AURORA | Summer culture doesn’t have to be limited to blockbuster movies and fireworks displays.
Sure, a good number of the metro area’s major fine arts organizations routinely take a few months off starting in June. There are scant offerings this summer at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, for example, and the producers at the Aurora Fox theater will hand the creative reins to the facility’s youth troupe and its resident companies. Symphony orchestras are on hiatus around the city, and even the big museums are relying on permanent displays for the summer months.
But the cultural landscape isn’t entirely bleak. There’s plenty of local refinement and high-class art to be had this season, and a good chunk of it will be on display within the boundaries of Aurora. From the first shows by the Aurora Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of a new musical director to a whole slate of top-notch theater offerings from the city’s resident companies, there’s plenty going on in our backyard.
We’ve scoured the summer calendar to find some the season’s best local offerings when it comes to music, theater, dance and visual arts.
MUSIC
As the big-name orchestras out west may hang up their instruments for a good part of the summer, the Aurora Symphony Orchestra will be writing the next big chapter in its history.
The musicians and administrators from the ASO, founded in 1979 as the 15-member Aurora Civic Orchestra, have spent the past year undergoing a complex audition process to find its next leader. ASO will make their final decision between five finalists — John Jong-hun Bae, Geoffrey Pope, Arturo Gonzalez, Devin Hughes and Norman Gamboa — in June, and a string of performances will follow. The new director will lead the ASO at the Culture on the Green Concert in Highlands Ranch on June 28, a quintet performance at the Aurora Arts Festival on East Colfax Avenue on June 29 and a performance at the Havana Rose Garden as part of the OnHavana Concert Series on Aug. 27. All of these shows will serve as a compelling precursor to the 2013-14 season, as a newly reformed arts organization finds a new voice and a new identity. Information: 303-873-6622 or aurorasymphony.org.
Fans of orchestral music and performing arts can also travel east to the PACE Center for the Denver Ballet Theatre Academy’s seasonal show on June 5 (Information: 303-805-6800 or parkeronline.org), or head south for the “Opera on Tap” performance at the Lone Tree Arts Center on Aug. 14 (Information: lonetreeartscenter.org or 720-509-1000).
THEATER/STAGE
The big touring Broadway productions may be out of town until fall, but there will be enough happening on Aurora’s stages to keep even the most devoted theater snob busy.
The directors, actors and producers at the John Hand Theatre have never been fond of vacations. Tucked into the Colorado Free University campus at the former Lowry Air Force Base, the facility hosts a number of resident theater companies, including the accomplished Firehouse and Spotlight troupes. Between those organizations, the theater will be buzzing throughout the coming months, with productions of the comedy “Sylvia” (through June 29), “Sordid Lives” (July 26 through Aug. 17) and “Next Fall” (Aug. 30 to Sept. 17) all slated for the same stage. (Information: 303-475-5825 or johnhandtheater.com).
The Vintage Theatre troupe in the recently redubbed Aurora Cultural Arts District also has ambitious plans for the summer. The theater at 1468 Dayton St. will host guest productions by the newly launched Theatre Esprit Asia company in June, but Artistic Director Craig Bond also has titles of his own planned for the summer. That includes a mounting of “Closer,” Patrick Marber’s tale of desire and betrayal among four strangers, as well as an ambitious take on the smash Broadway musical “In the Heights.” Directed by Rebecca Joseph, “Heights” focuses on the specific neighborhood of Washington Heights, New York, and features an award-winning score and script. (Information: 303-856-7830 or vintagetheatre.com).
The Aurora Fox won’t kick off its next season until September, but the stage at the city’s oldest theater won’t remain dark. In addition to a visiting production of the critically acclaimed drama “RFK” and children’s productions of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “The Hobbit,” the theater will host the Ignite company’s production of “Lysistrata Jones” from August 2 to August 26. The show puts a contemporary spin on an ancient Greek tale, and follows the fallout after a group of female college students withhold sex as a way to get their boyfriends to win a basketball game. (Information: 303-739-1970 or aurorafoxartscenter.org).
VISUAL ARTS
Aurora’s youngest artists will take the warm months to explore themes of sustainability and green living.
The exhibit “Urban Earth” at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts Gallery features works by painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists from elementary, middle and high schools across the city. In addition to input from visiting professional painter Lee Lee and landscape architects David Kahn and Becky Heavner, the work by the city’s young creators has a common theme rooted in sustainable urban design. (Information: 303 367 5886 or www.davarts.org). For those looking for a gallery show featuring the work of more established artists, the The MADDEN Museum of Art in Greenwood Village is currently hosting a show that features work by noted international artists like Chen Chi, Harry Marinsky, Daniel Sprick, Robert Rauschenberg and Thomas Hart Benton. (Information: 303-763-1970 or palazzoverdi.com).
One of the oldest and most respected galleries in the Aurora Cultural Arts District will host a show during the neighborhood’s annual bash on June 29. This year’s Aurora Arts Festival, titled “Play,” will feature open doors at DAVA and other galleries along the stretch of East Colfax. What’s more, the event will feature live music, in-person displays by native artists and a whole string of booths managed and run by local business owners and artisans. (Information: auroraartsdistrict.com).
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com