Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was a groundbreaker in every sense of the word during her tenure under President Clinton, not only as the first woman to serve in her office, but as an integral peacemaker in Kosovo and the Middle East. Now her accomplishments are gathered together in a new book, Madam Secretary: A Memoir, an inside look at Albright's eventful eight years of service from her unique point of view. Albright will discuss and sign the memoir tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Tattered Cover LoDo, 1628 16th Street; free tickets for a place in the autograph line will be available beginning at 6:30 p.m. For information, call 303-436-1070 or log on to www.tatteredcover.com.
Friday, October 3
Playwright Glen Berger's oft-produced one-man adventure Underneath the Lintel embarks when a library book that's over 100 years overdue is dropped into the night-return slot: The mild-mannered but curious Dutch librarian who finds the book becomes a sleuth, traveling through time and history on the trail of a centuries-old mystery. Follow his journey, as performed by solo actor James Nantz, beginning tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora. Shows continue on Friday and Saturday evenings through November 2; Sunday matinees begin October 12. Admission is $18 to $20; call 303-361-2910.
Saturday, October 4
Forward-thinking homeowners can find out what's new under the sun at the Colorado Renewable Energy Society 2003 Tour of Solar Homes, a two-day event focusing on Denver/Boulder-area homes and buildings that use alternative technologies to generate power. Travel the tour's self-guided Denver leg today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (registration is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden), or tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Boulder (register at the Center for ReSource Conservation, 1702 Walnut Street, Boulder). The fee per carload of solar tourists is $15 daily or $25 for both days; for details, call 303-806-5317 or log on to www.cres-energy.org.
The Swallow Hill Music Association, 71 East Yale Avenue, has found a wonderful way to combine its objectives -- musical performance and education -- in the new Swallow Hill Performing Artist Workshop Series, which pairs concerts and workshops with a whole season's worth of top-notch visiting acoustic-music artists. This weekend's dual offering begins with tonight's 8 p.m. show featuring guitarists John Davis and Rich Moore; tomorrow, Davis sticks around for Writing Outside Yourself, a songwriting workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. Concert tickets range from $10 to $15, and workshop fees are $23 to $25. Future pairings include next weekend's world-music concert with Planina and Sherefe and a Balkan singing workshop with Julie Davis, as well as a flurry of concert/workshop combos with Brian Joseph, Wendy Waldman, Terry Garthwaite and Rosalie Sorrels on October 24 and 25. For reservations, call 303-777-1003 or visit www.swallowhill.com.
Living the high life: At the annual Mile High Hair Ball, big is definitely better. In keeping with this year's theme (Wigs-A-Go-Go!), attendees will pile it on and teeter down the runway to compete for prizes. The annual dance party/competition, a benefit for Project Angel Heart, will be hosted by crowd favorite NuClia Waste, who will take it to new heights at 8 p.m. tonight at 2101 Denver (formerly the Wave), 2101 Champa Street. Tickets are $20 to $25; for reservations and information, log on to www.milehihairball.com. Another out-of-the-mainstream group gives its all for charity during Rebels With a Cause, a leather-bound biker fashion show with food, an auction and live music that benefits the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Strap on your chaps and roar into the new Brendan's Pub, 2009 Larimer Street, at 5 p.m.; admission is $10 at the door.
Sunday, October 5
Get into the South Asian groove tonight at Geetanjali 2003, a musical evening to raise funds for Asha for Education, a Colorado nonprofit promoting socio-economic change in India through education. Bansuri virtuoso Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia (a renowned bamboo flute player who's collaborated with a host of Western musicians, including John McLaughlin and Mickey Hart) and tabla accompanist Pandit Vijay Ghate perform tonight at 6 p.m. at the Boulder Theater, 2030 14th Street, Boulder; for tickets, $21.25 to $26.25, call 303-786-7030 or log on to www.bouldertheater.com.
Blacklisted McCarthy-era writer/director Herbert Biberman's 1954 leftist drama Salt of the Earth, about striking New Mexico zinc miners whose wives carry on their work when a court order prohibits them from picketing, is unearthed tonight at a 6:30 p.m. screening at the Nomad Theatre, 1410 Quince Street, Boulder, hosted by the Present Tense Film Soirée Series. A discussion follows the gritty, fact-based film, and in keeping with its politicized subject, voter registration will be offered in the lobby. A donation of $6 at the door is requested; call 303-938-1132 or visit www.presenttensefilms.com.
Monday, October 6
Learning can be fun -- that's the ruling philosophy of the University College Enrichment Program, a new double-edged non-credit learning experience being introduced this fall at the University of Denver's continuing-education branch, 2211 South Josephine Street. Two separate fall series are open for registration, with sessions still available in October and November: Cultural Connections, performance/lecture offerings created in collaboration with a trove of local cultural institutions, including the Denver Art Museum and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance; and DU Faculty Showcase, which focuses on everything from literature to current events. For details or a brochure, call 303-871-2291 or visit www.universitycollege.du.edu.
Tuesday, October 7
Until you've seen Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam in the tattered flesh, you haven't really experienced the cutting edge of skateboard culture firsthand -- or been caught up in the perfect nirvana of a well-executed 360 flip. Whatever, dudes. Tween/teen hero Hawk presents a boarding dream team to die for -- Bucky Lasek, Andy MacDonald, Lincoln Ueda, Sergie Ventura and new loop rider Bob Burnquist -- in choreographed routines on the tour's million-dollar ramps, along with live music and a slew of BMX and motocross athletes. It all gets rolling tonight at 7 p.m. at the Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Place; for tickets, $29 to $79, call 303-830-TIXS. For more about Hawk and the HuckJam, log on to www.boomboomhuckjam.com.
Wednesday, October 8
A classical-music tradition returns for another season tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard: the first concert in this year's Jeffrey Siegel's Keyboard Conversations Series, featuring pianist Siegel on "The Timeless Treasures of Bach and Brahms," a concert/lecture that combines glorious musical snippets with a mini-musicology lesson that's both entertaining and informational. Tickets are $23 to $26; call 720-898-7200 or log on to www.arvadacenter.org.
