This week, the Colorado Theatre Guild announced its annual Henry Award nominees, celebrating the best in local theater. The organization also debuted new, more gender-inclusive awards categories. Also this week, Netflix announced a new season of the docuseries “Trainwreck,” with an episode dedicated to Colorado’s “Balloon Boy” incident in 2009. And next week, an orchestral show created by a former member of The Lumineers brings the stranger-than-fiction tale of Rattlesnake Kate to the stage.
Read on for your weekly arts and culture recap, plus find things to do and places to be.
An immersive concert featuring a former member of The Lumineers celebrates the life and legacy of Rattlesnake Kate
An immersive, 22-piece orchestral concert — called “Western Woman” — is coming to Greeley.
It tells the legend of Colorado’s famed Rattlesnake Kate.
But don’t worry about the “immersive” element. “There will be no live snakes, at least by our doing, at this performance,” said Neyla Pekarek, the show’s creator.
She’s a former member of The Lumineers and has been working on this show for over five years.
“It's immersive in that the audience is seated within the orchestra, really close to me and the conductor,” Pekarek said. “I want it to kind of feel like we're all part of a campfire, but in this sort of classy, fancier way.”
Pekarek’s obsession with Katherine McHale Slaughterback, aka “Rattlesnake Kate,” began with a trip to the Greeley History Museum.
“Rattlesnake Kate is kind of the main event there,” Pekarek said. “They have her infamous rattlesnake dress on display and the story of the 140 rattlesnakes that she killed.”
The moment she learned this piece of Colorado history, Pekarek was hooked.
“I found it to be so unique and harrowing and just one of those stranger-than-fiction things.”
When Pekarek dug deeper into the history she found that Slaughterback’s life was full of stranger-than-fiction tales.
“She was struck by lightning. She farmed 160 acres, essentially, on her own. She was married and divorced six times. She raised a son as a single mother. She brewed moonshine in her goat's pen to hide the smell,” Pekarek said. “She was really tough and independent and I felt really drawn to her.”
The tale of Rattlesnake Kate began to appear in Pekarek’s music in 2019, when she released the album “Rattlesnake.”
“I was doing this traveling cabaret show with it with a band and storytelling,” Pekarek said. “Then, in 2022, the Denver Center turned it into a big bonafide stage musical with characters and a script and all of that. And in that process, I had to write about a dozen more songs to go with the existing 13 that were on the album. So I took five of those and recorded an EP that's called ‘Western Woman.’”
After all that, she said, she was ready to put the project to bed. But an interesting opportunity arose. The Augustana Arts Orchestra contacted her about turning it into an orchestral performance.
“If there’s one thing left to do,” Pekarek said, “It's totally put these songs with a big orchestra.”
And the immersive, orchestral version of “Western Woman” is here just in time for the 100th anniversary of Rattlesnake Kate’s historic battle.
Some of the songs in the performance are biographical, like “The Attack,” which details that fateful day on October 28, 1925, when Slaughterback was out on horseback with her 3-year-old son and was forced to fight the rhumba of 140 migrating rattlesnakes.
Other songs, like “Letters to the Colonel” show Slaughterback’s softer side.
“She was writing with this man in Iowa, his name was Colonel Buckskin Bill. He had read about her rattlesnake encounter in his local newspaper and then wrote to her what was kind of like a fan letter,” Pekarek said. That started a 40-year-long correspondence, much of which Pekarek read in their letters.
“A lot of it is filled with kind of juicy, affectionate professions of love,” she said.
“Western Woman” takes place at the Centennial Village Museum in Greeley on Saturday, June 21. Admission is free, but space is limited.
The commemorative event also includes demonstrations, costumed interpreters and games before the concert. Festivities begin at 10 a.m.
Colorado Theatre Guild names 2025 Henry Award nominees and pivots to more gender-inclusive awards categories
Each summer, Colorado’s theater community celebrates the best work from the previous season with the Henry Awards. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in theater, from best direction and performances to best lighting, set, and costume design.
The event, named for legendary Colorado theater producer Henry Lowenstein, also serves as a fundraising event for the Colorado Theatre Guild.
Henry Award judges determine nominations for productions staged during the judging season, which spans May 16, 2024, to May 15, 2025. This year, judges judged 170 productions put on by 57 Colorado theater companies.
The most-nominated company is the DCPA Theatre Company, with more than two dozen nominations, followed by the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities with 15 nominations and Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre with 17 nominations.
The most-nominated production is the DCPA Theatre Company’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” with 10 nominations, followed by the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities’ “Waitress” with nine nominations, and Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre’s “The Music Man” with eight nominations.
In the “Outstanding New Play or Musical” category, Colorado’s own Jake Brasch was nominated for his play, “The Reservoir,” put on by the DCPA Theatre Company. (Jake Brasch is the brother of CPR reporter Sam Brasch. Neither had any influence on this story.) Other nominees include “Eyes Up, Mouth Agape” by Emily K. Harrison and Buntport Theater Company; “The Ballot of Paola Aguilar,” by Bernardo Cubría and the Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company; “The Suffragette’s Murder,” by Sandy Rustin and the DCPA Theatre Company; and “National Bohemians,” by Luke Sorge and Miners Alley Performing Arts Center.
This year also marks a major change for the Henry Awards — no longer will gendered awards like “Outstanding Actor” or “Outstanding Actress” be awarded. Instead, “Outstanding Performer” will be presented.
The awards ceremony is Monday, July 28, at the Lone Tree Arts Center and is also available via livestream.
Colorado’s “balloon boy” is the subject of a Netflix documentary
In 2009, a UFO-shaped dirigible escaped from a home in Fort Collins. A panicked Richard Heene called 911, claiming his 6-year-old son, Falcon, was inside. As the balloon rose to 7,000 feet, it garnered worldwide attention.
But when the balloon landed it was revealed that Falcon wasn’t inside after all. He had been hiding in the family’s attic. The public quickly turned on Richard and Mayumi Heene, accusing them of a hoax.
Now, their infamous tale will be the subject of an episode of “Trainwreck,” a Netflix series that digs into the stories beyond the headlines.
It’s not yet known if the episode reveals any new information. But it begins streaming on June 15, 2025.
Things to do in Colorado this weekend
Thursday, June 12
- “Pride In Place” in Arvada — A free concert celebrating LBGTQ+ bluegrass musicians at 7 p.m. at the Arvada Center. Free with RSVP.
Friday, June 13
- Louisville Street Faire — This weekly, Friday event kicks off an eight-week series of free concerts and festivities in downtown Louisville. Street Faire hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. with music starting around 6 p.m.
- Feast of Saint Arnold Beer Festival in Colorado Springs — Features nearly 30 beverage partners plus live music, local food trucks and kids' activities. All proceeds support Westside CARES. Tickets start at $49.87.
Saturday, June 14
- Colorado Renaissance Fair opens in Larkspur — Open weekends only, June 14 through Aug. 3. Tickets start at $14 for children, $29 for adults, with kids under 5 free.
- RULE Gallery grand re-opening in Denver — After leaving its home in the Santa Fe Arts District, RULE Gallery is reopening at Fabrica, a large creative campus in the RiNo Arts District. Free open house with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres from noon to 5 p.m.
- RiNo Summer Art Market in Denver — Featuring 50 local artists and makers, live music, a craft station, food trucks, a bar and a screen printing station for the first 200 guests. Free and open to the public from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at RiNo’s ArtPark.
- Adams County Pride — A festival featuring live music, drag, a pop-up roller rink, Marriagepalooza and more at Riverdale Regional Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public.
- 1940s Ball in Boulder — A themed party featuring period re-enactors, vintage costumes, live music and dancing. 5:45 p.m. to midnight at the Boulder Airport. Tickets start at $95.38.
- Juneteenth Celebration with the Colorado Black Roundtable in Denver — A reception and awards ceremony hosted by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, honoring Black history, community and the arts. Free and open to the public, but tickets are required.
Saturday, June 15
- Boulder Pridefest — A full day of festivities from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Boulder’s Central Park and Civic Area. Free and open to the public.
All weekend
- Pikes Peak Pride in Colorado Springs — Two days packed full of festivities including live music, drag story time, fitness classes, open mics, variety shows and more at Alamo Square Park, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Free and open to the public.
- “The Moonlight Revue” in Aurora — An immersive, 1920s-inspired variety show where music, cabaret, and circus collide. Shows at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Tickets start at $28.22.
- Colorado Power Days in Golden — The Colorado Railroad Museum invites visitors to celebrate “Colorado Railroad Heritage Week” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with activities and train rides taking place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission, including a train ride, ranges from $7 to $14.
Next week
- Tuesday, June 17: “The Blue Zones – Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity” in Aspen — A multimedia talk by National Geographic photojournalist David McLain about how culture, diet, and environment shape well-being.
- Wednesday, June 18: The Narrators: Bodies in Denver — Buntport Theater presents an evening of true stories from comedians, actors, musicians, writers and more, all centered around the theme “Bodies.”
Ongoing in June
- “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Westcliffe — Shakespeare in the Sangres presents this classic Shakespearean comedy at 5:30 p.m. on June 13, 14, 20 and 21 as well as at 2 p.m. on June 15 and 22. Tickets range from $5 to $20.
- “The Book Handlers” in Denver — A Buntport Theater comedy about a fictitious company that makes your books look like you read them so you can impress others without having to do any of the reading. The show runs June 13-29. Tickets are available via a name-your-price model.
- “& Juliet” at the DCPA — A pop musical telling an alternate tale of this Shakespearean heroine. On stage through June 15. Tickets start at $47.20.
- “Little Miss Sunshine” in Aurora — A musical comedy based on the Academy Award-winning film at the Aurora Fox Arts Center. Performances take place Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through June 29. Tickets range from $17 to $42.
- “Science Friction” at the Sie FilmCenter in Denver – A Pride Month film series honoring queer, trans, and binary-breaking visions in science fiction cinema. The lineup includes “Cloud Atlas,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Vegas in Space,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and many more. Tickets are $15.
Some groups mentioned in the Colorado Arts Spotlight may be financial supporters of CPR News. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
How we pick our events: The Colorado Arts Spotlight highlights events around the state to give readers a sense of the breadth of Colorado’s arts and cultural happenings, it is not — and can not possibly be — a comprehensive list of all weekly events. Entries are not endorsements or reviews. Each week’s list is published on Thursday and is not updated.
