COLORADO SPRINGS — A new summer program is helping the arts rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is launching "City as a Venue", a program designed to bring theater, dance, music, and more to outdoor locations across Colorado Springs. Locations include Acacia Park, Concrete Coyote, Meadows Park, Deerfield Hills, and at the corner of Dale St and Cascade Ave.
“Making the arts accessible to everyone is an important part of our mission,” said FAC Director Idris Goodwin. “As health guidelines and restrictions are updated and more of our community gets vaccinated, we are optimistic about the prospect of gathering once again to enjoy the arts.”
City as a Venue will begin in June and run through early October, presenting a robust and diverse calendar of outdoor and socially distanced arts experiences for the community.
"In New York and Los Angeles, the Lincoln Center, for example, they are announcing multi-month long-term outdoor programming throughout the summer. We are keeping right in step with where a lot of the fields have been going, particularly with performing arts because we got hit particularly hard," said Goodwin.
Some of the programmings will include Saturdays in the Park with the FAC which will be at the Acacia Park bandshell. It will feature live performances, art demonstrations, and local food trucks. Summer camps for ages 5–18 will take place June–July on the FAC outdoor stage. There will also be painting opportunities for kids.
"The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College in a multi-disciplinary art space. That's what we're are known for, that's what makes us stand out so why not draw from all of that,"
said Goodwin.
Throughout the summer, City as a Venue will feature a series of plays called the Front Range Fables: written by local playwrights based on historical events from the Pikes Peak region.
"This is a dream come true to get this moving. We have secured seven locations throughout the city that these three plays will go to through the summer. We've commissioned three local playwrights to write these stories about Colorado Springs history and put it into fable form," said Nathan Halvorson, Fine Arts Center Associate Director of Performing Arts.
This summer will be the first time back on-stage in-person for a lot of artists.
"We are all just itching to get into a room with each other, see each other, and safely create with each other. Everyone has been doing ZOOM readings and online stuff. Those of us who do live theatre, we do live theatre because of the way it feels when you have all of these humans in one space and like Nathan said doing that collective breath. We are all experiencing this once in a lifetime, never to happen thing," said Marisa D. Hebert, Playwright, Director and Award-Winning Actor.
They hope this summer program will unite the community and heal wounds brought on by the pandemic.
"We have a responsibility and a gift to share stories and our humanity with one another. Theatre and art is a great way to do that," said Halvorson.
For those interested in attending City as a Venue, masks, and social distancing will be encouraged. View the full schedule by clicking here.
