Rocky Mountain Revels Blog

Rocky Mountain Revels Joins Boulderado Birthday Celebration

2009-01-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

In this photo from the January, 2009 100th Birthday Celebration at the historic Hotel Boulderado, Gilded Age chanteuse Lillian Russell sings her signature tune, "The Silver Line," while Reveller Asha Romeo looks on.

"The Christmas Revels" featured in the Daily Camera

2008-12-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a story from today's Daily Camera about the 2008 Christmas Revels production!

Gregory Walker plays his fiddle during a rehearsal of the Rocky Mountain Revels' annual show at the Atonement Lutheran Church in Boulder.

What: Rocky Mountain Revels present "The Christmas Revels, In Celebration of the Winter Solstice: Westward Ho, Colorado Pioneers!"

When: 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 14 and 20
Where: Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St.
Tickets: $14-$35
Info: 303-786-7030 or http://www.rockymountainrevels.org/

With Boulder gearing up to celebrate its sesquicentennial birthday next year, Boulder's Rocky Mountain Revels hopes to give locals a taste of life as it was along the Front Range 150 years ago.

It was an era of rough and ready miners, Native Americans, pioneer families, touring celebrities, schemers and dreamers.

"There were populations coming into the state at such a rapid rate of speed and all these different communities intersected and connected," says Rocky Mountain Revels Artistic and Musical Director Karen Romeo. "And in some cases, they kept their own identity, and in some cases, they shared and blended and came out with something brand new."

"The Christmas Revels, In Celebration of the Winter Solstice: Westward Ho, Colorado Pioneers!" is something brand new. When it opens Dec. 14 at the Boulder Theater, it will mark its debut, and the first time a Revels organization has dug into its own regional roots and created a show to celebrate the season.

The Rocky Mountain Revels is part of the national Revels organization, which was started in Cambridge, Mass., in 1971. Revels groups celebrate the winter solstice through song, dance and drama. Revels shows, which are produced by the various local Revels troupes -- there are currently Revels troupes located in 10 U.S. cities -- always have cultural motifs.

Now in its eighth year, Rocky Mountain Revels has produced Celtic, Irish, Renaissance and medieval-themed shows in its past. Other Revels companies have drawn on Armenian, Russian, Victorian, French-Canadian and Italian traditions to put together a community-based Christmastime celebration.

But in February, with many communities along the Front Range, including Boulder, looking forward to their 150th anniversaries, Romeo decided she wanted to honor local traditions. That's when she began researching life as it was where the prairie met the Rocky Mountains a century and a half ago.

To read the full story, please jump here.

Revels' "A Pioneer Christmas" Kicks off Boulder Sesquicentennial

2008-11-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

This year's production of "A Pioneer Christmas" will be a fun and educational holiday celebration - and it will kick off the Boulder Sesquicentennial (150th-birthday) festivities planned throughout 2009!

Here's the announcement of the Boulder Sesquicentennial from the Boulder Sesquicentennial Celebration website:

In 1909, Boulder turned 50 years old. In 1959, the city marked its 100th anniversary. The upcoming Sesquicentennial will be the city’s 150th. Some activities (like honoring old-timers) have remained the same, while others (such as the mock stage-coach hold-up) have fallen by the wayside.

Have you got your tickets for "A Pioneer Christmas" yet? Click here to visit the Boulder Theater's website and get your tickets before our shows are sold out!

The methods of publicizing these 50-year anniversaries has changed, too. During the Semi-Centennial, the only way Boulder residents could learn of the planned activities was by reading the newspapers. By the time of the Centennial, the print media was supplemented with radio and television. Now, in the electronic age, we have the internet and have added this website. What will it be in another 50 years?

The closer we get to 2009, the more we will add to the Boulder Sesquicentennial Website. Please check back often and let us hear from you!

OLDER Boulders! If you have lived in Boulder for more than 50 years and are over 65 years of age, we would like to hear from you. We are planning a celebration of our long-time residents on February 10, 2009, but in order to receive an invitation, we need to know a little bit about you. The Older Boulders Committee has prepared a questionnaire that we would like you to fill out. Instructions for what to do once you're finished are on the questionnaire. To get a copy of the questionnaire, click here.

HELP Wanted! We're busy planning a full schedule of events during 2009 and could use some volunteers to help with the events. If you are interested in volunteering, click here.

If have questions about events, email the Boulder Sesquicentennial Project Coordinator at info@boulder150.com.

Have you got your tickets for "A Pioneer Christmas" yet? Click here to visit the Boulder Theatre website and get yours, before they're sold out!

Revels "Pioneer Christmas" Auditions Coming Up!

2008-08-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

At left is a photo of three of our Children's Choir members from the 2007 Revels (Declan Wilcox, Eliza Cornell and Teresa Prinster) in mid-melody. Join us for the 2008 Rocky Mountain Revels production, "A Pioneer Christmas" -- auditions are coming up!

Here's the audition information for "A Pioneer Christmas":

Dear Friends,

Revels auditions are almost here (August 23rd!). If you, or anyone you know, would love to be a part of our amazing Colorado Pioneer show this year, please help spread the word and encourage them to audition! This year is going to be a VERY SPECIAL REVELS year!

Rocky Mountain Revels, a non-profit performing arts organization celebrating its 8th year in Boulder, is proud to kick off Boulder's Sesquicentennial Celebration with its upcoming "A Pioneer Christmas" show. With 2009 ushering in the 150th anniversary of the founding of Boulder, Nederland, Gold Hill, and Denver; the Boulder Sesquicentennial Committee is planning a year-long celebration!

"A Pioneer Christmas" represents a remarkable community effort. It envisions a pioneer experience in a loosely woven story told through the Revels traditions of music, dance and drama. Over 50 community members will appear on stage, and another 50 will be volunteering behind the scenes backstage. Performances will be December 14th and 20th at the historic Boulder Theater, rehearsals are every Monday evening from September through December.

Auditions for Rocky Mountain Revels "A Pioneer Christmas" are on Saturday, August 23rd at the Lutheran Atonement Church at 685 Inca Pkwy., just off Baseline Rd. in central Boulder from 2-5 p.m. The audition song should be a folk song or carol sung a cappella, it need not be anything fancy. You must be able to carry a tune, but you do not have to be a trained singer. Wanted: large community cast of all ages (7-70+) and varying experiences.

For more information write info@rockymountainrevels.org or call 303 440-9056.

In the Good Old Summertime

2008-05-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Here is an upcoming Sing-Along at Chautauqua which will be fun for
children and adults!

Join the Rocky Mountain Revels
and the
Timberliners Barbershop Chorus
in a Sing-Along
Celebrating the Colorado Summertime!

Saturday, June 28, 7:00 p.m.
Chautauqua Auditorium
$12 Adults, $6 Children
(ticket includes a sing-along song sheet)

Rocky Mountain Revels
Building Tradition through Music, Dance and Drama

Colorado's First Football Team

2008-04-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

At right are the Colorado Buffaloes, the first football team in Colorado, according to Wikipedia. The Buffaloes started tossing the pigskin around at CU in 1890. This the same year when our 2008 Rocky Moutain Revels production, "A Pioneer Christmas," is set, though there aren't any footballers in our show.

Here is a wonderful blog called Homestead Origins, full of anecdotes about life in early Colorado, including Boulder and Niwot photos and remembrances. Take a look!

Boulder Sesquicentennial Planning Under Way

2008-03-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

Boulder is celebrating its 150th year since incorporation, or sesquicentennial, in 2009. Denver was incorporated in the same year as Boulder, so the celebration should be enormous!

Rocky Mountain Revels is kicking off the sesquicentennial observations with its production of "A Pioneer Christmas" at the Boulder Theater in December, 2008.
Here is Boulder Daily Camera columnist Silvia Pettem's article about the sesquicentennial goings-on. We welcome you to join us for "A Pioneer Christmas" by participating as a cast member, audience member or volunteer in our production! To learn more, contact us at liz@asklizryan.com

"Our" Irish Dancers Enliven Upcoming St. Pat's Parade

2008-03-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Reveller and McTeggart Irish Dancer Natascha Trellinger (right, in photo at left) dances in the annual "World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade" held in Boulder every year. This year, Revels choreographer Elizabeth Barton and several of her students/Revellers will also participate in the parade, hosted by Conor O'Neills Irish Pub in downtown Boulder on St. Patrick's Day.

This year, in deference to the scheduling which puts St. Patrick's Day during Holy Week, St. Patrick's Day has been moved by the Catholic Church to Sunday, March 15th. The parade,
which starts at noon, usually lasts about half an hour. Come and see our Revellers and their McTeggart dance-mates in this fun (and free) Boulder celebration!

Conor O'Neills Pub, sponsor of the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day parade, is also a supporter of Rocky Mountain Revels and the site of an upcoming Revels Pub Sing, later this Spring! Between afternoon and evening Revels performances in December 2007, Conor O'Neill's audiences enjoyed a round of traditional Irish songs performed by the costumed Revellers, taking a break for song and Irish sustenance between shows!

Join us at the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 15 at noon, and for a bite at Conor O'Neill's afterward!

"An Irish Christmas" Delights in Boulder

2008-03-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

Rocky Mountain Revels' 2007 production, "An Irish Christmas," not only broke attendance records for our troupe but also introduced Boulder- and Denverites of all ages to Revels for the first time. Our four shows at the Boulder Theater were standing-room-only and for the first time in Rocky Mountain Revels history, lines of would-be Revels audience members lined up around the block trying to buy last-minute tickets to the production's four performances.

We are sorry to leave anyone out of the fun of Revels, but delighted that our audiences so enjoyed this year's production, featuring North American Irish Step-Dancing champion Alexandra Siega and a team of talented young Colorado step-dancers.

It's only March, but we're hard at work on the Rocky Mountain Revels 2008 production, showcasing the music and prose of Colorado's first settlers in "A Pioneer Christmas." Leave a comment if you'd like to get involved with our production!