This summer, Theatreworks again brings accessible theatre to the vibrant communities of the Pikes Peak region through their Free-For-All program. Piloted in summer 2019, Free-For-All's mission is to create opportunities for the dynamic and diverse communities of Pikes Peak to gather and celebrate through live theatre. 

After a spring of successful school residencies and performances, Theatreworks will tour a free 75-minute adaptation of "The Tempest” to libraries, community centers and parks in El Paso, Teller, Fremont and Elbert Counties. 

This adaptation of “The Tempest” will feature all original Shakespearean text, retold in a fun, physical, fast-paced, family-friendly production perfect for a summer outing. Featuring a duke-turned-sorcerer exacting revenge, malcontent spirits, traitorous family members, young lovers and a hefty dose of magical hijinks, the story promises gasps and laughs in equal measure. 

Six actors play multiple roles in this hilarious romp. In Free-For-All's unique casting model, all actors learn multiple roles and multiple actors learn each part; audience members who see the show multiple times may never see the same cast twice! For our outdoor performances, we encourage all to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and picnic with us as they enjoy this classic comedy.

This program is possible through the support of partners like Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). PPLD is a key collaborator, hosting six performances in parks adjacent to five library branches in Colorado Springs, Fountain, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs. 

Other partners include Meadows Park Community Center, Downtown Ventures/First Fridays, the Colorado Springs Senior Center, Bell Tower Cultural Center in Florence, Simla Library and the Town of Monument. The program is supported in part by a generous matching grant from Shakespeare in American Communities, a grant program of Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Art, as well as by the Kum and Go Foundation.

In addition to their public performances, Theatreworks will also partner with Green Box Arts Festival to bring “Free-For-All: The Tempest” to Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, after a round of school performances and residencies with Districts 2, 3 and 11 in Colorado Springs and with the Arts Academy at Pueblo County High School this spring. 

Creative team members include Caitlin Lowans (Theatreworks Artistic Director), costume designer Madison Booth; stage manager Brooke Callahan and props designer Marie Verdu (Theatreworks staff).

The cast features nine actors from our own community: Creston Cooper, Lily DiSilverio, Rachel Fey, AB Lugo, Ashley Morris Hill, Emily Newton, GJ Noel, Sierra Tune, and Sean Verdu. 

Quick Facts

“Free-For-All: The Tempest"

By William Shakespeare

Public Performance Dates, Times, and Locations:

• Saturday 5.21.22 - 2 p.m. - Memorial Park, sponsored by the Manitou Springs Library, 502 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs
• Friday 6.3.22 - 6 p.m. - Bancroft Park, sponsored by the Old Colorado City Library, 2408 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO
• Saturday 6.4.22 - 10 a.m. - Carnegie Garden, sponsored by Penrose Library, Colorado Springs, CO
• Sunday 6.5.22 - 2 p.m. - Limbach Park, Monument, CO
• Friday 6.10.22 - 2 p.m. - Colorado Springs Senior Center, Colorado Springs, CO
• Saturday 6.11.22 - 10:30 a.m. - Meadows Park Community Center, sponsored by Cheyenne Mountain Library, 1943 El Paso Ave, Colorado Springs, CO
• Saturday 6.11.22 - 2 p.m. - Remington Park, sponsored by Mobile Library Services, 2750 Pony Tracks Dr, Colorado Springs, CO
• Saturday 6.18.22 - 10 a.m. - Bell Tower Arts Center, Florence, CO
• Saturday 6.23.22 - 5:30 p.m. - Deerfield Hills Community Center, Colorado Springs, CO
• Saturday 6.25.22 - 2 p.m. - George Fellows Park, sponsored by East Library, Colorado Springs, CO
• Saturday 6.25.22 - 6:30 p.m. - Simla Community Park, sponsored by Simla Public Library, Simla, CO
• Friday 7.1.22 - 6 p.m. - First Fridays - Downtown Ventures - Parking Lot at 112 East Boulder Street, Colorado Springs, CO
• Sunday 7.3.22 - 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. - Green Box Arts, Green Mountain Falls, CO

Performance Length:

75 minutes, no intermission.

Audience details:

For outdoor performances, please bring a blanket or a beach chair. Most of our performance sites are outdoors and reservations are not required; for some performances, there may be specific requirements or policies. Please check the websites of our performance partners for more information on their policies and guidelines.

Price:

Free

WHAT: The U.S. Air Force Wounded Warrior Program (AFW2), administered by the Air Force’s Personnel Center, in coordination with Col. Zachary S. Warakomski, Commander, Peterson-Schriever Garrison, will host a Warrior CARE event at Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases, May 16-20. 

WHO: Wounded, ill and injured service members, and their caregivers, from across the country will be introduced to the full spectrum of support programs offered by AFW2. Recovering service members will attend Adaptive Sports training and competitions including archery, cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and more. Caregivers and other Warriors will have the opportunity to learn new resiliency skills through music, photography, improv, journaling and more. There will also be a closing ceremony at the end of the week. 

WHEN/WHERE: Adaptive Sports competitions will be held May 20 beginning at noon with the closing ceremony at 4:30 p.m. All sporting competitions will take place at the fitness center on Peterson Space Force Base.

WHY: These CARE events provide seriously wounded, ill and injured recovering service members, and their caregivers focused and personalized service through caregiver support training, adaptive and rehabilitative sports events, recovering Airman Mentorship training and employment and career readiness classes along with music, art and comedy programs. 

NEW BOSTON SPACE FORCE STATION, New Hampshire – There was a physical security incident at New Boston Space Force Station, NH on the evening of May 13, 2022. The incident involved an unaffiliated civilian, contracted security personnel, and local police at the SFS gate. No NBSFS military members have been injured.

New Hampshire state police and the Hampshire Attorney General’s office are actively investigating the incident. 

New Boston SFS is home to 23d Space Operations Squadron and its mission is to serve as one of the Space Force’s Satellite Control Network transmit and receive locations.

“At this time we have no further information, but will provide more details as they become available,” said Lt Col David Zesinger, 23rd SOS commander. “As always, we are thankful to our partners in the New Boston and New Hampshire community for their continued dedication to keeping our community safe.”

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Nearly 1,600 graduates earned their degrees from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Friday, with more than 1,200 participating in the first in-person spring commencement celebration since 2019.  

UCCS awarded 21 doctoral degrees, 353 master’s degrees and 1,223 bachelor’s degrees to graduates during the May 13 event, hosted at the Broadmoor World Arena. Graduates and their families celebrated alongside UCCS faculty, staff and students, including 25 graduates from the Classes of 2020 and spring Class of 2021, who returned to walk across the Commencement stage after having celebrated their graduation virtually.

Venkat Reddy, Chancellor of UCCS; Todd Saliman, President of the University of Colorado system; and this year’s Student Achievement Award winners each shared words of wisdom with the new graduates. 

“Graduates, you rose above every single setback you faced,” Chancellor Reddy said. “You demonstrated courage and resilience, and you did not give up on your dreams. Your triumph today is not just that you have succeeded in the face of difficulty — it is that you are stronger and better equipped to take on any obstacle that may come your way. As you graduate today, you will go back out into the world – using the work of your minds and your hearts to make it a better place.”

“I celebrate your achievement, your commitment to yourselves and your journey from CU students to CU alumni,” said President Saliman. “I can’t wait to see what you’ll bring to your communities and the world.”

“CU will always be there for you – like it has been for me – as you make your way in the world,” he continued. “The network of incredible people, and the knowledge, skills and experience you gained during your time here – all are forever part of you. All of it will help you get where you’re going.”

In the morning ceremony’s keynote speech, Hadeel Khammash, a biomedical sciences major and Student Achievement Award winner, addressed the graduates: “The potential, talent and abilities of the people in this room cannot be captured with words. We truly are fireworks that would light up the sky. We would be a colorful and explosive display. I urge you to continue to be the fuse and use what you have learned in your time here to be the color and wonder our world is in desperate need of. You are the future, and you have the power to make and be the change that we all wish to see.”

The ceremony also included a celebration of five Golden Graduates, members of the Class of 1972, who celebrated a 50-year milestone from their own UCCS graduation. 

Also celebrated were the first Bachelor and Master of Social Work graduates. In all, 29 students earned their degrees, in a win for both the graduates themselves and Colorado Springs social service programs, counseling centers, psychiatric hospitals, criminal justice facilities and the many Colorado Springs community members who benefit from community services. 

To close the ceremonies, CU Regent Ken Montera delivered the traditional Norlin Charge to graduates. The charge dates back to CU Boulder president George Norlin’s delivery of the June 1935 Commencement ceremony. The words of the Norlin Charge are now read to the graduating class each year at each of the four CU campuses, as a reminder that graduates will carry their experiences at the university with them forever.

“Commencement does not mean, as many wrongly think, the breaking of ties and the beginning of life apart,” reads the charge. “Rather, it marks your initiation in the fullest sense into the fellowship of the university, as bearers of her torch, as centers of her influence, as promoters of her spirit...the university consists of all who come into and go forth from her halls, who are touched by her influence and who carry on her spirit. Wherever you go, the university goes with you. Wherever you are at work, there is the university at work.” 

About the UCCS Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremonies 
The UCCS spring 2022 Commencement ceremonies will celebrate degrees conferred to nearly 1,600 graduates. More than 1,200 attended the morning and afternoon ceremonies at the Broadmoor World Arena on May 13, 2022, along with family and friends. See the full Commencement program online. View the livestreamed ceremony on YouTube.­­­

About UCCS
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) offers 55 bachelor’s, 24 master’s and eight doctoral degree programs and enrolls about 12,000 students annually. Located in the heart of Colorado Springs, UCCS has a strong student focus and access mission, with a goal of transforming lives for the better. Learn more about UCCS at uccs.edu. 

- uccs.edu -

The Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education will be hosting public interviews with the three D11 superintendent finalists on Tuesday, May 24, at the Tesla Professional Development Building auditorium, 2560 International Circle, Colorado Springs, CO. 80910. These 90-minute interviews are open for the public to view in person as follows: 

• 4 p.m. Mr. Peter Hilts 
• 6 p.m. Dr. Tammy Clementi 
• 8 p.m. Mr. Michael Gaal 

To maintain a fair and equitable interview process for each candidate, the interviews will be held in person and will not be live-streamed. Recorded interviews will be posted the following day at www.d11.org/superintendentsearch.  

Public questions are now being accepted through 5 p.m., Monday, May 23, 2022. Please note no live or written questions will be accepted on the day of the forum. Please submit the questions you would like D11 board members to consider asking the candidates using the form located at this link: https://www.d11.org/CandidateQuestions 

Security forces Airmen from Peterson and Schriever’s security forces squadrons will mark National Police Week with a shooting competition at 9 a.m. May 17 at Schriever Space Force Base.

“The week is to recognize the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement who have been killed in the line of duty,” said Tech. Sgt. Ricky Miller, one of the event organizers, “as well as to build camaraderie and raise funds for the Pikes Peak Region Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation.”

Other activities during the week include a ruck march, golf tournament, fun run and more.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that date falls as National Police Week.