2013 Archive Stories

Playwright Tennessee Williams wasn’t afraid to push some buttons. In 1947, the Broadway debut of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play “A Streetcar Named Desire” shocked with sexual and violent scenes and harsh dialogue, but it also received 30 minutes of applause, according to multiple sources. The Star Bar Players&r

Twenty-seven young women will be presented at the 2013 Debutante Ball on Dec. 21 at The Broadmoor. The Debutante Ball traditionally is held Dec. 22, which this year falls on Sunday. The 2013 debutantes are graduates of 11 area high schools. A 47-year tradition, the Debutante Ball has raised more than $550,000 for

It was an evening to salute the volunteers who had worked with Special Kids Special Families to help families of the disabled. But the attendees at the SKSF appreciation dinner April 30 learned all about the exciting agenda for the next year as well.Tops on the list, announced Fundraising/Media Manager Chana Kolman, is the Koscove Ki

Slow, sentimental and somewhat sedated, the third “Hangover” movie isn’t so much exhausted of outrageous “Oh no, they DIDN’T!” ideas, as it is spent of energy. And they knew it, too. The only raunchy moment is stuffed into the closing credits, a “we forgot to do that” afterthought. They kno

The MeadowGrass Music Festival, now a staple of the Memorial Day weekend at La Foret Conference and Retreat Center in Black Forest, is back for round five. The three-day traditional and contemporary roots music congregation features national, regional and local acts. This year promises to be the biggest shindig yet, with more bands, new

This five-piece band from Seattle, which gets its name from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov,” recently released their debut album, “All The Times We Had.” If their single, “Running for Cover,” a gorgeous, harmony-lush pop folk song, is any indication, this band will float to the top, 7

They’re a long way from Churchill Downs, but area young professionals have discovered their own way to dress to the nines and turn the first Saturday afternoon in May into a Kentucky Derby celebration.Guided by Justin Burns and Sage Collins, stylish folks had a raucous time tossing down bets and sipping cold ones as they raised

The idea of the Springs Ensemble Theatre producing a Neil Simon play started as a joke between Steve Emily and Chad Siebert, president and vice president ofthe company. Normally, SET wouldn’t do a show like “The Odd Couple.” Their seasons are typically filled with newer, edgier works, such as “The Land Southward,&

Over the course of 21 days in June, Colorado Springs will be newly-populated by 26 of the finest classical musicians in the world and 50 others who hope someday achieve the same greatness. Respectively, they comprise the faculty and students of the Colorado College Summer Music Festival.Throughout the festival’s 29 years, the o

Summer nights and live music seem to go together like ice cream and waffle cone. You can immerse yourself in some free tunes almost every night from May to September in parks all over the city. Pull out this list and keep it handy. HILLSIDE GARDENS SUMMER CONCERT SERIES6:30-8:30 p.m. WednesdaysHillside Gardens, 1006 S.

After the final notes disappear from the Pikes Peak Center stage on Sunday afternoon, the 2012-2013 Colorado Springs Philharmonic season will have come to its end. It will be the conclusion of what I found to be the most exciting and artistically satisfying music making ever produced by this orchestra.

At breakfast and lunch on April 25, Trudy Strewler Hodges had an unusual request for her guests: “Join me and close your eyes.”She didn’t have a surprise awaiting the 1,400 Light of Hope attendees. Instead, she asked them to “think of the children in your life and think of your hopes and dreams for their lives

Phil and Willie Robertson, co-stars of A&E’s reality TV show “Duck Dynasty,” will be in Castle Rock on Sunday for a fundraiser for The Rock Christian Academy, a small, private school in Castle Rock. The father and son will share their story of faith, family and ducks. Funds raised will go toward scholarships for students an

Hey, batter, batter, batter ...This time the patter didn’t rattle the players. It worked in reverse, inspiring an enthusiastic 425 patrons and guests, some in the jerseys of their favorite players, to raise more than $200,000 for Memorial Hospital Foundation.The 11th annual foundation gala, “We Hit it Out of t

It’s the Buddha’s 2,556th birthday, and the party is on. The Buddhist communities of Colorado Springs will celebrate by bringing together representatives from local sanghas (groups). Guest speakers include David Gardiner, Pat Komarow, Sarah Bender and Gail Gustafson. There’ll be a guided, loving-kindness meditation, time to pon

It’s an understatement to say Josh Fox is anti-fracking. His 2010 Oscar-nominated movie “Gasland” first introduced the powerful, shocking image of people who lived near hydraulic fracturing — also called fracking — lighting their tap water on fire. He traveled the country, interviewing scores of folks who ta

In the 1970s, during the prime of my TV viewing years, if I wanted to watch a television show, I had only three channels to choose from (I’m certain no kid in the 70s watched PBS so I’m not counting it). Viewers were at the mercy of ABC, NBC and CBS and whatever they decided to air. Not sitting in front of your TV set during the late

The basement of Steve Gurnett, the president of the Pikes Peak Whittlers, is a fanciful den of wood gone wild. In a small corner studio, finished and half-finished wood projects lurk. There are the Christmas ornaments waiting to be painted by his daughter — he gives her $10 for finishing each one. A mini bookcase is filled with woo

Burn the Maps is a listen band. So says Mike Kimlicko, one of the musicians in the local four-piece acoustic folk-pop band.“We have a lot of quieter, intricate harmonies with soft guitar parts,” he said. “So, in a loud bar with a lot of people talking, playing feels pointless. But in a quiet venue, where people ca

Comedian Ron White is synonymous with Scotch and cigars. He won’t go on stage without either. For nearly three decades, he has told tales at the mic, pausing at just the right moment before throwing out the punchline and taking a healthy sip of his beverage. It was the Blue Collar Comedy Tour that really sent his star heave

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” had the second-highest-grossing opening of all time, $174.1 million, according to Box Office Mojo.That’s second only to 2012’s Marvel’s “The Avengers” at $207.4 million.Typically, the third in a series doesn’t fare as well, but “Iron Man 3” breaks

The 2013 Komen for the Cure season shifted into full gear with the April affiliate meeting and awarding of more than $317,000 in grants to seven organizations providing breast care/breast cancer services in El Paso, Pueblo and Teller counties. Another $80,000 went to research grants on the national level.The meeting also

Auditions Open for Vocal Arts Festival 2013: Opera Theatre of the Rockies