Arvada Center takes audiences back to ‘Our Town’

Th ere are some 20 th century plays that are simply synonymous with the theater. And right at the top of that list is ornton Wilder’s immortal story of small-town life and love, “Our

When a show has such a strong reputation, it can be easy to think of it as rigid and traditional, with no production having anything worthwhile to add. But as any regular of the Arvada Center can attest, the company never does a production without giving it a unique spin.

“Our production, to me, feels like the product of pure artistic collaboration,” wrote Archer Rosenkrantz, who plays Joe Crowell and Wally Webb at the Center, in an email interview. “I feel lucky to work under leadership that values everyone’s voices in the room, and I think that our production is a re ection of that.” e play, directed by Geo rey Kent, is set in the ctional town of

As part of the 2023 Black Box Repertory eater season, “Our Town” runs at the Arvada Center , 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., through Saturday, May 20. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. ursday through Saturday, 1 p.m. on Wednesday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire from 1901 to 1913, and follows the lives of some of the residents as they grapple with major life events and attempt to get a handle on the eeting nature of existence.

“Geo ’s vision for the show was that it isn’t just a show you see, you as the audience feel like a part of the story, and a part of the process, almost like being let in on a secret,” wrote Claylish Coldiron, who plays Emily Webb, in an email interview.

“We perform in the round in a very intimate theatre, which we have utilized every corner of, so that when the show starts, the audience is being invited to join the world we create for the next two hours.”

One of the decisions that adds a more personal touch to the experience is to allow Rosenkrantz to portray Wally as autistic.

“As an autistic actor, I’m ecstatic that my director was on board with allowing Wally to be autistic as well for this production. Wally has special interests like most autistic kids, and he thrives when he’s able to engage with them,” they wrote.

“Even though Emily and Wally don’t always see eye to eye, Wally loves Emily deeply. He looks up to her, and sometimes envies her ability to succeed in school where he often struggles.”

One of the many things that makes “Our Town” so timeless is how applicable it is to every person, whether on stage or in the audience.

“ is script… brought to light how beautiful and spectacular life really is, and how precious, not in a way that is fragile but in a way that made us all want to hold it a little tighter and do a little more with whatever time and space we have,” Coldiron wrote.

Visit https://arvadacenter.org/ events/our-town for information and tickets.

Take a ride on the `Carousel’ at Lakewood Cultural Center e Lakewood Cultural Center and Performance Now eatre Company are teaming up to copresent the classic musical “Carousel,” which runs from Friday, March 17 through Sunday, April 2 at the Lakewood Cultural Center , 470 S. Allison Parkway. Performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

A traditional favorite from the legendary duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the show features standards like “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Find detail and tickets at Lakewood.org/LCCPresents.

Wheat Ridge Theatre invokes `The Irish Curse’ at’s the method author Martin Casella uses in his black comedy, “ e Irish Curse,” which is currently running at Wheat Ridge eatre Company , 5455 W. 38th. Ave.,

Sometimes the best way to tackle touchy subjects is to do so with a funny and irreverent approach.

Unit J. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, through Sunday, March 26.

Directed by Selena A. Naumo , the show is “about a self-help group for men with a particular physical `shortcoming,’” according to provided information and dives into thorny questions of identity, masculinity, sex and the challenges men deal with on the daily.

Get tickets for the show at https://wheatridgetheatrecompany.ticketspice.com/the-irish-curse.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — MIKE at Lost Lake Lounge

If you’ve been paying attention to underground rap for the last couple years, you’ve probably come across the Google-proof musician MIKE . He specializes in the kind of insular, atmospheric rap that is made for headphones and evenings spent laying on your oor. He’s released numerous critically acclaimed albums and his latest, “Beware of the Monkey,” ranks as one of his best.

In support of the album, MIKE will be stopping at the Lost Lake Lounge , Address, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. Lost Lake is the perfect venue for a rising star MIKE and openers 454 and Anysia Kym. Details and tickets can be found at https://lost-lake.com/.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

Thu 3/16

2023 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament AllSession @ 11:59pm

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

John Brewster Music: Front Range Brewing (Solo) @ 6pm Front Range Brewing Company, 400 W South Boulder Rd #1650, Lafayette

Birthday Celebration (Mar) @ 7pm Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Fri 3/17

Breakfast Burrito Bingo 3/17 @ 3pm Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Denver Of�cial St Patrick's Day Bar Crawl @ 5pm / $9.99

Pour House on Market + Various Venues, 1410 Market Street, Denver. info@pub crawls.com

Teens: iFLY Denver @ 5:30pm

Fort Lupton Community / Recreation Cen‐ter, 203 S. Harrison Avenue, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

SCFD Free Event: Mariachi Sol de mi Tierra @ 7:30pm / Free-Free Center for Musical Arts, 200 East Baseline Road, Lafayette

Littleton Museum (3/21) @ 4pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Gerald Clayton @ 8pm

Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th St, Denver

Caracara @ 8pm

Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St, Denver

Wed 3/22

Anavrin's Day: St Patrick's Day @ Hoffbrau! @ 9pm Hoffbrau, 9110 Wadsworth Pkwy, Westminster

Junior Jam @ 12am Mar 18th - Mar 17th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

The Family Jones: Gin & Syrups Brunch

Adventure Explorers: Fly High Series @ 2pm

Mar 22nd - Mar 23rd

@ 11am 9490 Co Rd 25, Fort Lupton, CO 80621, USA, Brighton

Lifeguard Class (Spring Break) @ 4pm Mar 19th - Mar 24th

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Mon 3/20

Standley Lake Bird Walk @ 8am

Standley Lake Regional Park, 8600 Simms Street, Westminster. prl@ cityofwestminster.us, 303-6582794

Divine Torture: The Super Spectacular Superhero Birfday Super Showdown @ 7pm Trailside Saloon, 10360 Colorado Blvd, Thornton

Tiny Mule Music performs @ 9:30am

Anythink Brighton, 327 East Bridge Street, Brighton. rbowman @anythinklibraries.org, 303-4053230

Oh Snap! Photography @ 3pm

Mar 20th - Mar 22nd

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Tue 3/21

Colorado Rapids vs. Minnesota United FC @ 7:30pm / $20-$999

DICK'S Sporting Goods Park, 6000 Victory Way, Commerce City

Sat 3/18 Sun 3/19

Teen Try 'N Escape - Galactic Getaway @ 12:30am

Mar 19th - Mar 18th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Bubble week at Anythink Wright Farms @ 9am

Anythink Wright Farms, 5877 East 120th Avenue, Thornton. mhibben @anythinklibraries.org, 303-4053200

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Colorado Avalanche vs. Pittsburgh Penguins @ 6pm / $89-$999

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Nature Exploration @ 10:30pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Thu 3/23

National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility @ 2:45pm

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Failure is an option: Embroi‐dered Temari egg workshop @ 5pm

Anythink Wright Farms, 5877 East 120th Avenue, Thornton. mhibben @anythinklibraries.org, 303-4053200

National Tamale Day @ 5pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760