Theater
A trio of tales
Saturday. Reading. Stories on Stage leaves the comfort zone of the Denver Center for its”Out of the Box” series, which it takes to the Denver Civic Theatre for “Secrets and Lies.” Actors John Hutton, Josh Robinson and Jeanine Serralles will read themed stories dealing with the human propensity to stifle the truth . . . even when such lies gain us nothing. On tap: “The Lie,” by T.C Boyle; “Walter John Harmon,” by E.L Doctorow; and “Naomi and the Writer,” by Laurie Sleeper. 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. $25 at 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-494-0523 or . John Moore
Classical music
World journey
Saturday.Venezuelan sounds. Violinist Eddy Marcano’s Trio Acústico, which includes Jose Puente on double bass and Gustavo Caruci on guitar, ventures north for a folk- and jazz-tinged evening of Venezuelan music. Joining them will be noted Denver classical guitarist Ricardo Iznaola. 7:30 p.m. in Hamilton Recital Hall at the University of Denver’s Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 E. Iliff Ave. $30. 800-982-2787 or . Kyle MacMillan
Visual art
On point
Today and Saturday. Abstraction. To call Gregory Hayes a geometric Georges Seurat might not be entirely accurate, but it’s a good start. His intricate abstractions are constructed of hundreds of dots carefully positioned in mathematical patterns. The subtly modulated compositions are stunning. Works by the 2006 graduate of the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design remain on view through Saturday at the Rule Gallery, 227 Broadway. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Free. 303-777-9473 or . Kyle MacMillan
A fresh face
Today. Digital collages. Area viewers get one of their first opportunities this weekend to see the work of Colorado artist Carey Hill Smith since he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2009 at Seattle University. The show opens with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. today at Pirate: Contemporary Art, 3655 Navajo St., and runs through Nov. 28. Titled “7 ‘Really Awesome’ Places,” it includes 11 digital collages and a participatory installation. Free. 303-458-6058 or . Kyle MacMillan
Through a new lens
Saturday. Photos. If you were blind and an operation restored your eyesight, and you then were given a camera and asked to photograph what you were most grateful to see again, what would your lens capture? That was the challenge issued by the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank to people across the nation who received cornea or sclera transplants from eye donors in Colorado and Wyoming. The resulting images are on exhibit in “Circle of Light” at the Network Gallery, 878 Sante Fe Drive, where a preview will be held Saturday from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. The 25 photos were selected by professional photographers from more than 150 submitted. Tickets are $25 in advance at , or $35 at the door. Tickets include hors d’oeuvres, wine, music and a silent auction. William Porter
Pop music
Religious experience
Tonight. Old-school pop-punk. Greg Graffin has been behind the mic for Bad Religion since 1979. (1979!) The band’s pop sensibilities and way with a melody have kept it close to the FM radio waves. Bad Religion plays the Fillmore Auditorium tonight. Tickets, $32.25, are available via . Ricardo Baca
Big beats
Saturday. Trance. It seems like Dutch trance DJ Tiësto hit his peak in the early 2000s, what with his mammoth remix of Delerium’s “Silence” (which famously featured Sarah McLachlan’s vocals) and the radio-friendly club hits that followed. But Tiësto is still playing big rooms across the world — including the 6,500-capacity 1stBank Center in Broomfield, where he’ll headline Saturday night. Tickets, $45-$59.50, are available via . Ricardo Baca
Family fun
Snow and speed
Through Nov. 21. Sports movie. Skier and snowboarders should check out “Wintervention,” this year’s Warren Miller snowsports film. The high-adventure documentary follows skiers and riders on a quest for the rarest powder, from Antarctica to the Arctic. Lindsey Vonn, Chris Davenport and J.J. Thomas make appearances. Through Sunday at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder; 303-786- 7030. Tickets are $21.50, at . The action moves Wednesday through Nov. 21 to the Paramount Theatre, 1631 Glenarm Place, Denver; 303-623-0106. Tickets are $25 at . Showtimes vary. Visit for info. Kathleen St. John
Wrap up a gift list
Saturday. Shopping op. Get some Christmas errands done at the Winterfest Arts and Crafts Festival. The festival supports the Center for the Arts Evergreen with a market full of handcrafted items and artwork, like jewelry, photography and Santa items. Parents can drop their kids off at the onsite Santa’s Workshop, where youngsters ages 3 to 10 can play. ($5 donation is suggested for that.) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Evergreen High School, 29300 Buffalo Park Road. Admission is $2; children and students free. Info at evergreenarts . Kathleen St. John
A little hocus pocus
Saturday. Variety.”Magic — Beyond Belief V” appears at the Lakewood Cultural Center to benefit the Mile High Magicians Society. Emceed by local magician duo Dave and Connie Elstun, the show features all kinds of magic: illusions, mind-reading, card tricks, all with a family-friendly tone. Performers slated are Chad Wonder, Keir Royale, The Great Loudini and Derek McKee. 7 p.m. Saturday. Lakewood Cultural Center, 460 Allison Parkway, Lakewood; 303-987-7845. $20 adults, $15 seniors, students and children. Call for advance tickets, or visit . Kathleen St. John
Kitten on the keys
Saturday. Variety. The eternal struggle between cats and dogs continues in “Cats and Dogs,” a concert by the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra. The star of the show will be Nora, the piano-playing cat — yes, really — who will join the orchestra for a “Catcerto.” A former shelter cat, Nora’s been tapping at the keys since she was just a year old. Dogs will get their due, too, in the program’s narration, music and video presentations. Kids are encourage to bring their favorite stuffed animal. 11 a.m. Saturday, Abiding Hope Lutheran Church, 6337 S. Robin Way, Littleton. 3 p.m. Sunday, Augustana Lutheran Church, 5000 E. Alameda Ave. $10 adults, $5 seniors and students. Buy at augustana or 303-388-4962. Kathleen St. John
DENVER STARZ FILM FESTIVAL
Making “Cool It” was less than a convenient truth
Three Questions with Ondi Timoner
Monday night, filmmaker Ondi Timoner told an audience at a festival screening of “Cool It” that she first sat down with subject Bjorn Lom- borg, the Danish economist and climate-change contrarian, at New York’s Cosmic Diner.
Somehow that seems fitting. After all, “Cool It” — based on Lomborg’s book of the same name — is a provocative documentary about our predicament as a species in the face of climate change. Only it’s is not “An Inconvenient Truth: 2.” Nor, contrary to the way it’s been written about, is it the anti-“Inconvenient Truth,” — though Lomborg has very different ideas from Al Gore about cost-benefit priorities in regard to treaties, cap-and-trade proposals and geoengineering.
“Cool It” opens today. Over dinner, Timoner bounced from the Cars (the band and the hybrids) to her Sundance award-winning documentaries “Dig!” and “We Live In Public” and, of course, to the controversy that hangs over Lomborg like an ozone cloud.
Lisa Kennedy
Q: So the producers approached you to direct “Cool It.” Why you?
A: Exactly. I don’t know why me. Because I’m an indie film darling. They loved “We Live in Public.” They liked my style and wanted to appeal to a hipper audience. I had to make “Cool It” in a year. I had to make it on a heady subject, I had to make it engaging and feel like it’s unfolding. That’s my basic theory of documentary.
Q: Did you ever get stuck?
A: Yeah. We all got stuck, especially with cap and trade. How to phrase it. How to make it understandable. We all got stuck with the politics. That’s a big part of the problem. I grilled Bjorn for five hours that first meeting, trying to punch holes through his claims. Realized I believed him; realized through his ideas I could explore solutions.
Q: You dedicate the film to climatologist Stephen Schnieder (who died in July at 65). Yet he comes off pretty furious about Lomborg.
A: He threw me out of his office. I went in for a set-up. Walked out to take care of a few things. Someone from my crew told me “You better come in here right now.” He was screaming “Get out of my office! Get out of here!” He had a New York Times piece that said this was going to be the anti-“Inconvenient Truth” film. He was yelling. My director of photography is breaking down his camera. Luckily there’s a guy who’s been making a film about me, following me around, which is how I got the footage.
New director tuning up for LGBT band’s concert
Denver Post report John Wenzel interviews Rice Majors
Rice Majors took over as artistic director of the Mile High Freedom Band in September — a mere two months before the LGBT organization’s big fall concert.
That may sound like a lot of time to some, but rehearsing and leading a 23-year-old, 50-member charitable orchestra — especially a volunteer one that only meets once a week — is tougher than it sounds.
“The biggest challenge for me is coming into a group like this and not knowing everybody’s levels of musicianship and what kind of feedback to give to different people,” said Majors, 38. “Some folks have been with this band for over 20 years, so they have a very strong sense of ownership. I’m brand new to them.”
We talked to Majors in advance of the Freedom Band’s “This American Music” silent auction and concert, which features the songs of Leonard Bernstein, John Williams and others, at the Broomfield Auditorium tonight.
Q: Do you feel like you’re jumping into a hectic situation since the concert is so soon, or do you feel like you have a good handle on it?
A: A little bit of both. Part of the application process was to develop a concert idea for the fall, and I found it a little challenging to develop a program for a group whose strengths and weaknesses I didn’t know yet. But by and large we’re going with the program I proposed, with a few little tweaks. I feel really good about how far we’ve come.
Q: You moved here earlier this year from California and have conducted bands and singing groups there and in Oregon, New York and London. How does the Freedom Band stack up?
A: One thing this band has going for it is that it’s a relatively balanced ensemble. A band has lots of different kinds of instruments, and this band is obviously targeting a certain demographic within the overall community. We have a couple straight people who play with the band, but overall it’s sort of a subset of a subset — we’re not just looking for a bassoon player but an LGBT bassoon player. Really, we’re open to anyone joining, but having balance relies on serendipity. I think the group is really positioned well to grow as an ensemble and take on new challenges in terms of concert format and repertoire.
Q: When did you get into music?
A: My mom started me on piano lessons before I was in kindergarten, so I don’t remember not having music in in my life. Most people don’t remember learning how to read; I don’t remember learning how to read music.
Q: Do you have a favorite song?
A: I don’t know if I have an overall favorite, but the band is doing one of my favorite songs at this concert, and that’s “All the Things You Are” by Jerome Kern. It’s a really well-written piece of music and we have a really lush arrangement for the band that shows off all the different sections well.
Q: What’s next for the band?
A: In reaching out to different parts of the community, we want to have a Halloween concert next year that’s aimed at LGBT families, which is an underserved part of the community. A lot of (LGBT culture) is about the nightlife and various volunteer organizations, but we really want to create an event concert that’s a matinee with a lot of singing and dancing and audience participation, one where LGBT parents can feel comfortable bringing the whole family.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
MILE HIGH FREEDOM BAND’S “THIS AMERICAN MUSIC.”
Silent auction and concert. Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road. Today. 7 p.m. auction; 7:30 p.m. concert. Free.
