November 20, 2014 VOLU M E 9 1 | I SS UE 1 4
LakewoodSentinel.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Robin Hood aims for the heart DDRC brings laughter to annual holiday show By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com Robin Hood and the Merry Men of Sherwood are getting a light-hearted update in the Development Disabilities Resource Center’s annual holiday production of the famous English story. The DDRC players will present the show at “Robin Hood: Naught in Nottingham” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, at Green Mountain High School, 13175 W. Green Mountain Drive. There are no reservations in advance, and it is first come first served at the show. There is a suggested donation of $5 — which will go back to the DDRC to continue the work they do — but it is not required. The screenplay for “Robin Hood” was written by Jacob Dorn, and is directed by his parents Patrick and Abby, who are in their fourth year working with the DDRC. “Jacob wrote it in one weekend, and he takes in the cast and creates some create physical and verbal humor,” Patrick said. “The best part is everyone has a moment to shine — so often these people get sidelined but these plays give them a chance to exceed expectations.” The Dorns became involved in the DDRC through their involvement with Colorado ACTS (Actor’s Company and Theater School) and one of its founders, Leah Nixon. “Barbara Steiner Renaldo came up with the idea for us to do shows and I directed the first plays we did,” Nixon said. “I thought it was a great concept — to have ‘shadows’ on stage who support the cast and let them be the stars.” For the actors the productions are an opportunity to show off their comedic chops and bring their own spin on the characters. Suzi Burger is taking the lead role of Robin Hood and bringing devil-may-care attitude to the famous archer. “I’ve been involved in the plays for four years but they were small parts,” she said. “I like to bring my own themes and style.” Both Dorns said they couldn’t do the shows without the volunteers and helpers, who are on stage during the performances with scripts and help actors if they need prompting on lines or where to be on stage. The actors have been working and rehearsing every Tuesday since late August for their performance, and spend the last week rehearsing at Green Mountain to get
Robin Hood (Suzi Burger) introduces herself to the townspeople and audience for the first time in the DDRC production of “Robin Hood: Naught of Nottingham.” Photo by Clarke Reader used to the lights, sets and being on stage. Greg Stanley plays Guy of Gisborne and said over the past several months of developing the show, his favorite part has been acting with his friends. For the Dorns, volunteers and actors, the shows are a great chance to build up relationships with each other and the audiences. “Our audiences are the best — they are so present for the actors,” Patrick
IF YOU GO WHAT: DDRC presents “Robin Hood: Naught in Nottingham” WHERE: Green Mountain High School 13175 W. Green Mountain Drive, Lakewood said. “They get to experience the love and laughter from the audience.”
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 21 7 p.m. COST: Suggested donation of $5 INFORMATION: www.ddrcco.com For more information on the DDRC, visit www.ddrcco.com.
LAKEWOOD CITY COUNCIL ON THE RECORD Staff members from the planning department presented to the planning commission and city council for the second time this year on the progress of updating the comprehensive plan and creating the city’s first sustainability plan. “The comprehensive plan is a visionary document that details our goals and action steps we can take to get us there,” said Travis Parker, director of the planning department. “The sustainability plan will be more detailed and will have specific and measurable outcomes for how we’re doing.” The development of both plans are in the second phases, following months of public meetings in 2013. The aim is to finish the drafts by early 2015 and then there will be more open houses in February before presenting to council for adoption. Residents are encouraged to visit www. lakewood.org/movingforward in the coming months, because drafts of the plan will be posted and there will be places to leave feedback.
Comprehensive plan
Rob Smetana, Lakewood’s principal planner, spoke about the Lakewood Innovates section of the plan, which focuses on practically pursuing a thriving and sustainable economy through creative developmental strategies. Smetana spoke about different areas of focus, like economic growth areas — such as West Colfax along the W Rail, Denver West and Rooney Valley. Neighborhood and future activity areas — both of which will encourage growth on potentially smaller scales — are also important features of the updated plan. Mallory Bettag, an associate planner with the city, detailed the Lakewood Sustains section of the plan, which she said sets the stage for the separate Sustainability Plan. “This part of the (Comprehensive) plan is the guiding principles for the city and our Sustainability Plan will be how we go about the changes,” she said. Some of the key areas the city is look-
ing to address include air and water quality, biodiversity, brownfield properties and waste management. “For the comprehensive plan, the next steps are to keep working with neighborhoods on integrating their plans into ours,” she said. Discussion on the Comprehensive Plan from both the planning commission and city council was mostly positive, with a focus on protecting the characters of the neighborhoods. “When you look at the Lakewood Innovates section the commercial areas get more specific than the neighborhoods, but that’s because those areas are further from where we want them to be,” Parker said. “We have a lot of change envisioned in commercial areas but the vision for the neighborhoods isn’t that different from where they already are.”
Comprehensive plan
Jonathan Wachtel, sustainability coordinator, spoke about the progress on
the sustainability plan, emphasizing the importance of having goals that can be measured to see how the city is doing. “There will be different kinds of actions based on what we come up with from education and outreach to physical infrastructure improvements,” he said. “We want to come up with long-term and measurable goals.” The final areas covered in discussions include waste recycling, natural systems and transportation. The meetings about these topics drew in a range of participants, from neighboring city staff, the EPA and U.S. Geological Survey. “The meetings weren’t driven by the planners,” said Ward 5 councilman Tom Quinn. “If you went, you had to participate. We talked about idea, concepts and I really liked the format — I thought it brought a good outcome.” The next council meeting is a study session at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec.1, at the 40 West Arts Gallery, 1560 Teller St. — Compiled by Clarke Reader