Meet Barbara Gehring

About Barbara Gehring

Barbara Gehring is a Playwright, Actress, Improvisor and Experience Designer with credits including the Emmy Award winning The Social Dilemma, streaming on Netflix, and theatrical production The Secret Comedy of Women-Girls Only® www.GirlsOnlyComedy.com, www.Facebook.com/GirlsOnlyComedy.

Barbara is also the President of the Broomfield Crescent Grange. She has been a resident of Westminster for 15 years and also lived in Thornton for 10 years. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Barbara met her American husband Paul in Japan in 1991. They have raised their two kids (daughter Isabella who just turned 19 and son Gavin who is 16) in Colorado.

Her hobbies include ice hockey and snowboarding with her family. She is a 5th degree black belt, dances at Colorado Conservatory of Dance, slalom water skis, hikes, and loves triathlons and yoga.

Editor’s Note: Each month Our Broomfield Magazine profiles different members of the community. Through Our People: Meet "insert name," our goal is to introduce Broomfield change-makers and highlight their contributions.

Q: What is your favorite thing about Broomfield’s Crescent Grange?

A: I first discovered the Grange while searching for a new venue for our small non-profit martial arts school, Iwa Dojo, with my husband, Paul, eight years ago. Serendipitously, I learned about the Grange during a yoga class centered around the theme of “community.” It was a perfect match, and since then, we have been teaching traditional Okinawan martial arts classes at the Grange every Monday and Wednesday, further strengthening the connection to this community-centric space.

Now, as President of the Broomfield Crescent Grange, together with my dedicated board members, we are breathing new life into the108-year-old historic venue. The heart of our work is to provide an accessible, affordable space for local events, echoing its original role as a hub for community gatherings.

I was drawn to the role by a deep-seeded desire to bring back an era where gathering spaces were affordable and central to community life. We provide a versatile space where people can celebrate life’s milestones, host meaningful meetings, and engage in various community activities.

Q: What do you find unique about Broomfield?

A: The Crescent Grange and our organic community garden!

Q: What advice would you give to people living in or relocating to Broomfield?

A: Enjoy all the open space that our community has to offer. Take your kids to The Bay and the Butterfly Pavilion, and the Veterans Museum. Meet your neighbors and get involved, and become a member of the Broomfield Crescent Grange.

Q: Who or what inspires you to be a better person?

A: My two teenagers. Besides my husband, they are the best humans I know.

Q. Who is the most interesting person, past or present, you’ve met in our community?

A: I enjoy the Veterans at the Broomfield Veterans Museum. Their stories, passion, and preservation of history are so important to our community, to our world.

More about Barbara: Her dedication to community building extends beyond her role at the Grange. A veteran of improv, sketch comedy, and theatre, she is also the creator of the national theatrical hit show The Secret Comedy of Women. Gehring’s professional career of 30 years as an actress and playwright has run the gamut from stage to screen, and TV commercials to voice work in Denver.

Gehring has to her credit several indie films and was most recently seen on ABC’S What Would You Do?, she played the Network Executive in The Engagement Plot and starred as the Mom in the Emmy Award winning documentary The Social Dilemma. Even in her professional career as an actor and playwright, her goal is to bring people together, believing in the power of meaningful connection.

She said, “Sometimes the world overwhelms me. Making a meaningful impact on a national or global scale feels out of reach. So I focus my energy on what’s closest to me: my family, my neighborhood, and my community.”

Bette Erickson writes about people, places, and events. Contact her at bette_erickson@hotmail.com.