COTA members "go the extra 3.1 miles" for Evergreen High School

Jennifer Hardman, Fr. Patrick, Dawn and Todd Andres enjoying post-race endorphins after completing the 5K Cougar Stride on September 24. Photo by Jon K.

Four Church of the Apostles members ran, and two others cheered them at the finish line during the 5K Cougar Stride fund raising trail run in Bergen Park September 24. The event was sponsored by Evergreen High School's PTA.

Along with students, children, dogs, parents and boosters, the four COTA members rode school buses from Bergen Park Shopping Center to the Elk Meadow trail head, then ran all the way back. Approximately two thirds of the race was on the trail, and about one third was on pavement. Fr. Patrick thinks three fourths of the run was uphill, mostly a gradual incline, until the steep final hump. The trail, which parallels Hwy 74, provided a nice view of the Buchanan Park Rec Center, where Church of the Apostles meets on Sundays.

Waiting at the finish line to congratulate the runners were Abby Dorn and Jon K. A high-school aged live band played rock songs their parents knew as teenagers, and there was plenty of water, fresh fruit and other goodies to go around during the post-race festivities.

Not long after the race, the Apostles cheered the Evergreen High School Homecoming Parade. In response, trucks full of students threw candy at them.

All in all, it was a beautiful morning, with perfect weather, filled with small town school spirit and good will.

Father Five Fingers?

Fr. Patrick Dorn leads services at Church of the Apostles in his "toe shoes."

Fr. Patrick Dorn, priest at "runner friendly" Church of the Apostles (Anglican) in Evergreen, Colorado, switched to Vibram Five Fingers shoes in June 2010, and now, when it comes to minimalist footwear, he's an enthusiastic "convert."

After losing 60 lbs at the age of 50 several years ago, Fr. Patrick took up running, but occasionally had foot, knee and lower back problems. "VFFs were my 'salvation,'" he says, "at least in terms of rescuing me from injury, strengthening my feet and legs, and increasing my speed. VFFs lift my spirit and fill me with the joy of running, even uphill."

Fr. Patrick prefers Trek Sports for trail running around the foothills and mountain community he serves west of Denver, but when leading church services or working as a chaplain for Total Longterm Care, he prefers Treks, which he considers "dressier." Fr. Patrick wears Bikilas for the twelve or more charitable 5K pavement events he runs each year.

Since switching to VFFs, Fr. Patrick reports running more smoothly and gracefully, not to mention more swiftly. "Thanks to my Five Fingers, this summer I've knocked two full minutes off my 5K time," he claims. One church member quipped, "Too bad those toe shoes don't make Fr. Patrick's SERMONS go any faster!"

With winter approaching, Fr. Patrick is looking forward to running in the snow wearing the VFF Flows he's just ordered. "It's as close to walking on water as I'll ever get," he says.

REVIEW: Art

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: Chris Kendall, Josh Hartwell and Jim Hunt star in Yasmina Reza's upscale intellectual comedy "Art," playing through October 24 at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden. Photo by Richard Pegg.

There's something highly entertaining and also disturbing about watching a trio of yuppie buddies regress from high brow intellectualism to a drunken brawl. In the case of Serge (Chris Kendall), Marc (Jim Hunt) and Yvan (Josh Hartwell) in Miners Alley Playhouse's meticulously staged and deftly performed production of "Art," the catalyst for a complete breakdown of friendship, civility and decency, is the purchase of an expensive "white on white" painting.

Imagine a "Seinfeld" episode that actually is about something, and you'll be able to appreciate Yasmina Reza's "Art." Actually, if anything, "Art" is about a little too much, as each character must work through a fully developed crisis of identity that becomes less amusing as more and more alcohol fuels the flames of discontent.

The comedy starts off on a very high note, as a dermatologist purchases a preposterously expensive work of minimalist modern art, only to have it mocked by his best friend. The comedy is at its best when it explores the nature of art, its value, popularity and appreciation. But the essentially blank canvas triggers hurt feelings and jealousies, as the friends go to dark places in their relationship and sense of self. A neurotic mutual friend tries unsuccessfully to remain neutral while dealing with problems of his own.

Under Richard Pegg's outstanding direction, Kendall, Hunt and Hartwell excel in their roles, smoothly moving from shielded to increasingly dysfunctional to blotto drunk as the layers of restraint are stripped away. That kind of sustained breakdown is extremely difficult to do, and this cast makes it look easy.

The characters and setting are clearly Parisian, and the play feels most foreign as three grown men who never mention sports seem totally preoccupied with talk about authentic relationships, but an American sensibility creeps in, depriving the audience of too much aesthetic distance. Marc's mid-life misanthropic malaise becomes increasingly toxic, Yvan's obsessive neatness and fear of women borders on debilitating mental illness, and Serge, whose occupation concerns blemishes and flaws is willing to squander a fortune and jettison relationships for a chance at gazing upon a painting that represents cleanliness, simplicity and perfection.

It takes awhile for the three to work out their differences, testing the resiliency of their friendship to the breaking point, but this is a comedy after all, and a work of art that stays with the audience long after the lights go out.

"Art" plays at Miners Alley Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, through October 24 in Golden. Prices range from $19-$26.50. For information and reserved-seat tickets, call 303-935-3044 or visit www.minersalley.com.

PROMO: DCTC to mount Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps"

Sam Gregory as “Richard Hannay” in the DCTC production of The 39 Steps. Photo by Terry Shapiro.

Adaptor Patrick Barlow has dusted off Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller, The 39 Steps, and reinvented it for the 21^st Century.  With four malleable actors playing more than 150 roles, the film noir gem has been retooled into a hilarious comedy that manages to be faithful to the movie.

Combine a film masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and add a splash of Monty Python humor. The result?  A fast-paced whodunit, with four versatile actors portraying all the roles. The starved for adventure Richard Hannay encounters a woman who claims to be a spy. When she is suddenly murdered, Richard finds himself the focus of a nationwide manhunt led by a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps.” This film noir gem is full of dazzling, inventive stagecraft and virtuoso performances that will have you rolling in the aisles until the death-defying, climatic finale.

The 39 Steps opens Thursday, September 16 at The Ricketson Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Performances are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. and select Sundays at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. through November 14.


Call 303-893-4100 or visit www.denvercenter.org for information and tickets.

Hot off the press: "Faery Free-For-All

Last week, copies of "Faery Free-For-All," my most recently published play arrived hot off the press from Pioneer Drama Service.

My daughter Claire enjoyed keeping a "fairy garden" for awhile, and after writing "Blather, Blarney and Balderdash," about the wee folk of Ireland, and after having acted twice in productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," I thought it would be fun to delve deeper into tales of the Seelie (friendly fairies) and Unseelie (malevolent fairies) of Scotland.

I read everything I could get my hands on, and narrowed my favorites down to two and a half tales I thought would be suitable for adaptation into a play that would work for a flexible cast of elementary, middle school, high school students or inter-generational casting.

As I developed these stories for the stage, I felt that the older, more traditional spelling "faery" seemed most appropriate. Once I had a polished first draft completed, I contacted my longtime friend Cindy Troup, director at Colorado ACTS, who arranged a reading of the script. Based on the students' reactions and her comments, I made a few changes, then submitted the script to Pioneer Drama Service.

Pioneer has been tremendously supportive over our more than 25 year collaboration. Their commitment to providing quality, age-appropriate material for amateur performers is unflagging. To date they have published 22 of my plays!

You can find a full write up for "Faery Free-For-All," and even order copies through Pioneer Drama Service. Browse through their catalog at www.pioneerdrama.com. Click HERE to visit the Faery Free-For-All page. You can also see my other published plays by clicking on the "My Published Plays" tab on this blog.