Three Questions with
JOHN ASHTON

John Ashton manages the Avenue Theatre, which he took over in 1991 after working as a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News in the late '70s and early '80s. The Avenue Theatre is located at 2119 E. 17th Ave.

What is the most promising aspect of small theater in Denver?

The talent pool is excellent. The top talent in this town is comparable to cities with large populations and very thriving theater life. And I do believe we're getting more people coming to town who like to go out to the theatre, and who actually follow it ... I wish local media people were more appreciative of the local theater scene. To get a feature story about local theater is very difficult ... in general, there's not much space at all devoted to local theater. It's also disappointing that [Denver is] a town that sells out for Broadway touring shows, and gives standing ovations to sometimes mediocre stuff, [yet] it's hard to get those same folks to get out to local theater.

What are the primary attractions that induce audiences to seek out small theatre experiences rather than attending larger venues, such as DCPA?

In my 90-seat theatre, people love the intimacy. The furthest row back is Row 5. When you're that close to the performers, the show has a directness and immediacy that is very compelling, and you don't get that in huge spaces. Ticket prices are way lower than downtown. And in the top-notch local theatres, the talent, as I've said, is very very good. At the Avenue, our main attraction is the quality of actors and creative people we have. Parking is easier. It's often a lot more fun.

What do you forecast for theater in Denver?

Since I got here in 1971, every six years or so, there's lots of talk about how this town is on the verge of developing a very strong theater community. Well, we have one right now. What we DO NOT have are a good Equity theatres. There just aren't enough actors and designers and technicians able to MAKE A LIVING in theater. I believe that in the next few years we'll see one or two local theatres break out of the pack and become more viable entities. By that I mean develop audiences that will consistently support at least five shows a week, [so we can] pay people a decent wage.

--Cilicia Yakhlef

Local Media

It's not about the Benjamins: It was jarring, especially for a public-radio jazz show, when 89.3 KUVO afternoon jock Rodney Franks interrupted his August 30 guest in mid-sentence. The guest, A Taste of Colorado spokesperson Patty Johnson, was explaining the Labor Day event's food ticket system when Franks reprimanded her for mentioning money on the nonprofit station. "I should've told you before-hand," Franks explained in the middle of the interview, just as Johnson's voice lost all enthusiasm. "I didn't quite understand that," Johnson explained later. "I wasn't going to go into specific food pricing, just the ticket system as we gave away tickets to listeners."

KUVO president Florence Hernandez-Ramos blamed the Feds: "Since we are non-commercial public radio, we are prohibited by the FCC from citing prices.... Hence we don't give out prices of things."

"We are encouraged to give an FFI (for further information) phone number where prices can be more freely discussed," Franks explained after the show. "It seems to me a ridiculous provision, but I follow it."

It does seem ridiculous, especially since KUVO gives pricing information at www.kuvo.org for its own lupus benefit and other station-sponsored events. KUVO is a long-time sponsor of A Taste of Colorado, an event produced by another nonprofit: the Downtown Denver Partnership.

. . . And we don't mean Richard Scarry: readers must have been scarred by the August 31 Denver Daily News when its Talk of the Town column led with this headline: "We're so smart it's scarry." Never mind the bonus R (and the absent comma), it's the "smart" part that's so, well, scary. It's like driving recklessly with a "We Hire Safe Drivers" sticker. Or publishing a daily newspaper in a town that already has two. Prediction for a future edition of the Daily News: Sand-lovers will be thrilled (and pie-fans disappointed) to learn about "Denver's best deserts." . . .

Quote du fortnight: "Denver is such a 1974 city," writes Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X and the recently released All Families are Psychotic, on www.coupland.com "Everywhere looks as if Steve McQueen is lurking around the corner with a vanload of bank robbers waiting to pull off a big heist."

--Eric Beteille

Fashion Clip

Mork from Ork's rainbow suspenders were once the only fashion claim-to-fame for the city of Boulder. However, the Flat Iron anchored town is quickly changing its style, as local venues and restaurants host a slew of runway shows.

House of Frog and the band Country Road X hosted a night of fashion and music August 31 at the Boulder Theater. Erik Deutsch (formerly of Fat MaMa) from Country Road X said that he has been so impressed with previous House of Frog runway shows, that he was very pleased to be able to work with the Boulder designer. "I get excited when people do new things," Deutsch said. "I am interested in other people who do impressive things in their medias, and I think, how can I be a part of that?"

The showcase featured food, music, art and fashion. "I really like doing different things in performance," Deutsch said. "It just doesn't happen enough in Colorado."

Deutsch said he would be interested in participating in more events like this in the future, although the time consuming coordination of this event has put many specific plans on hold. "I'm sure we'll do another one," Deutsch said. "We're just not in any planning stages at the moment."

32 Degrees (1718 Broadway, Boulder) threw a fashion extravaganza on September 7, celebrating the official opening of the restaurant and lounge.

Shawn Zuchter said the "California-contemporary" styled restaurant hired Skin Market to do the presentation, which is on tour promoting their hair and facial products. A2SA is showing off their line on the national tour, with the reputable High Roller providing all the necessary DJ spinning supplies.

32 degrees plans to host many more mixed media events in their multi-level facility, featuring a variety of different styles and music, from hip hop to funk and jazz. "The size of the restaurant allows us to facilitate a lot of different demographics," Zuchter said. "People down stairs can catch national and international DJs with the upstairs rooms pro-viding different atmospheres with different music."

The future of Boulder fashion shows looks bright, and although there are no scheduled fashion events on his calendar, Zuchter said, "We are always open to new stuff." --Kity Ironton Check out the Latin jazz band 5 Degrees of Soul, September 19 at 32 Degrees. Call 303-786-8888 for more information.

photo by sean hartgrove