The final piece of August Wilson’s ten-play chronicle of the twentieth-century African-American experience, Radio Golf is the story of progress and greed versus tradition in the historic Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It’s set entirely in the office of a development company, where a young African-American developer — who’s also…

Don’t underestimate the snowmen around Nederland and Eldora. According to local legend, these angry Front Range ice cubes are more bad horror flick than good-natured Frosty. Tales of the Screamin’ Snowman describe a mysterious creature with a Yeti-like shriek that leaves no footprints — just plowed paths leading into the…

You wouldn’t think a book about surviving on Mars would begin with Mark Twain, but according to author Robert Zubrin, a hundred years from now, Mars may be very much like the Wild West. “The book that I was reading when I wrote How to Live on Mars was Mark…

Joseph Priestley invented soda water, discovered that plants emit oxygen, co-founded the Unitarian Church in England, wrote what was possibly the first popular science book, befriended Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, had breakfast with George Washington, influenced the writing of the Jefferson Bible, became a target of the…

From John F. Kennedy’s blonde ambition to Bill Clinton’s cigar, Larry Craig’s bathroom footsie and Eliot Spitzer’s golden call girl, politicians across all ages, sexual orientations and political affiliations are renowned for their indiscretions and infidelities. But whether it unfolds in the 24-hour news cycle or in the privacy of…

PHAMALY continues its inspiring work tonight with Steel Magnolias, performed by the company’s physically and/or developmentally disabled actors. “People who love the movie will not be disappointed,” says spokeswoman Gloria Shanstrom. “All the characters are there, most of the famous quotes are there, the whole ‘love you more than my…

In 1979, Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Iranian radicals seized the American embassy in Tehran, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl for the second year in a row, Mr. Ed died, and Denver’s first cooperative art gallery was born. For thirty years now…

Dear Santa: This year I’d really, really, REALLY like some belly dancers, strip teasers, magicians and a comedian. P.S.: Can you also include a midget? Believe it or not, I’ve sent this letter to the North Pole for the last fifteen or so years, and Santa has never delivered. Sure,…

Turkey, family and Guitar Hero — although maybe not in that order — are the things I’ll miss most about not going home for Christmas. (Yes, after-dinner Guitar Hero is a recently added holiday tradition in my family.) I’m sure like-minded transplants who can’t afford plane fare have their own…

“This year’s Academy Screenings has a powerhouse lineup, not only in terms of directors, but also in terms of actors,” says Aspen Film executive director Laura Thielen. “However, alongside these marquee-value films, we also have films like Soderbergh’s Che, with Benicio Del Toro, or the French film The Class, which…

Anyone who thinks ice is merely frozen water should spend some time with the Rock on Ice team based in Columbus, Ohio. A particular type of ice is so important for carving that last year, team members loaded down a tractor trailer with Columbus-made ice and drove just over 1,400…

As a kid, I hated that Frankie Valli-type music my parents loved so much. After growing up with Hendrix and the Beatles, how could they choose anything else? However, with age came the awareness that my parents won’t be here forever — an insight that inspired some unexpected nostalgia for…

Music cuts to the core of what makes us similar — and human. “It’s a direct channel to the heart,” says Shaul Gabbay, director of the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East. “I think that art in general speaks to part of us as human beings…

Every fifteen seconds, a kid is forced into prostitution. Child sex trafficking is a $26 million-a-day industry — that’s $18,000 a minute, $300 a second. Who are these children? Who are their customers? Who are the pimps, the perpetrators? Child prostitution is a sordid, disturbingly profitable aspect of modern times,…

Yes, you could go to the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver or Santa Fe Drive for your fine-art fix. But wouldn’t you rather include some live, scantily clad women? After all, what’s better than going out for a night of the ol’ bump-and-grind at Wish Nightclub,…

When self-pity is easier than humor, laughter is suddenly invested with a courageous strength of character. That’s what makes VOX PHAMALIA: Tales From the Crips such an extraordinary event. Written by eight physically disabled writers, Tales takes an honest and darkly funny look at what it’s like living with a…

Although Los Lonely Boys were heavily influenced by growing up in a family of musicians, they’re no Partridge Family. Moving with their dad and stepmom around the country — from living out of a tent in California to performing with their dad in smoky Nashville bars — in search of…

The Miracle Worker is the familiar story of Annie Sullivan’s attempt to teach Helen Keller how to communicate in her silent, dark world. However, a particularly interesting aspect of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s production is the set design. “The set design is very symbolic,” says media contact Chris Wiger…

Buntport Theater’s latest example of its consistently original performances is a timeless road trip set somewhere between ancient Rome and the modern world. “Anywhere But Rome is the story of Ovid and two characters from Greek mythology: Tiresias, a blind prophet; and Io, a woman who has been turned into…

In what seems like an entirely different life, a half-dozen of us headed north — in a wood-paneled, gas-guzzling station wagon — from western Pennsylvania to the seemingly deserted peak of Maine for a three-day music festival. A few years later, we headed south for a similar event. In between,…

“I’ve lived everywhere from the Middle East to Europe to Canada, and what’s special about Denver is they have no attitude problem,” says Habitat Gallery director Georgia Amar. “They have a sense of self that’s very stable. They’re well-educated, and they’re participants in creating their own culture.” With such a…

Although Halloween is all about being something you’re not, a little authenticity is always appreciated. For example, would you rather spend the evening in a creepy yet chic clock tower, or a bar decorated with fake spiderwebs? “Looking at the other parties going on downtown, this is the coolest,” says…