Cast list for Ignite's production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" announced

The Ignite Theatre Company has announced its cast list for the spring production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical," a comedy penned by Colorado-based David Nehls. The show will run at the Aurora Fox theater from April 20 to May 6.
Find the full cast list after the jump.

Aurora Fox announces cast list for season closer

The Aurora Fox theater still has a slate of shows to go before the end of their 27th season, including Lynn Nottage's "Crumbs from the Table of Joy" debuting later this month and the roller skating dance extravaganza "Xanadu"that kicks off in March.
The final show of the season, the folksy drama "Amateur Night at the Big Heart" penned by Colorado's own Terry Dodd, will run from April 20 to May 13. The finalized cast list announced this month includes Fox veterans like Jack Casperson and Jude Moran, as well as Jack Wefso, who earned a nomination from the Colorado Theatre Guild for best supporting actor last year for his performance in "While We Were Bowling."
Check out the full cast list after the jump.

One Man Star Wars reviewed

(Photo courtesy of the Lone Tree Arts Center)

In this week's edition of The Guide, we talked to Charles Ross, creator of the "One Man Star Wars" show that hit the Lone Tree Arts Center last night and is scheduled for a second run (in less than 12 parsecs) tonight at 8 p.m. We sent our intrepid sports editor Courtney Oakes to the show last night to take in three epic movies' worth of material in a single hour. His review is after the jump.

Tonight's Art Walk to feature Santa, art markets and new theater

Tonight's Art Walk event on East Colfax will feature new artwork at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery. (Photo courtesy of the Aurora Arts District).

Official's from Aurora's arts district are hoping tonight's second Friday Art Walk event will prove a watershed moment for the 16-block strip along East Colfax Avenue. With a menu of events that includes a Christmas tree lighting in Fletcher Plaza, a visit from Santa, an improvised marketplace of original artwork and live theater, the community event is designed to kick off a new era for a district that's struggled to succeed in the past decade.
Aurora Arts District Crystal Gardner has hinted that 2012 will see a new brand for the area, and has hinted at the arrival of new restaurants and praised the impact of a new lighting campaign.
The larger fate of the area remains to be seen, but tonight promises plenty of seasonal and creative fun. From a new "Winter Wonderland" exhibit from some of the city's youngest artists at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery to a temporary marketplace at Fletcher Plaza, the festivities will include plenty of new features.

Festival of Wreaths fundraiser draws disco entry from Fox exec producer

Charles Packard's "Disco Wreath" available through the Aurora History Museum's "Festival of Lights" fundraiser.

Talk about holiday spirit. For the twelfth year in a row, the Aurora History Museum is tapping into the aesthetic power of Christmas wreaths to raise funds from the community through its Festival of Wreaths.

This year, the fundraising effort will take place online, with contributors invited to bid online for a selection of decorated wreaths. In the past 10 years, the push has drummed up a total of $16,000 for the museum’s exhibits and education programs. This year, they’re hoping to raise about $2,000.

The 2011 Festival of Wreaths effort has drawn nearly 45 entries from city employees and community members, all of which are available to buy through a bidding process here.

The entries include decorated wreaths from the Dry Dock Brewery, the Arc of Aurora and the city's Public Works department. Our personal favorite? Aurora Fox theater executive producer Charles Packard’s “Disco Wreath,” a decoration that fuses traditional Christmas aesthetics with a glittery dance floor ball straight out of Saturday Night Fever. Is it a nod to the Fox’s upcoming production of Xanadu, or an expression of Packard’s deep-seated love for the Bee Gees? You can decide yourself – the wreath had garnered a top price of $15 at the time of writing, and the bidding process is open until noon on Dec. 9.

Q&A with Tonnocus McClain from the touring production of "The Lion King"

Even after a year as an ensemble member in “The Lion King,” Tonnocus McClain is still amazed by the sheer scope of the musical. At 14 years old, the musical continues to set the standard for big-budget Broadway musicals, drawing regular, sold-out audiences for its touring shows and giving theater a degree of accessibility and commercialism that’s kept the craft alive.

McClain, who attended high school in Colorado Springs, chatted about his history with the touring production, as well as the elements that have kept him a part of the cast.

Q&A with Quincy Jones

Heather L. Smith / Aurora Sentinel

Earlier this month, Quincy Jones visited Denver to attend the "Be Beautiful, Be Yourself" fashion show, a fundraiser for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, benefiting the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at the Anschutz Medical Campus. You can find the original story here. Sitting down with the legendary composer/musician/humanitarian was one of my most memorable run-ins as a reporter at the Sentinel, and I had to offer readers a fuller picture of the conversation. Click after the jump to check out Jones' feeback about activism, as well as his storied career in music.