/krē’āt/ mountain arts + culture quarterly
Published by Breckenridge Creative Arts | ISSUE NO. 8, Fall 2017
/krē’āt/ : to make or produce : to cause to exist : to bring into being /krē’āt/ is an online magazine published quarterly by Breckenridge Creative Arts. Each issue profiles a creative individual or business, cultural organization, event, and object of art in a thoughtfully curated visual journey that aims to highlight and promote the greater
contents features IN HONOR OF OUR ‘MUERTOS’
UPSTAIRS
departments
Creative Director
Foreward
Editor + Content Writer
Kate Hudnut, GatherHouse Inc.
Contributing Photographer Liam Doran
Additional Photo Credits Día de los Muertos photos by Joe Kusumoto; SPRTV photos by John Mirro and others, courtesy of SPRTV, plus David Sedaris photo by Ingrid Christie and The Moth Mainstage photo by Timothy Faust, courtesy of The Moth and Breckenridge Creative Arts; ‘Colorado Experience’ photos courtesy of History Colorado and the Denver Public Library Western History Collection; and Silverthorne Performing Arts Center photos courtesy of the Town of Silverthorne and Lake Dillon Theatre Company.
Cover + Back Cover Artwork Photos by Joe Kusumoto Special thanks to the Town of Breckenridge for its generous support. @breckcreate // breckcreate.org
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Portrait PHYL RUBINSTEIN, TOUR GUIDE
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Objectified KACHINA STEEL
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Conversations ‘THE COLORADO SOUND’
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Scene ‘COLORADO EXPERIENCE’
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Around Town CENTER STAGE
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Sourced
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Erica Marciniec
Art Director + Designer
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EXTREME BROADCASTING
creative community of Breckenridge.
Robb Woulfe, Breckenridge Creative Arts
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FOREWARD /krē’āt/ fall 17
Our fall issue of /kre-at/ travels back in time to those who came before us—from the ancestors whose lives we celebrate through Día de los Muertos, to our dearly departed in Valley Brook Cemetery, to the founders of Summit Public Radio & TV, who connected a small mountain hamlet to the outside world. Today, SPRTV continues to bring public programming to the high country, including the new all-music station, “The Colorado Sound,” and the popular Rocky Mountain PBS program, “Colorado Experience,” which offers insights into how our past informs our present. Meanwhile public investment in the arts is alive and well—evidenced by the new Silverthorne Performing Arts Center and its resident Lake Dillon Theatre Company, whose creative team works tirelessly behind the scenes in service to the community to offer a range of educational programs and top-quality professional productions.
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FEATURED EVENTS DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, TOMBSTONE TALES + MORE
From Day of the Dead, which returns to the Breckenridge Arts District October 20-22, to Tombstone Tales at Twilight, fall is a time to reconnect with our ancestors.
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In honor of our ‘muertos’
From cemeteries to modern interpretations, those who came before form the foundation of who we are
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stroll through Breckenridge’s Valley Brook Cemetery reveals picturesque perspectives and vistas like a well-manicured park—and that’s no accident; it’s what the designers intended. Many early American cemeteries were designed to be park-like places where you could enjoy a Sunday picnic while communing with your dearly departed. Our forebears’ take on death has much in common with Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday celebrated largely in the cemetery, where families gather to string decorations, feast, and make merry in memory of loved ones past. “It’s not sad,” explained Ana Valles of the Mexican Cultural Center in Denver, which joins Breckenridge Creative Arts (BCA) this year as a partner in the local Día de los Muertos celebration, taking place October 20-22 in the Breckenridge Arts District. “It’s about getting
together, sharing stories, and having fun remembering our loved ones,” she said. The Breckenridge event, now in its fourth year, has taken hold as a time for community members from all cultural backgrounds to experience folk art traditions that date back to the ancestors of the Mexican cultural holiday—creating sugar skulls and paper flowers, watching Aztec and folkloric dancers, even learning the dances themselves. There’s a nightly candlelight vigil, and fond remembrances of loved ones lost. It’s also an opportunity to learn more about Day of the Dead and related cultural traditions from around the globe, with students and teachers from Metropolitan State University Denver’s “Journey Through Our Heritage” program leading craft and dance workshops while shedding light on the meaning behind the traditions.
“Día de los Muertos demonstrates a strong sense of love and respect for one’s ancestors; celebrates the continuance of life, family relationships, and community solidarity; and allows people to talk about and find humor in death,” explained Dr. Renee Fajardo, director of the MSU Denver program.
“Los Trompos” is on exhibit in the Breckenridge Arts District through October. Created with partner Héctor Esrawe, “Los Trompos” consists of a series of contemporary, large-scale spinning tops constructed of colorful, woven cords evoking the traditional weavers of indigenous Mexico, which visitors can climb on and set in motion. The work is meant to
Contemporary art of Mexico Although the event officially kicks off October 20, the work of contemporary Mexican artists Damián Ortega and Pedro Reyes will be featured in the quarterly installment of BREW: Ideas + Creation Lab, taking place the night before on October 19. Ortega’s work uses everyday objects from Volkswagen Beetles and Day of the Dead posters to locally sourced corn tortillas; Reyes is known for turning guns into musical instruments and transforming existing problems into ideas for a better world. The evening starts with a screening of film selections from the Art21 PBS documentary “Mexico City,” followed by a panel discussion on how art can provide community solutions and spark positive change. The panelists include Tamara Drangstveit, executive director of the Family Intercultural Resource Center; Marcela de la Mar, executive director of the Mexican Cultural Center; and Andrés Chaparro, president and general manager of Telemundo Denver.
inspire playfulness, human interaction, and modern-day community building. Another installation by Esrawe and Cadena called “La Musidora”—a series of a series of folding chairs also constructed of woven cords—is currently on exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, which is partnering with BCA to promote the two works. Both “Los Trompos” and the growing Día de los Muertos celebration are generously funded by The Summit Foundation.
On Friday from 4-6 p.m. there will be a talk with the contemporary Mexican designer, Ignacio “Nacho” Cadena, whose installation
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A tradition of ancestors Day of the Dead ramps up on Friday, October 20 with an opening party immediately following Cadena’s talk. In addition to the various folk art activities, there will be daily face-painting, make-and-take crafts in the Breckenridge Theater, a photo booth, and an exhibit of meta-realist and Neo-Pre-Columbian works by Stevon and Arlette Lucero in Old Masonic Hall. On Friday and Saturday in Old Masonic Hall, the Mexican Cultural Center will offer workshops with Rita Flores de Wallace, the classically trained artist and master Mexican folklorist who has long been a staple of Muertos celebrations in Denver. The octogenarian will
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teach participants to make traditional Day of the Dead symbols using felt. Students from MSU Denver will lead the creation of an altar in Randall Barn, where community members are invited to give an offering, or “ofrenda,” for loved ones lost. In Mexico, Valles explained, altars honoring the lives of those who have passed away is one of the most popular Day of the Dead traditions. “Altar offerings can range from food baked in the shape of skulls to incense or yellow marigolds,” she said. “These are elements that spirits enjoy when they return to earth to visit their families and friends.” Wrapping up the weekend’s activities is a performance by the popular band, Jarabe Mexicano, at the Riverwalk Center Sunday afternoon. In the cemetery Meanwhile across town, Breckenridge continues to interpret the lives of those who came before with its Tombstone Tales at Twilight tour in Valley Brook Cemetery, offered by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance (BHA). Docents in Victorian-era garb lead guests back in time to 1880’s Breckenridge, offering a look at how and why the cemetery came to be, and local history through the lives of those who lie there.
role,” said Larissa O’Neil, executive director of the BHA. “There are stories of flu epidemics— particularly the Spanish flu from 1918 to 1919— and other factors that really changed the town over time. One thing that always strikes me is the number of young mothers and babies, and families that had multiple children who only lived days or months up here.” An art in and of itself, Valley Brook is the only known example of a cemetery in Colorado that is laid out in the pattern of a Celtic cross—a distinction that earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Headstones illuminate the careful artistry of our forebears, with rich symbology including urns and cherubs, globes and lambs, crosses and clovers, and heartfelt messages engraved thereon. At the same time, Valley Brook is also an active cemetery. “You’ll see tombstones from 1880 next to ones that are five years old,” O’Neill said. “It’s pretty atypical, but a pretty neat part of the way the cemetery was designed.” As such, Valley Brook Cemetery remains a place—like the cemeteries and altars of Day of the Dead—where family and friends return to recall their loved ones, and to make offerings of flowers and other ephemera in their memory.
“You’re introduced to prominent people in Breckenridge history, but also paupers and less prominent people who obviously also played a
Mexican Cultural Center // mccdenver.org Día de los Muertos // breckcreate.org/ddlm MSU Denver Journey Through Our Heritage // msudenver.edu/journey Breckenridge Heritage Alliance // breckheritage.com Los Trompos // esrawe.com
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/portrait/
Phyl Rubinstein
Tour guide, Breckenridge Heritage Alliance Background Home: Downtown Breckenridge Family: Husband Neil, sons Ari and Gabe, daughter-in-law Rachel, grandson Miles Education: University of Montana, BA in geology; University of Georgia, master’s in social work Why Breckenridge? Initially, to keep my honey happy. Now—have you been here? Art Medium: Living history Latest project: Victorian Tea and Tour with Katie Briggle Favorite creative space: The kitchen—I am passionate about cooking and I use
Katie’s recipes for the Victorian Teas. Source of inspiration: My family Creativity is: Best found in the kitchen Insights Personal hero: My grandmother Favorite book: Hmm, let me think about that—too many! Favorite restaurant: Breckenridge Distillery Song in your head right now: “Big Big Star” by The Samuel Edgar Band Unique home or office decor: Tandem bicycle in the living room Favorite movie: “Cabaret” Favorite causes: Women’s issues—reproductive rights, domestic violence, sexual assault Favorite way to spend free time: Long-distance bike touring on the tandem with my husband
Confessions What keeps you up at night? Too much sugar Pet peeve: People on phones or texting while driving First job: Babysitting First choice for a new career: This is it! What do you do to recharge your batteries? Bike, hike, bake Guilty pleasure: Dark chocolate
After retiring from her 35-year career as a social worker and 12-year catering business, Phyl Rubinstein, 61, moved to Breckenridge with her husband Neil in 2011. She now serves as a museum docent and leads tours—including Tombstone Tales at Twilight—for the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.
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/objectified/ An object of art
Kachina Steel Mohawk artist Jack Hill grew up in Arizona, where he spent time on the Navajo reservation. He created “Kachina Steel” based on Navajo spirit characters, his rendition a feather-adorned figure in steel and stone bearing a red-tailed hawk in one hand. Inside the arms he placed spring water—revered in his culture for containing the energy and memories of every living thing—from above tree-line on Wheeler Peak. After the piece won “Best in Show” in 2004 at the Sculpture on the Blue exhibit, Susie and Rick Grossman purchased it for the Breckenridge public art collection. Breckenridge Public Art Collection // breckcreate.org/explore/public-art
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FEATURED ORGANIZATION SUMMIT PUBLIC RADIO & TV
For 60 years, SPRTV has rebroadcast public radio and television into Summit County, connecting mountain dwellers to the outside world.
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Extreme broadcasting SPRTV connects an isolated mountain hamlet to the outside world
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ixty years ago this year, Summit County residents gathered excitedly at the Old County Courthouse on Lincoln Avenue to watch TV until the gas ran out in the generator powering a translator high on Bald Mountain. The year was 1957, and television was taking hold across the country, featuring black and white programming from late-night talk shows to sitcoms and westerns. “People all over, people in Denver, were watching TV,” said John Mirro, president of Summit Public Radio & TV (SPRTV), but “living in a valley surrounded by mountains, people in Summit County couldn’t get radio or TV from the Front Range.” “Television signals coming out of Denver don’t bend when they go over the mountains,” he explained. So to get that first signal broadcasting into Summit, the progenitors of today’s SPRTV rigged a 4WD International Travelall with an antenna, power source, and field signal meter and drove high into the mountains to test the reception at various locations with line-of-sight to Denver’s towers. They settled on a shoulder of the 13,690-foot Bald Mountain east of Breckenridge, and ran a month-long trial. “An incandescent light bulb was visible from Breckenridge to let people know the generator was running to make television watching possible,” explained Leigh Girvin, SPRTV’s outreach coordinator. When the light bulb went out, someone would have to drive up the hill with gasoline to keep the generator going. “It was quite a tedious job but it worked until power was run up to the top,” said Mirro, who is leading the charge to “Power the Towers” for a new generation, as the nonprofit organization seeks to install a state-of-the-art power line to replace the current cable, which is more than 40 years old. For many years, SPRTV was the only source of television and radio for Summit County residents. Today, with a skeleton crew of nine volunteers and a budget of only $50,000 annually, the group rebroadcasts six FM radio stations and 10 over-the-air television channels, free of charge to anyone with an antenna who can see the towers on Baldy. The TV channels include Denver’s ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates, in addition to Rocky Mountain PBS and Colorado Public Television. Radio stations include the all-jazz KUVO, all-classical KCME, the Spanish language station KQSE, and country and western on KSKE.
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As of this summer, SPRTV also rebroadcasts KUNC’s popular new public radio station, “The Colorado Sound,” on 94.3 FM. The commercial-free station delivers diverse alternative music with an emphasis on emerging Colorado musicians. “We certainly would be bereft of radio stations if it weren’t for those towers on Baldy, and if it weren’t for this volunteer-run organization,” said Girvin, a longtime community activist who joined the SPRTV staff last year. Of course, SPRTV’s role has changed over the years. No longer does it serve as the sole conduit to the outside world aside from print communications. Instead, in an era where we can get all the television, movie, and music entertainment we want, access to public radio and TV helps us stay connected to content that is largely insulated from commercial interests. “NPR and PBS have consistently rated high as credible news sources,” Girvin said. “That is so important today.” “This is a public radio community,” added Robb Woulfe, CEO of Breckenridge Creative Arts, which partnered with KUNC and SPRTV to celebrate the launch of “The Colorado Sound” at the Breckenridge Town Party in June, in addition to co-presenting David Sedaris, Garrison Keillor, The Moth Mainstage, and other NPR programming live in Breckenridge. “There’s also a cost factor,” added Mirro. “This is a tough community to live in. It’s expensive. The cost of cable TV or satellite TV is prohibitive to a lot of people. Just like in the old days in the 1950’s, all they have to do is put an antenna up on the chimney and it’s free.” For second home-owners, he said, it’s a great way to keep the TV on without paying for cable when the house is unoccupied. The group hopes to increase program offerings moving forward, although that is predicated on having enough power and frequencies to do so. This year as SPRTV celebrates its 60th anniversary, it also hit a milestone $150,000 in its fundraising efforts for the new power line—enough to fund the first phases of the project, which include installing a metering box and switching cabinet on the Laurium Open Space. Approximately $300,000 remains to be raised for the new power line, which will be installed underground; SPRTV is seeking additional board members to help drive the effort. Meanwhile the hardy crew continues the day-to-day work of keeping television and radio signals broadcasting into the county—which is no small undertaking considering the fact that the towers lie at 12,600 feet up a rocky mining road that isn’t much better today than it was 60 years ago. When the towers require maintenance, SPRTV technician and longtime “Summit County character” Gary Peterson heads up there by any means possible. For years, winter conditions required him to snowshoe up to the site. Now, SPRTV has two snowmobiles for winter access.
“You need a hefty 4WD vehicle to get up that road in summer, and we have to wait until the snowbanks are navigable,” Mirro said. “Once they are, you’ve got to hope the road has not been eroded so terribly that you can’t get through. If the road is not good, Gary gets out and fixes it. He may lay out stones or wood. It’s a challenge.” “The electronics are the easy part,” Mirro added. “Sometimes it’s as simple as resetting a router—you turn the tower off and turn it back on.” The station is designed to be fairly self-sufficient, so if the power goes off in
Breckenridge, for example, batteries charged by solar panels keep the site running a while longer. But sooner or later, a high country, hands-on maintenance mission is required. “It’s quite a feat what this organization pulls off,” Girvin said. “Just the difficulty of maintaining the towers at 12,600 feet is a challenge for any organization—and certainly for an organization that runs on a pretty small budget with mostly volunteers to bring all of these services to the community in a very harsh environment. I’m really impressed with what Summit Public Radio & TV does.”
Summit Public Radio & TV // www.sprtv.org/summit
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/conversations/
‘The Colorado Sound’ KUNC’s Robert Leja on the new, commercial-free, all-music station
Tell us about ‘The Colorado Sound.’ Broadcasting at 105.5 FM on Colorado’s Front Range, translator 88.9 FM in Steamboat Springs, and now at 94.3 in Summit County thanks to Summit Public Radio & TV, the non-commercial, listener-supported station plays a combination of emerging and established artists—blending rock, blues, soul and more. How did it come about? “The Colorado Sound” launched in 2016 when NPR-affiliate KUNC—heard at 90.7 in Breckenridge and 88.1 in Dillon—purchased 105.5 FM, allowing it to expand its news and information format to 24-hours a day, and provide a 24-hour music discovery station, “The Colorado Sound,” at 105.5 FM. What kind of music does ‘The Colorado Sound’ feature? Here’s a sample from a recent playlist: “Baby I Want You” by Amos Lee, “S.O.B.” by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, “Second One to Know” by Chris Stapleton, “Man Out of Time” by Elvis Costello, “It’s a Trip” by Joywave, “Decks Dark” by Radiohead, “I Dare You” by The xx, “Meet Me in the Woods,” by Lord Huron, and “Lift Me Up (Leave Me Here)” by Brent Cowles. So Colorado musicians feature prominently? We play music from Colorado artists we think fit in with the national artists that get wider airplay, and we don’t differentiate between them. While many stations have a “local music” show on weekends, we incorporate those Colorado artists into our daily playlist, exposing them to listeners who might not realize the talented musicians we have right
here in our backyard. Hopefully that makes our listeners more likely to see bands like Edison, Gasoline Lollipops, Brent Cowles, The Burroughs, and dozens of others when they’re playing in local clubs before they go on to bigger things like Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and The Lumineers have done. What do your listeners think? They say we play a better mix of music without the single-style limitations most other stations have, and because we’re a non-commercial, community radio station, we don’t play any commercials. Denver’s Westword named “The Colorado Sound” as the “Best New Radio Station” in its 2017 Best of Denver issue. What do you like about the station? I love the depth of our playlist, and the knowledge our hosts bring to what we play. All of our hosts are long-time music fans, with a tremendous knowledge of music trivia and history. We also have special features like “Music 101” on weekends, where our mid-day host Margot takes a topic and spends an hour playing related music, historical audio clips from the time, etc. Why do you feel public radio is important? Public radio provides an important alternative to the big commercial radio companies. We focus heavily on our local community, and are committed to community service, not making a profit for shareholders. That allows us more freedom to cross boundaries, to take chances, to support local events, and to really listen to our audience for feedback.
Robert Leja is the director of corporate support and marketing for ‘The Colorado Sound’ and KUNC, two Denver-based public radio stations broadcast into Summit County by SPRTV. The Colorado Sound // coloradosound.org /KRĒ'ĀT/
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‘Colorado Experience’ on PBS Emmy-winning local show offers new perspectives on Colorado history
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here is a moving scene in “The Original Coloradans” where Terry Knight, cultural director of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, describes his ancestors’ migration patterns, and how in the mid-1800’s Ute people would return to favorite campsites to find people settled there. So ensued the clash of worldviews that ultimately pushed Colorado’s original inhabitants onto reservations, cut off from their sacred places and hunting and gathering grounds. The episode is part of “Colorado Experience,” a locally produced Rocky Mountain PBS program that takes viewers to all corners of Colorado to explore the state’s distant and more recent past. The show airs at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays on PBS, which is rebroadcast into Summit County by SPRTV, freely available to anyone with an antenna living in sight of the towers on Bald Mountain. Previous episodes are also available online. Highlights from past seasons include “Ladies of the Mines,” featuring both the hardships and newfound freedom of women who lived in mining camps in the late 1800’s, and “Indulgences of the West” from strychnine-laced liquor and potent patent medicines to opium dens. The show’s producers were on the road this summer filming for Season 5, which launches October 5 with “Western Art.” Highlights of the upcoming season include Colorado’s Paleo-Indian period, the history of mountain biking, ghost towns, “Galloping Goose” railcars and early Colorado trains, and “Uranium Mania”—the story of Uravan, an abandoned mining town in western Colorado that became a Superfund site.
“Uravan has been a really tricky experience,” said Julie Speer, the show’s executive producer. “The whole town was completely radioactive and it was buried in the 1980’s; now there’s literally nothing there except all the memories of the folks who lived there.” Some of Uravan’s former residents experienced sickness and death from the exposure. Others “love uranium and want it to come back,” she said. “It was the economic driver in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, and the government subsidized it because of the Cold War. It’s a crazy time in American history.” The episode airs October 19. Program topics are selected based on an annual Viewer’s Choice survey, which last year resulted in the production of “Dinosaurs” and this year will be “Aviation.” Runners up end up getting produced too, she said, in addition to topics she herself finds interesting. “I think ghost towns will have wide appeal,” Speer said in late July, as she and her team were headed for Animas Forks, a ghost town in the San Juans northeast of Silverton. “The highlight for us will be getting to sleep in a cabin at 11,000 feet with no running water in monsoon season.” That was just one in a series of adventures and misadventures on the road, which included locking themselves out of the car while shooting on a peak near Durango. “We met tons of people over the two hours we were stranded there,” said Speer, who is a fourth generation Coloradan. “We have fun and make new friends everywhere we go. Coloradans are awesome. I really love Colorado.”
‘Colorado Experience’ on Rocky Mountain PBS // rmpbs.org/coloradoexperience
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FEATURED CREATIVE LAKE DILLON THEATRE COMPANY
It takes many types of creative minds to run an arts organization; here’s an inside look at the tight-knit team behind the Lake Dillon Theatre Company’s success.
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Upstairs
With the creative team at Lake Dillon Theatre Company
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alking into the new Silverthorne Performing Arts Center this summer meant risking collision with an exuberant gaggle of children rehearsing for “Aladdin” in the lobby. Further in, “Ghost” and “Sister Act” were in production alongside the solo act “Buyer & Cellar,” not to mention rehearsals by the company’s own orchestra in the pit. Upstairs, a buzz of administrators hummed, equally busy handling everything from long-term planning to day-to-day operations for the Lake Dillon Theatre Company (LDTC), which moved into the space in April. “We each participate in a multitude of aspects relating to the Lake Dillon Theatre Company programs and initiatives, and everyone maintains a strong understanding and appreciation of all the departments—whether it be administration, fundraising, marketing and sales, education, patron services, or production,” said Joshua Blanchard, the company’s executive director, of the management team behind the troupe’s success. Back in the early days, there was only one full time employee—Christopher Alleman—who now serves as artistic director. Today, Lake Dillon Theatre Company has a full-time staff of nine, soon to be 10, in addition to the company of professional actors, technicians, designers, and directors hired for each run of productions. “It doesn’t feel like we’re working any less than we did 15 years ago,” Alleman said. “As a matter of fact we might be working harder.” Although the new performing arts center is a huge accomplishment, the tight-knit team
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behind the Lake Dillon Theatre Company is already on to the next big project. For example, there’s the new Lab Solo Series, featuring one-person shows curated to explore sociopolitical themes from global politics to civil rights, which take place inside The Lab. “One of our core values is intimacy,” said Blanchard. “In this intimate venue, the audience can really connect with the storyteller and subject matter in a way that is unique.” Meanwhile enrollment in the summer youth theater workshops has increased, according to Alleman, who said community attendance for their free performances—including “Disney’s Aladdin Jr,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “The Addams Family”—has also grown. “Even with the added seating capacity, we filled up the houses this summer,” he said. “It’s inspiring to see these young people gaining confidence and building skills that will help them further down the line in school.” “It’s been quite a season already,” production manager Ben Whitmore said during the summer run, noting that the company doubled in size in order to put on multiple productions simultaneously, which wasn’t possible in their old space. “Every day there are eight different things going on here. It’s great—it makes this building feel really alive.” Lake Dillon Theatre Company is an actors’ equity house, meaning that a good portion of the acting and stage management staff it hires—90% of whom come from New York via an audition process conducted in the city twice a year—are union members guaranteed a certain rate of pay and housing. “We identify as a destination regional theater,” Blanchard
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explained. “That means we have high standards for quality, we work with unions, and there’s a certain level of professionalism that we work to maintain, in addition to serving the Summit County community.” Programming each season is “a very organic process” that starts with the goal of offering “diverse, high quality theater with something for everyone,” he said. For example, the team decides if they want to offer a musical, or a family play. Then, he said, “We like to provide something thought-provoking and somewhat challenging. We like to provide a new work, and we like to have a recognizable title. Within those parameters, we start to chisel away at what the program will look like.” To inform the process, Alleman reads scripts all year long. The team also sees a lot of shows, belongs to professional organizations, and attends conferences to generate ideas. “Every show we produce is based on how our audiences will respond,” Blanchard said, describing how they’ll sometimes reject a show on their short list if they think it won’t resonate in Summit County. “Or it may resonate with a smaller portion of Summit County and we think, ‘You know, that’s a show for the off-season,”’ Alleman said. For example, “‘Sister Act’ in mud season would be a horrible idea because we need the audiences,” he said. “But if we do something challenging in May, our diehard subscribers come.” A 2015 survey found that 40% of LDTC’s summer audiences were local, with 60% second-home owners, weekend and destination guests. In winter, the numbers are reversed. The results inform programmatic decision-making.
“We have a board member who is fond of saying: ‘It’s called show business, and show is the adjective,’” Alleman said. “It’s a business. We have to respond to our board members, staff, and community—it’s not just what shows Josh and Chris want to produce. Creativity is important to the process, but this is not a process-oriented business, it’s a productoriented business. People make significant contributions to our organization because they believe in what we do,” he said. “We take that to heart.” Indeed, the community forms the backbone of LDTC initiatives—from its partnerships with local organizations like the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, to its work in local schools. “That’s one of the things I’m really proud of—we care about the community, what kind of impact we are having,” said Blanchard. “I love it when there’s a letter to the editor, when there’s dialogue happening.” “As Summit County continues to evolve, we want to be a part of that dialogue and address what’s happening in our community,” said Shawnna Dodd, who, as director of development, works with other members of the LDTC team to raise individual contributions and foundation grants in support of day-to-day operations, in addition to the new performing arts center. “To me it boils down to what we are doing for the community and the people who come to the theater,” she said. “If I can do a good job in my position, we can do our work—bringing people here and making a change in people’s lives through the performing arts.” Dodd is happy for the increased visibility of the new Silverthorne Performing Arts Center. “You can see it from the highway,” she said. “We
have people coming in the door that weren’t able to find us before. It’s been really nice to see new faces and get the enthusiasm from the community.” “Working together with the town on the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center has been a wonderfully collaborative and supportive journey,” Alleman said, describing the groups’ shared vision for a vibrant arts community in Silverthorne. “We are so appreciative of our partnership with the town, and we are thrilled to be at the center of the excitement.” “It’s not just Silverthorne,” added Dodd. “We are really building an arts community in Summit County, and that’s something I’m really excited to see, that people can come to Summit County for all kinds of reasons—to exercise, to enjoy the outdoors, and also to experience the arts.”
Meanwhile on the production side, Whitmore manages everything from contracts and staffing to supervising set-building and lighting design. “We aim to product good art—that’s our first and foremost priority,” he said. “The onus is on us to bring that to our community in the finest way we know how.” “So many people have been saying to us—‘you finally have this new building, now you can rest,’” Blanchard concluded. “I think people see this as an exclamation point. I see this as a continuation of what we’ve done before, but also as a new starting point. I see us continuing to expand, becoming more involved in the community, selling more tickets, offering new programs. We’re not taking time off; we’re pushing the ball forward. For us this has always been a continuation, about resources and sustainability. It’s exciting to see where we’re going next.”
The Lake Dillon Theatre Company has an active board of directors that provides oversight with long-term planning, and each member of the leadership team wears a number of hats. “Every person on our staff understands the different elements of what it takes to run a business,” Blanchard said. “It’s unique that an executive director has experience in actually creating the art, and likewise it’s unique that an artistic director has experience in administration and fundraising.”
Lake Dillon Theatre Company // lakedillontheatre.org
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/around town/
Center stage $9 million performing arts center a catalyst for ‘new’ Silverthorne
W
hen town officials joined Lake Dillon Theatre Company to cut the ribbon on the new Silverthorne Performing Arts Center in June, it was definitely a great day for the arts—but it was also a great day for the town of Silverthorne, which sees the facility as central to its future. “Our vision is to have a more traditional downtown—with great pedestrian vibrancy, restaurants, and hotels,” explained the town’s
manager, Ryan Hyland. “We spent many years trying to decide how to activate our downtown spaces and bring vibrancy to the area.” Partnering with Lake Dillon Theatre Company (LDTC) on the new performing arts center turned out to be the perfect opportunity— the theater raised $2.7 million towards its new home at the intersection of 4th Street and Blue River Parkway, and the town put in the remaining $6.3 million.
While LDTC is the resident company, the center also accommodates local arts groups and community functions. In fact, its glass-enclosed lobby is designed to entice passersby into the building, where they will see a rotating visual art display on the walls. The spacious lobby includes architectural elements repurposed from the old theater’s beetle-kill-hewn box office and concessions counter into “window bars” in the new lobby, explained Joshua Blanchard, LDTC’s executive director. “People can stop by if they’re on the trail or the lawn, and use the facilities or hang out inside,” said Joanne Cook, the town’s recreation and culture director. “Hopefully that will encourage people to come back—to come whenever they want, go whenever they want, and enjoy these spaces.” “Giving people great spaces to have community gatherings and meet people” is key to the town’s vision, according to Hyland. “Silverthorne’s history is a little different,” he said. “We don’t’ have a 100-year-old Main Street. We have the opportunity to craft our downtown today, and this project is a huge part of that.” The Silverthorne Performing Arts Center’s exterior pairs black, charred wood with contemporary lines, juxtaposed with the natural tones of stone and light-colored wood to create a space that is both inviting and elegant. “We really wanted something iconic that could provide a strong landmark statement, with some mountain elements and some modern elements,” Hyland said. “The architecture helped make that a reality.”
At the same time, with high standards for new development, “Town Council thought we needed to set the tone for what we would like to see in other developments as well,” Cook said. Confidence among Silverthorne’s business and restaurant community has grown since the facility was announced two years ago, according to Hyland, with the successful Sauce on the Blue restaurant opening last summer, the Angry James brewery under construction, and a city-block-sized development named Fourth Street Crossing coming out of the ground across the street in spring. At nearly 16,000 square feet, the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center can accommodate multiple theater productions simultaneously in its three variously sized performance spaces, bolstered by a state-of-the-art back-of-house, classrooms, orchestra pit, prep kitchen, and administrative offices—making it the perfect space for the Lake Dillon Theatre Company to expand its professional productions and community offerings. It will also be the starting point for First Friday, the town’s new monthly series of artful happenings. “When you invest in the arts—now your community of neighbors and visitors have another whole opportunity for ways to interact with each other,” Cook said. “People come here from all over for outdoor activities. When you add arts to the mix, all of a sudden your appeal is much broader. To put it simply—there’s more to do in your town.”
Silverthorne, Colorado // silverthorne.org
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/sourced/ A guide to creative businesses and organizations in and around Breckenridge Cultural Organizations Breckenridge Backstage Theatre 121 S. Ridge St. backstagetheatre.org Breckenridge Creative Arts 150 W. Adams Ave. breckcreate.org Breckenridge Film Festival 103 S. Harris St. breckfilmfest.com
Nikki LaRochelle Design nikkilarochelle.com Squeeze Designz squeeze-designz.com
Alice G. Milne House and Memorial Park 102 N. Harris St. breckheritage.com
Straughn Design 552 97 Circle straughndesign.com
Barney Ford House Museum 111 E. Washington Ave. breckheritage.com
Summit Creations 102 Continental Ct.
Breckenridge Sawmill Museum Boreas Pass Rd. breckheritage.com
summitcreations.com Breckenridge Heritage Alliance 309 N. Main St. breckheritage.com Breckenridge Music Festival 217 S. Ridge St. Alley breckenridgemusicfestival.com Breckenridge Tourism Office 111 Ski Hill Rd. gobreck.com National Repertory Orchestra 111 S. Main St. nromusic.com
Branding + Design The Brandon Agency 160 E Adams Ave. thebrandonagency.com GatherHouse Inc. 110 Second Ave., Frisco gatherhouse.com KL Creative Design 304 Illinois Gulch Rd. klcreativedesign.com McGraphix Creative & Consulting 201 S Ridge St. mcgraphixcreative.com
Museums + Historic Sites
Galleries Arts Alive 500 S. Main St. summitarts.org Blue River Fine Art Gallery 411 S. Main St. blueriverfineartgallery.com Breckenridge Gallery 124 S. Main St. breckenridge-gallery.com Colorado Scenics 421 S. Main St. coloradoscenics.com Gary Soles Gallery 300 S. Main St. breckenridgephotoshop.com JK Studio 100 S. Main St., 2nd floor jkstudiollc.com Raitman Art Galleries 100 N. Main St. 421 S. Main St. artonawhim.com
William H. Briggle House 104 N. Harris St. breckheritage.com Country Boy Mine 542 French Gulch Rd. countryboymine.com Edwin Carter Museum 111 N. Ridge St. breckheritage.com High Line Railroad Park 189 Boreas Pass Rd. breckheritage.com Lomax Gulch 301 Ski Hill Rd. breckheritage.com Mountain Top Children’s Museum 605 S. Park Ave. mtntopmuseum.org Prospector Park 112 N. Main St. townofbreckenridge.com Red White and Blue Fire Museum 308 N. Main St. breckheritage.com Summit Ski Exhibit 308-B S. Main St. breckheritage.com
Boutiques + Specialty
Architecture
Breckenridge Photographics 500 S. Main St. breckphoto.com
Allen Guerra Architecture 1915 Airport Rd. allen-guerra.com
The Glass Art Company 411 S. Main St. #16 theglassartcompany.com Global Candle Gallery 326 S. Main St. globalcandlegallery.com Magical Scraps 310 S. Main St. magicalscraps.com Marigolds Farmhouse Funk + Junk 215 S. Main St. marigoldsfarmhousefunkandjunk.com Ole Man Berkins 326 S. Main St. olemanberkins.com Portiera Designs 326 S. Main St. portieradesigns.com Ready Paint Fire 323 N. Main St. readypaintfireco.com Ruby Jane 232 S. Main St. valleygirlboutique.com Wandering Daisy 326 S. Main St. Young Colors 226 S. Main St., Unit 1 youngcolors.com
Arapahoe Architects 322-C N. Main St. arapahoearchitects.com bhh Partners 160 E. Adams Ave. bhhpartners.com Equinox Architecture, LLC 520 S. Main St. equinoxarchitecture.com J.L. Sutterley Architect 500 S. Ridge St. jlsutterlyarchitect.com Matthew Stais Architects 108 N. Ridge St. staisarchitects.com Michael F. Gallagher Architect michaelgallagher.com Neely Architecture 1705 Airport Rd. neelyarchitecture.com
Breweries + Craft Beverages Après Handcrafted Libations 130 S. Main St. apreslibations.com Breckenridge Brewery 600 S. Main St. breckbrewpub.com Breckenridge Distillery 1925 Airport Rd. breckenridgedistillery.com Broken Compass Brewing 68 Continental Ct. brokencompassbrewing.com
Cafes + Coffee Houses Amazing Grace 213 Lincoln Ave. amazinggracebreck.com Cabin Coffee Company 222 S. Main St. cabincoffeecompany.com
Healing Arts
Clint’s Bakery & Coffee House 131 S. Main St. clintsbakery.com
Alpine Spa and Salon 500 S. Main St., 3rd floor alpinespaandsalon.com
Cuppa Joe 118 S. Ridge St.
Ambika Healing 435 N. Park Ave. ambika.massagetherapy.com Blue Sage Spa 224 S. Main St. bluesagespa.com
Mug Shot Café 435 N. Park Ave. Starbucks 225 S. Main St. starbucks.com
Breckenridge Bliss Massage Therapy 325 S. Main St. breckenridgeblissmassage.com Meta Yoga Studios 118 S. Ridge St. metayogastudios.com
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A ‘park-like’ cemetery designed to invite a Sunday stroll or family picnic, Valley Brook provides a window into 1880’s Breckenridge and the mindset of early American cemetery designers. The artful burial ground is the only known cemetery in Colorado laid out in the pattern of a Celtic cross—a distinction that earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.