Get your fix of speculative happenings in the Denver Metro area with our guide to off-the-page summer events that appeal to the wannabe wizard (or knight, or Victorian gentleman, or centaur, whatever floats your magical boat) in all of us. Because let's face it, sometimes we all need a little vitamin D and social interaction to keep from getting weird, or something. So, for lovers of the fantastic and surreal…
The Arvada Center is hosting a visual art exhibition all summer long called Conscious and Unconscious: Subjects of the Real and Surreal Part 1 . The exhibit features local and regional artists' visual explorations of the real and surreal. Displayed work features images sure to haunt your dreams and inspire your imagination. Contributing artists have also participated in an Exquisite Corpse project, a collaborative surreal game whereby the artists contribute to a larger piece. Each artist paints without being able to see what the other artist has done before them, resulting in interesting and unreal juxtapositions. The exhibition is displayed in the Arvada Center’s three galleries. Admission to the gallery is free, though donations are appreciated. The Arvada Center is a non-profit arts organization. Hours are 9a-6p Monday-Friday, 10a-5p Saturday, and 1p-5p Sunday.
Love historical fiction? Check out the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Summer in Boulder means Shakespeare under the stars. This summer’s festival features Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Wittenberg*, Henry V, and Henry VI part I. The festival runs June 5th through August 9th.
*Wittenberg is a new play featuring Hamlet, Dr. Faustus and Martin Luther set at Wittenberg University, 1517. The Shakespeare festival is Wittenberg’s Colorado premiere.
For those looking for a more immersive experience, check out the Colorado Renaissance Festival. Open Saturdays and Sundays June 13th-August 2nd in Larkspur.
For a dose of magic and imagination head to the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Matilda the Musical , based on Roald Dahl ’s beloved book, runs September 9-20th. Also opening in September is Lookingglass Alice. Part fairy tale, part circus, families will delight in this show inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Lookingglass Alice runs September 11th-October 11th.
And don't forget that Mythic Creatures is still on exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science until September 7th - free with museum admission! And you can get your photo taken with a dragon about to kill you!
Also this fall, get your thrills and chills with Jekyll and Hyde—The Musical plays the Aurora Fox September 18th through October 11th. Tickets and showtimes
Anything we missed that would appeal to lovers of speculative lit? Let us know in the comments!
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