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Performing Arts

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer sends us a Summer Poem

The 31st annual Telluride Mountainfilm Moving Mountains Symposium is on the subject of food: the pending crisis and fruitful options. In their third year as organic fruit growers, longtime Telluride region locals Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and husband Eric are part of the solution.

010 It was not their dream. One day, they just did it. Their 70-acre orchard, New Leaf Fruit, located on the Gunnison River north of Delta, produces peaches, pears, apricots, cherries, nectarines and apples. They have two children together, five-year-old Finn and 10-month-old Vivian, who was born at the orchard last apricot harvest. Eric's other daughter, Shawnee, worked at the orchard three years ago and loved it so much she is now in graduate school in international development, focusing on sustainable agriculture in Latin America. Rosemerry's most recent poetry collection, Holding Three Things at Once (Turkey Buzzard Press, 2008), is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award and explores the world of mothering, orcharding and communicating with each other and our environment.
19 May, 2009 /

Friday night, May 15, a cast of Telluride teenagers earned a standing ovation at the end of their performance of "Audition" at the Sheridan Opera House. Teenagers playing (mostly) teenagers, dressed as teenagers, dealing with teenagers' concerns and without sets: it was a great evening....

17 May, 2009 /

No doubt we will all say we knew her when. Graduating Telluride senior Alexis Cruzzavala is an exceptional young woman.

Seven years ago, when we first met, Alexis was only 11 and doing a bit part in the Telluride Repertory Theatre's production of "Romeo and Juliet." Even then, she stood out from the crowd: not just smart, she was also articulate, and poised beyond her years. When the conversation turned to acting, she gushed like a broken dam.

Alexis went on to perform in no fewer than eight of director Jen Julia's always memorable productions. She nearly stole the show in her most recent role, "Marty," the Lolita wannabe in "Grease."  She stars in the SAFYPT's upcoming "The Audition."

14 May, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Clint's conversation with Cosy Sheridan] There are lots of things happening at Telluride's Wilkinson Public Library. This time Scott Doser, program director at the library, has laid on a weekend of workshops plus a...

14 May, 2009 /

(editor's note: We did get the video uploaded, finally, so take another look.)

The play's not the thing. "The Audition" is simply a vehicle for a talented group of Telluride teens. Watching them in rehearsal, it was obvious how much they love and respect their longtime director, Jen Julia, and how much they enjoy one another and strutting their stuff on the boards.

"Closing night of Grease, the kids said, 'We want more,' and so I began searching scripts that met the following criteria: Kids would play kids as they had in 'Grease,' and get to work with material with some dramatic grit, something they could sink their teeth into," explained Jen.

14 May, 2009 /

43 The Telluride Public School's production of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" is being performed May 7-9 at 6:30 pm, and a 1:30 matinee, Sunday, May 10 at the Michael D. Palm Theatre.

The play is directed by Angela Watkins with musical direction by Dr. David Lingle.

05 May, 2009 /

Trio Solisti is the founding ensemble of the Telluride Musicfest, this year June 25 – July 5, and featuring world renowned composer Philip Glass as Composer-in-Residence.  "Telluride Inside...

25 April, 2009 /

Telluride local Mark Berenson will be performing at the Wilkinson Public Library in a free concert Wednesday, April 15 at 6:00 pm. Mark's performance is another in an ongoing series of public events in the program room hosted by Scott Doser, Program Director at...

13 April, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's interview with Ralph]  Sometimes life in Telluride is such a drag – especially when dragster extraordinaire Ralph Dinosaur takes to the stage. The cross-dressing Ralph and his band of renown headline KOTO's end-of-season...

02 April, 2009 /

37 Allergies? Dust? Something in the air at Telluride's  Palm Theatre was making me tear up while watching Tuesday's dress rehearsal of the Telluride Repertory Theatre/Telluride Choral Society's cosy and warm production of the terminal blockbuster, "The Sound of Music." Surrender. Cry uncle. Guaranteed you, like Clint and I, will succumb to the charm of this Rogers and Hammerstein classic.

True the book is sugar-coated, enough to cause a toothache, but nowadays the blowsy optimism seems to work to the play's advantage: how nice to be able to take a time out from the long shadows cast by today's headlines to bask in the musical's sunshine and light. True the music itself is unapologetically melodic, but that melody creates a structure as solid and reassuring as the convent walls that try – but fail – to contain the moonbeam known as Maria, the novitiate.

Directed by the feisty, focused, uber  talented L.A. import, Cate Caplin – a newbie to town  but with over 100 productions to her credit as director/choreographer and an international dance champion – The Rep's adaptation of the Broadway show is marvel of restraint. She and partner in crime Dr. David Lingle, the equally but quietly gifted artistic director of the Choral Society, clearly made a decision to focus on the business end of the musical: they tell their story of courage and the power of love  – and song – to triumph over evil with few frills. In lock step with the two directors, the producer, Lutz Florczak and crew of about 20 deliver the goods: the sets, costumes/make-up, lighting, sound, are wonderful, but never upstage the actors, the heart of the matter.

26 March, 2009 /