October is known as “gig-tober” amongst performers because the modern incarnation of Halloween lends itself so well to dressing up and being dramatic; every troupe in town has a zombie-themed show running this month, and I’m here to talk about one of them. It’s Audacious Theatre’s Grimm’s Scary Tales. The production nicely represents the two things that humans fear: death and the unexplained (which arguably includes death). October is the season when we get to exorcise and process those fears in a way that involves slutty outfits and huge volumes of high-fructose corn syrup. How completely... Read More

I’ve mentioned in previous columns that “immersive theater” is having a moment. At the Aurora Fox Arts Center, it’s having an orgasm. Or perhaps a petit mal seizure. Or maybe both. Petit mal, petit mort…whatever; I walked into Control Group Productions’ staging of Cutting Room Floor and walked out 90 minutes later, not quite sure how that time-loss had happened, but desperately hoping to make it happen again. The idea is this: the historic Fox Theater, founded in a Quonset hut in 1946 and thriving for decades as a movie house, was gutted by a fire in the early 80s, by which time it... Read More

Caution: Includes Spoilers! With October comes pumpkin spice lattes, last year’s limp Halloween decorations dragged back out onto my neighbor’s lawn, and gothic theater productions. Front and center of Denver’s autumnal theater roster is Equinox Theater Company’s production of Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Bug Theatre in LoHi. Stephen Sondheim’s opus is notoriously difficult and, well, the Bug isn’t quite Broadway, so my expectations were…reasonable. I’m happy to report that those expectations were far exceeded. Sweeney Todd is basically a Liam Neeson... Read More

Hi Everyone, Happy Monday!  This coming Wednesday is one of the best opportunities of the year to witness some of the highest levels of motivation and determination. The goal?  CANDY! I am a firm believer that there is so much we can learn from children and by adopting a childlike mindset.   For this week’s motivation I am going to borrow lessons that we can all learn from kids as it applies to the adventure of trick or treating. I cannot help but think of the sheer determination millions of children across the US put into action on Halloween.   I don’t know about you, but I certainly... Read More

“I met him, 15 years ago. I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this…six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and…the blackest eyes — the Devil’s eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply…evil.” John Carpenter and Debra Hill wrote those words for the screenplay of 1978’s Halloween.... Read More

Happy Halloween Colorado and beyond! I hope your October has been half-haunted, filled with tricks & treats as well as a ghost or two. If you have yet to pick up a costume… what are you waiting for? I beg of you, please do not be the person trying to make up an excuse for not having a costume. Coming from someone who has relied on being the Blue M&M every year… since 4th grade… please find an expressive and creative costume this year. Double Butterfinger bite size dare you! I know you can do it! Because I can do it! I vow I will not fall back on my faded Blue M&M pull-over... Read More

I wish online dating apps had filters that were really useful. If I could type in “artist, athlete, ginger beard, and total weirdo” and get search results, I’d be a happy OKCupid camper. Unfortunately, “weirdo” isn’t yet a viable search term. (If it is, someone please let me know!) I have specific reasons for wanting each of the above items and I think that “artist” might be the most compelling. Artists interest me because the nature of their work and themselves constantly demands growth and change, reincarnation to support the new life continually developing out of the old one.... Read More

It’s Halloween Weekend in Denver, and it is no surprise that we have a number of choices when combining our holiday festivities and costumes with beer drinking. There are even quite a few spots that build in events for the kiddos. Where will you be this weekend?   Caution Brewing’s Hallowbeer Bash: Friday, Oct. 27th @ 7pm-10pm All-night giveaways, Halloween classics on a projector screen, and a limited $12 keep-the-glass deal will keep you satisfied all evening at Caution Brewing in Lakewood. Spangalang Brewery’s Spooky Mystery Party: Friday, Oct. 27th @6pm-8pm Denver... Read More