2013 Rotator Archive Stories

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,&

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

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.

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

Coquette’s Bistro and Bakery is absolute proof that a gluten-free restaurant can offer delicious food that appeals to everyone. The entire menu, from soup to nuts, appetizers to deserts, can be ordered with the security of knowing you aren’t getting any gluten, but you are getting darn good food. I didn’t have to be glu

On Friday and Saturday, Colorado Springs Philharmonic music director Josep Caballé-Domenech will lead his orchestra in “An Evening with John Williams,” some of the most popular orchestral music composed in the past four decades. Music includes themes from “Raiders of the Lost

A postal clerk and a librarian — Herbert and Dorothy Vogel — made quite a name for themselves in the art world. Shortly after their wedding in 1962, they began to amass one of the country’s largest art collections, more than 4,000 pieces. A portion of that collection, which has been called a work of art in itself, was g

Tom Hagerman knows a thing or two about being a square peg in a round hole. He plays violin and accordion, among other instruments, for DeVotchKa, the popular Denver-based indie rock band. They’ve been around since 1997, gaining fame and a Grammy nomination after providing part of the soundtrack to the 2006 film “Little Miss

Foundation names new executive director Siegel brings experience in arts, philanthropy   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   April 15, 2013, Colorado Springs, CO – Manitou Springs native David Siegel, a program associate at El Pomar Foundation and familiar face on the local music sce

The evening should have belonged to the musicians of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. From their first sound to their very last cadence, the orchestra was alive: accurate, passionate and exhilarating. But a short 80 year old man with white hair had a different idea as to who would be held as the concert's musical hero. Philharmonic mus

During most of my childhood, my father was in the Army, so my family moved around a lot. Back when I was about seven years old we were moving from Hawaii to Germany in December and because of our move, I was only allowed to pick one small gift for Christmas. There just wasn’t space to bring a lot of toys, so I chose something small: An act

First is the name: Joaquín Achúcarro.“Think of a sneeze,” the pianist says of pronouncing it. Achúcarro (wah-KEEN ah-CHOO-cah-roh) will be the soloist for Edvard Grieg’s “Piano Concerto” and Manuel de Falla’s “Nights in the Gardens of Spain.” The Colorado Spri

Teen Court has had an unexpected impact on some youthful first-time misdemeanor offenders. Referred to a court of their peers instead of the regular municipal court for offenses such as shoplifting, at least 55 of the former defendants completed their sentences and then joined Teen Court as volunteers. That was just one o

The erotic romance novel “50 Shades of Grey” clearly touched a nerve in the country. E.L. James’ 2011 novel about Anastasia Steele, a young, inexperienced college graduate, and Christian Grey, a hunky, young billionaire, flew off the shelves. Local libraries had waiting lists hundreds of names long. The first book was s

Colorado College will help make science hip with loads of curious demonstrations. Tell me these don’t sound like a good time: Slime, silly putty, instant worms, baby diaper dissection, jellybean test, art with shaving cream, carrot submarine and more. There’ll be fire chemistry, water science festivities and tours of the greenhouse.

WE’RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD For the 2013-2014 theatre season, there’s no place like the FAC There’s no place like home and there’s no place like the Fine Arts Center for the 2013-2014 theatre season, featuring the iconic musica

Guitarist Jeremy DePoyster is a good sport when he’s asked about his Christian metal band’s name: The Devil Wears Prada. It was all a mistake, he said. Guitarist Chris Rubey’s mom was listening to the audio version of the 2003 bestselling chick lit book about the fashion industry. He saw the cover and thought the name w

E-readers like Kindles, iPads and Nooks are the silent killers of books. Warriors have stepped up to do battle, though, and Aaron Cohick is one of them. He runs the letterpress studio at Colorado College, and publishes under the imprints The Press at Colorado College and his own imprint, NewLights Press. He spends his days publishing boo

Times have been hard and, not surprisingly, the recession has stealthily killed off several arts institutions in our country. The Baltimore Opera Company closed in 2009 after 58 years. The acclaimed Louisville Orchestra, founded in 1937, filed for bankruptcy in 2010. (They’ve returned to the stage, but musicians’ wages are fr

How do we move forward after devastation and tragedy leaves its mark on us? Joan Ericson, a Colorado College professor who teaches Japanese literature, language and culture courses, received a taste of tragedy two years ago. She and her husband witnessed first-hand the ravages of the earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear disasters in Japan&rs

Stand-up comedian Kathleen Madigan is a workhorse. She has been on the circuit for 24 years, and she says she still does every interview she’s invited to do. Her dry, working-class and sarcastic material can go head to head with that of any of her male counterparts. And it did in 2004, when she was a finalist on NBC’s “

Four alternative-indie rock bands play the Pikes Peak Center to help our charred landscape recover. National bands Civil Twilight and Atlas Genius will step up, as well as local bands Hydrogen_Skyline and Claymore Disco. A portion of the proceeds goes to reGrowCO, 7-9 p.m. Sunday, March 24, Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave. Tickets are $23.

Slam poetry has always appealed to me. It’s the way you can get up there and find a rhythmic dance with your voice and words. Slam poet Bianca Mikhan will be the featured poet at “Hear Here" on Friday, March 15. If you’re feeling inspired to bust out your own poem, there’s a workshop at 6:15 p.m. to help hone your words a

I never thought geography was much fun in school, but I’m willing to revisit the topic at “ChitChat,” the mini-lecture series by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs’ GOCA. “Magical Geography,” with UCCS instructor Mike Larkin, and magic tricks by Mark Modeer, who is the owner of Zeezo’s, are o

The conversation had a common thread as the Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team — the HOT Team — and the Interfaith Hospitality Network sat down to lunch recently: helping the homeless move forward with their lives.The 16th annual IHN “Hearts for the Homeless” recognition luncheon and fundraiser,