Native American Short Play Festival coming

Littleton United Methodist Church is venue for April events

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After a three-year postponement, the Encore Players at Littleton United Methodist Church will sponsor a Native American Short Play Festival, produced by a new organization, Celebration of Native Arts (CoNA). Mark your calendar for April 21 (7 p.m.) or April 23 (2 p.m.).

e purpose of CoNA is to promote Native American theater, music and dance.

e ve plays — each 10 minutes or less in length — will be presented as staged readings and they explore universal themes such as rites of passage, grief, empowerment and family, according to directors Annawyn Shamas, and Ellen ShamasBrandt, founder of CoNA and Denver actor/director Pamela Clifton.

e Shamas mother/daughter duo are longtime Littleton residents — and are Chickasaw tribe members, as is Laura Shamas.

Annawyn’s great-grandfather was Chickasaw, she says, and they and sister/playwright Laura have registered as members.

is has been a major project for them and the theater-oriented family has been focused on Native American writing for some time: attending performances and making contacts.

ese plays, which will have staged readings, were originally performed in Los Angeles at Native Voices at the Autry eater’s Annual Short Play Festival. ey are: “ e Origin of Law” by Diane Glancy (Cherokee), “Four Women in Red” by Laura Shamas (Chickasaw), “ e Tamale Man” and “Slow Your Roll,” by P.C. Verrone (Osage, Kiowa) and “Flight” by DeLanna Studi (Cherokee).

Native Voices at the Autry was founded in 1994 and is devoted to developing and producing new

Fri 3/31

Jeffrey Dallet @ 2pm Village at Belmar, 7825 W Alameda Ave, Lakewood

Wendy Clark Band at Sunroom Brewing @ 5pm Sunroom Brewing, 3242 S Acoma St, Englewood

Trouble Bound: High & Lone‐some Classic Country Night @ 6:30pm Western Sky Bar & Taproom, 4361 S Broadway, Englewood

Zikr Dance Ensemble presents "Mysteries, Rites & Revelations"

@ 5pm / $25

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075

Commons Street, Lone Tree. david taylor.zikr@hotmail.com, 303-8841910

Bertin y su Condesa @ 8pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Bertin y Su Condesa - Dinastya Angelito y Su Sabor Costeño @ 8pm / $70 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Mon 4/03

Modern Swing Mondays @ 5pm / $10 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Microwave @ 6pm

Dan Bublitz Jr: Comedy Showcase @ 7pm Centennial Comedy Club, 9200 East Mineral Avenue, Centennial

Joe Dombrowski @ 6:15pm

Comedy Works South, 5345 Land‐mark Pl, Greenwood Village

Joan Osborne @ 6:30pm

Pace Center, Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Los Cardenales de Nuevo Leon @ 7pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Grupo Pesado @ 7pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

DUELO DE ACORDEONES

EDICIÓN ESPECIAL

@ 7pm / $100 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Sat 4/01

Jenny Shawhan @ 1pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

6 Million Dollar Band @ 6pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Spring Fling Dance @ 11:30pm

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Dear Marsha,: April Fools with Dear Marsha and her Freaky Band @ 8pm

Mirage Sports Bar, 8340 W Coal Mine Ave, Littleton

Sun 4/02

2023 Platte River Half Marathon & Relay @ 6am Littleton, CO, 2920 Brewery Lane, Little‐ton. logan@platteriverhalf.com

Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, En‐glewood

Delta Sleep @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Dan Bublitz Jr: Clean-Ish Comedy Show @ 6pm

Pizzability, 3445 S Broadway, En‐glewood

Thu 4/06

Colony House @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

CW & Twenty Hands High @ 6:30pm

Tue 4/04 Wed 4/05

Tony Medina Music: The Open Mic at the Alley @ 5:30pm The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Littleton

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

YouthTuber - Powderhorn @ 2:20pm / $132

Apr 5th - May 10th

Powderhorn Elementary, 12109 W Coal Mine Ave, Littleton. 720-9960894

Ladies Night @ 5pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

DJ Rockstar Aaron: Forbidden Bingo at 'Bout Time Pub & Grub @ 7pm

Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan

Diego Figueiredo @ 11pm

Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S Allison Pkwy, Lakewood

WHL U.S. Development Combine: Denver - Skater @ 11pm / $399

Apr 6th - Apr 9th

South Suburban Family Sports Center, 6901 South Peoria St, Centennial. 888844-6611 ext. 3354

Diego Figueiredo

Also coming to Lakewood Cultural Center: international guitar virtuoso Diego Figueiredo on April 7, performing a fusion of Brazilian music and jazz from around the world. 303-987-7845. Lakewood. org/LCCPresents.

Spring Craft Fair

Vendors and shoppers are invited to the Arapahoe Community College Spring Craft Fair on May 20. Deadline: May 10 $50 for table, chair, booth space. Money for scholarships and the Student Emergency Fund. Also at ACC: “Art, Wine and Design” from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on May 18. Registration required for artists. Tickets: $100. ACC is at 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive in Littleton.

Library reopens

Englewood Library hours, now that it has reopened: 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday to ursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Saturday; closed Sunday, April 9.

Theater in Aurora

“tick, tick … BOOM,” a musical by Jonathan Larson, creator of “Rent,” plays through April 23 at Vintage Theatre, cabaret stage, 1468 Dayton St. in Aurora, followed by George Zamarripa in a music and humor production, “Naked from the Neck Up” on March 29 at 7:30 p.m. On the Main Stage: a regional premier: “The Inheiritance, parts 1 and 2” by Matthew Lopez, winner of the 2020 Tony for best play, directed by Bernie Cardell. Two tickets required: Part I will primarily play on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons; Part II will primarily play on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Mature audiences only. VintageTheatre.org.

City Park Jazz City Park Jazz sends a lineup for a 37th summer series at Denver’s City Park: June 4 to August 8. CityParkJazz.org.

Pastel workshop

“Abstracting from Nature in Pastel” is artist Jane Shoenfeld’s