If you channeled a female nude through the eyes of British painter Jenny Saville, you'd have to pass through a few influential gates -- Peter Paul Rubens, Willem de Kooning, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon -- to arrive at the monumental, unsentimental, grotesquely fleshy, thickly painted figurative works for which Saville is renowned (and, in some circles, reviled). Learn more about the whys and wherefores of those paintings when Saville gives a slide presentation and talk tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Starz FilmCenter, 900 Auraria Parkway, as a guest of the Denver Art Museum's Alliance for Contemporary Art. For tickets, $10 to $15, call 720-913-0150.
Last year's performances of Zoot Suit Riots by North High School students set a new precedent for quality. This year's one love, once again molded into shape by committed actor/teacher José Mercado with help from the kids, strives to be the follow-through. Billed as an original hip-hop theatrical production, one love combines music and dance in an examination of the style's cultural impact. North's Black Masque Theatre Company presents the show at 7 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, and at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, on the school stage, 2960 Speer Boulevard; buy tickets, $5 to $10, in advance at North or at Common Grounds coffeehouse, 3484 West 32nd Avenue. Call 720-423-2700 or 720-423-2746 for details.
A veteran of the celebrated Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, star and co-writer of the 1998 feature Slam (which won big awards that year at Sundance and Cannes) and a recording artist who's performed alongside everyone from Allen Ginsberg to the Fugees, spoken-word artist Saul Williams turns out to be an activist, too: In the area as the guest of Naropa University and KGNU radio, Williams will perform and host a presentation on modern slavery to raise funds for the non-profit organization Free the Slaves, tonight at 8 p.m. at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street in Boulder. Admission is $18 to $21; for tickets and information, call 303-546-3544 or 303-786-7030, or go to www.bouldertheater.com.
Friday, April 15
You'll never again be able to utter a ribald slur without feeling a little bit stupid after viewing American Slang, an exhibit of photographic interpretations of sexual slang by Metro graduate Agnes Kunz Vigil. The funny show opens tonight with a reception from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Cache, a small gallery located inside Pirate: a contemporary art oasis, 3659 Navajo Street; take Vigil's fare with a grain of pepper and salt and you'll be just fine. American Slang continues through May 15; call 303-456-6058.
Saturday, April 16
The Boulder-based fitness-retreat program Women's Quest will roll out the red carpet today for another great spring and summer of recreation in the great outdoors when it hosts the Spring Tune Up Fitness Festival for women. The gathering promises a day of hobnobbing with experts in cycling, running, yoga and nutrition, as well as gear and backpack fitting. Activities include a group fun run with world-class athletes, yoga classes and more. Everything takes place in conjunction with the Sherpani factory's annual warehouse sale of backpacks and baby carriers designed specifically for women. A particular eye will be cast on preparations for the upcoming Bolder Boulder 10K; participants can also sign up for the Women's Quest pre-race running retreat, which takes place in late May, the week before the race. Spring Tune Up events will be held at the Sherpani Warehouse, 2400 Central Avenue in Boulder, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; to register in advance, call 720-214-2194 or log on to www.sherpanipacks.com. For retreat information, go to www.womensquest.com.
Denver's gracious and goofy A.C.E. comedy trio, so named because the members hail from America, Canada and England, has performed its improvisational sketch comedy outdoors, on national cable television, on a bus, in a swimming pool, with odor enhancement, on Guy Fawkes Day, at a self-proclaimed Aspen comedy festival where they were the only performers, and with and without costumes and props. But until now, they've never done it on disc. That's all about to change with the release of their first CD, Audible A.C.E: Comedy for Your Ears, a compendium of both classic and brand-new A.C.E. routines. To celebrate, join the trio tonight at 7 p.m. for a CD-release party at Jazz@Jack's, 1553 Platte Street; for tickets, $15 each or $20 per couple (one copy of the CD included), call 303-322-6750 or go to www.acecomedy.com.
Sunday, April 17
Dusty turntables will spin again all across the Front Range -- right along with newfangled technology -- after the hordes descend upon today's Denver Record Collector's Spring Expo, the biannual must-attend event for every pop-culture junkie who spends the rest of the year hiding in the woodwork with headphones on. A veritable treasure hunt in one room, the show's vendors deal everything from rare LPs and 45s to posters and memorabilia. The floor is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ramada Plaza Convention Center, 10 East 120th Avenue; admission is $2 at the door. Dial 303-455-8408 or visit www.bigk.com for information.
Monday, April 18
It'll be more than easy to get in touch with your gastronomically feminine side at tonight's Females on Fire benefit, a six-course tasting collaboration between Sheila Lucero, chief pan-wielder at Jax Fish House in Denver, and a who's-who of top female toques and pastry chefs from Panzano, Strings, Cafe Star, Tante Louise, Aix, Blue Fine Pastries and Gateaux. Wine expert Margaret Duckhorn of California's Duckhorn Wine Company will add the finishing touches to the evening; proceeds go to the Females on Fire Culinary Scholarship, a culinary-school grant earmarked for local women. Dinner is served at 6 p.m. at Jax, 1539 17th Street; for tickets, $100, call 303-292-5767. For information, visit www.bigredf.com.
Tuesday, April 19
Five authors whose works prove magical for children and evocative for adults will be brought to life when Douglas County Libraries hosts A Walk in Their Shoes: A Living History Festival, a series of Chautauqua performances portraying beloved writers. Wizard of Oz pensmith L. Frank Baum (as profiled by David Skipper) starts things off this evening from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Parker Library, 10851 South Crossroads Drive in Parker, in a program topped off by an Oz sing-along, a make-a-tornado booth provided by Mad Science, and refreshments. Future installments include visits by Mark Twain, Mary Shelley, James M. Barrie and Laura Ingalls Wilder, with subject-appropriate fun and foods; for dates, times and locations, visit www.douglascountylibraries.org.
Wednesday, April 20
Boulder's just bubbling over with organizations dedicated to providing outdoor adventures for women. One of the best, the Women's Wilderness Institute (which extends its services to include similar programs for teens), will host an annual Gear and Cheer fundraiser tonight, featuring lots of good eats and drinks, music by Boulder shaker Wendy Woo, and silent and live auctions of outdoor equipment. Party and bid on gear from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Foundry, 1109 Walnut Street in Boulder; for tickets, $20 to $25, call 303-938-9191 or go to www.womenswilderness.org.
