the cultural heritage of African Americans and to the genius of a man named Alvin Ailey, Jr. (1931 – 1989). Ailey, an African American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, founded the world-famous Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, one of our country's boldest and most exciting troupes.

29 January, 2011 /

Announcing:  2011 Winter Puppet Program for San Miguel County Elementary Schools:

Puppets_paleontologist 
Paddy the Paleontologist with his library

The Watershed Education Program Puppet Theater of the Telluride Institute is entering its 4th season with exciting new additions to its repertoire. We have been rehearsing, working on our stage, and making some new puppets such as "Paddy the Paleontologist" who tells the story of the dinosaur bones recently discovered on Norwood Hill. The puppeteers include Ashley Boling, Sally Davis, Jeb Berrier, Laurie Lundquist, and Colin Sullivan. Buff Hooper has been working behind the scenes with Sally and Laurie on props and puppets. We will be performing up and down the watershed in various schools and libraries with the goal of educating and entertaining. It will be lots of fun!

The basic concepts of watershed awareness are introduced in simple ways that form a foundation for childrens’ later participation in our Watershed Education Program (WEP). The real stars of these shows are the animals and insects of the watershed. When you come to a show you are likely to meet a bear, a coyote, a beaver, a cricket, an eagle, and even a mosquito! All of these wild creatures have a point of view; we can learn a lot by listening to them interact. The dynamics of our watershed are rich and complex. It is good to hear about this place from the horse's mouth… and the dog's bark and the cricket's chirp…!

Our fun filled puppet shows for the 2011 season include :

27 January, 2011 /

kicker: Mountainfilm in Telluride opens the week with Monday screenings

Gallery4_sm Mountainfilm in Telluride is sometimes in Telluride and only sometimes in May. Mountainfilm on Tour conducts programs around the country throughout the year. There were recent Mountainfilm special events in Aspen and at New York's Lincoln Center. This week, it's Mountainfilm in Telluride at the five-star Wilkinson Public Library. The FREE program is scheduled for Monday, January 24. Doors at 5 :30 p.m. and films at 6 p.m.

The program for Mountainfilm in Telluride at the Wilkinson Public LIbrary is as follows:

23 January, 2011 /
[click "Play", Todd Altschuler talks about Telluride Jazz Celebration events]


kicker: Streaming Toubab Krewe 1/25

Tk2 Jazz is a uniquely American musical idiom that has no reason – or season. To prove the point, the Telluride Jazz Celebration plans to celebrate year 'round, not just over one memorable August weekend.

Starting on Tuesday, January 25, 10 p.m., the Telluride Jazz Celebration presents Live from the Llama webcasts, concerts designed to give music lovers around the globe a chance to enjoy sounds emanating from our box canyon. The first featured group is Toubab Krewe.

20 January, 2011 /