Spring Break and Easter Weekend Things to Do!
March 29, 2018
As spring break week comes to an end, there are still activities that the kids can enjoy, including a trip to the Denver Art Museum or the Air and Space Museum’s Be the Astronaut exhibit. Festive egg-hunting 5/10K runs in City Park are a great way to get out for a good cause—and collect some treats for yourself! And you have a huge variety of theatre and comedy performances to choose from near the Southshore area this weekend!
Thursday-Friday, March 29-30
CRAFTY SPRING BREAK FOR KIDS!
Good things come in small packages! Treat the kids to a day (or two) of craft-making! The Craftsman and Apprentice offers a day camp workshop for kids ages 5-11 to make the tiny world of their dreams!
From miniature homes and castles constructed from cardboard to tiny people and animals made from clay to an assortment of small planes, trains and automobiles, your kids will delight in making them all!
The Craftsman and Apprentice, 1325 E. 22nd Ave. Denver
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $80/day
Phone: 720-515-8611
Thursday-Saturday, March 29-31
DISCOVER THE FINAL FRONTIER!
The much-celebrated interactive exhibit Be the Astronaut is in its final weeks! Don’t miss your chance to engage in this thrilling and engaging pod-based exhibit that teaches STEM-based content through a combination of technology and traditional museum displays. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to go up in space, you owe it to yourself to try it out here in this exhibit! You will sit in spacecraft simulators, designed with assistance and oversight from NASA’s Langley Research Facility, and follow a challenging self-paced course through a narrative of a possible future space mission.
Be the Astronaut speaks powerfully to adults and children alike. In order to advance and succeed further in each phase of the exhibition, visitors learn about the challenges and excitement of spaceflight — then apply that knowledge as they fly spaceships, pilot landers, and drive rovers across locations such as Earth’s orbit, the Moon, Mars, Ceres and Jupiter.
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tickets: $8.50-$15
Phone: 804-896-5129
DAILY SHOW ALUM AND USO HERO – RORY ALBANESE
If you loved The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, come see one of the geniuses behind the mayhem – Rory Albanese! As a nine-time Emmy-winning writer and executive producer on The Daily Show, Albanese’s sensibilities were a big part of what made the show so entertaining. You might recognize him as the on-air correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.
Albanese is also a national headlining stand-up comedian who has toured with Lewis Black on Lewis’ 2007 Red, White and Screwed theater tour. Albanese teamed up with fellow Daily Show comedians John Oliver, John Hodgman, Rob Riggle and Al Madrigal, and did stand-up gigs across the country. In 2012, they traveled to Afghanistan for a USO tour to entertain American troops.
Comedy Works-Downtown, 1226 15th St., Denver
Thurs., 8:00 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$23
Phone: 303-595-3637
Thursday-Sunday, March 29-April 1
DENVER ART MUSEUM SPRING BREAK SPECIALS!
If you’re looking for something different for the kids to enjoy on their Spring Break, why not take them to the special events happening at the Denver Art Museum? Engaging activities like the 3-D Studio and Create-n-Takes are open along with all of the regular exhibits. And you won’t want to miss the special performances of the family-friendly play, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday and Friday! All spring break activities are included in the general admission ticket price—which is free for kids 18 and younger!
Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Avenue Pkwy., Denver
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Free for kids 18 and younger
Phone: 720-913-0130
Friday-Sunday, March 30-April 1
COLORADO BALLET DIRECTOR’S CHOICE PERFORMANCE!
Colorado Ballet will close out its season with Ballet Director’s Choice, a sampling of diverse and popular works that showcase the versatility and skill of the dancers.
Pillar of Fire, a dance-drama of unrequited love realized, is set at the turn of the last century. Choreographer Antony Tudor is known for his ability to express psychological complexities through the classical vocabulary of dance. In stark contrast is crossover queen Twyla Tharp’s witty Brief Fling, which pits a classical group of dancers against a gang of post-moderns, and rounding out the evening is Val Caniparoli’s In Pieces, which made its world-premiere at Colorado Ballet in 2013 to rave reviews.
June Swaner Gates Concert Hall at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, East Iliff Ave. & S. University Boulevard, Denver
Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$155
Phone: 303-837-8888
THE QUEEN IS IN TOWN!
The mind behind the Netflix series The Crown brings his fascination with her Royal Highness to the stage! Playwright Peter Morgan imagines what might have gone on over the course of sixty years as Queen Elizabeth II has met with each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a private weekly audience. The discussions are utterly secret, even to the royal and ministerial spouses.
In The Audience, these meetings come to life over the decades of the Queen’s remarkable reign, through Prime Ministers from Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron. Deborah Persoff is Queen Elizabeth. Recommended for audiences aged 10 and up.
Vintage Theatre Productions, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $26-$32
Phone: 303-856-7830
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
The timeless story of the girl with a heart enormous enough to forgive the horrors of Nazi Germany, Anne Frank must never be forgotten. In the Pulitzer-Prize and Tony-Award winning play that frames history in the most humanistic terms,
Anne’s diary is dramatized to show her rapidly changing life in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Anne faces and confronts the increasing horror of the time with astonishing honesty, wit and determination. Don’t miss this eagerly-awaited revival of the must-see classic!
Lowry’s Spotlight Theatre Company/John Hand Theater, 7653 E 1st Pl., Denver
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $12-$25
Phone: 720-530-4596
Saturday, March 31
BUNNY BOLT 5K/10K AND EGG HUNT!
This is no regular run! Adults get to look for Easter eggs, too, in Denver’s only Golden Egg Hunt for adults–as you move along the course, find the coveted Golden Eggs, each filled with amazing prizes! Whether you walk or run, bring the kids for their 1K Rabbit Rush stretch and an Easter egg hunt of their own! The atmosphere will be festive, with face painting, a balloon artist, yoga classes, and lots of goodies! Your entry fee will get you a race t-shirt, free photo downloads, and the chance to win prizes in multiple categories. All for a great cause—proceeds will benefit amyloidosis patients.
City Park, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver
7:30-11:00 a.m.
Cost: $10-$35
Phone: 303-547-8896
THE BUDDHA’S WIFE – A PLAY TO VOTE ON!
Don’t miss this exciting entry in the Plays in Progress series—a thought-provoking stab at time travel that focuses on a woman’s “place.” In this bold new play by Mary Poindexter McLaughlin, a modern woman, Diane, finds herself questioning the meaning of her life in front of a stack of dishes at the kitchen sink. Meanwhile, a Buddha’s wife from 2,500 years ago leads a parallel existence, when her husband leaves her and their newborn child to seek enlightenment. The Buddha’s Wife juxtaposes these two women, moving fluidly through time and place to show how their mutual choices drove them to this point of despair. When the play is over, you get a chance to vote on it! The play with the most votes moves on to a full Premiere Production!
The Black Box Theatre at DU’s Johnson-McFarlane Hall, 1903 E. Iliff Ave., Denver
2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $13
Phone: 303-589-9423
Saturday-Sunday, March 31-April 1
COLORADO CACTUS AND SUCCULENT SOCIETY PLANT SALE
Crazy about cacti? Serious about succulents? This is your kind of show! In addition to the thousands of cacti and succulents that will be for sale at Denver Botanic Gardens, the show also offers displays by the Cactus and Succulent Society that you won’t want to miss! Internationally-renowned growers, local ceramic artists and expert gardeners will be on hand to help you choose the best plant for your window sill, sun room or backyard.
Hundreds of cactus and succulent varieties native to Madagascar, the Middle East, South Africa, and Colorado will be available for purchase—these are rare and unique varieties not often available to the public! You will also be able to attend workshops to learn how NOT to kill your plants. Learn what xeriscaping is and how water-wise plants can be added to any garden. You can have the plants that you’ve purchased potted for free by knowledgeable growers in your choice of purchased decorative pots. Perhaps most importantly, find out just how much water these arid plants really need!
Denver Botanic Garden, 1007 York St., Denver
9 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Information
Phone: 720-443-1026
Gardens Are Emerging in Southshore!
With spring upon us you can get to gardening in Southshore on weekends or take in some world-class entertainment nearby. If this isn’t home for you, stop in to tour the beautiful models from Toll Brothers in Vista Point, Century Communities in The Hills, and Richmond American Homes at Lakeview. You find a variety of ranch and two-story models priced from the upper $300s to the $700s.