Brian Freeland

Cycles of Street to Prison addresses the link between homelessness and incarceration

Over 15 percent of inmates in the U.S. prison system report having been homeless at some point in the year before their incarceration. This statistic from a 2008 Yale study is cited by Cycles of Street to Prison / Prison to Street, an original collaboration between the LIDA Project and Source Theatr ... More >>

The LIDA Project Reimagines The Hairy Ape

In Jon, teens express themselves in an artificial world

Lida Project's R.U.R./lol uses robots to examine what it means to be human

The word "robot" first appeared in the play Rossum's Universal Robotsor R.U.R, written in the 1920s by Czech author Karel Capek. In it, a group of scientists create human-like creatures that ultimately rise against their makers. In the ensuing battle, human beings are wiped out and the formula for c ... More >>

Molly Ivins is so hot, Red Hot Patriot is extended before it opens

Five years after she passed away at the age of 62, Molly Ivins is hotter than ever. In fact, all five performances of the one-woman play based on her life and writings, Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, sold out before the run even started. And at last night's preview, Rhonda Brown, ... More >>

Hot Times

Everything adds up as the LIDA Project embarks on its 18th season

Remember when you turned eighteen? Maybe you felt like you'd seen it all -- but more likely, you knew that a grand personal story was about to unfold. You felt excited and afraid. But how about a theater company? What about Brian Freeland and the LIDA Project, a company that's made its name over eig ... More >>

The Sound and the Fury

Sunday in RiNo: A mirrored fun house, unicorn sightings and hot metal

It was quieter in RiNo yesterday than you'd expect, considering there was a studio tour and a RiNo hunt going on for the last day of Create Denver. But it was nonetheless a perfect day to explore, and whether or not you discovered one of the 100 numbered ceramic rhinos left out for tourists to find ... More >>

Romance in the Air

LIDA's Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep wakes up again for a second run

​I have an adult niece in San Francisco who's into theater on the fringe; she's been a stage manager and a world traveler to various festivals, writes about theater for a Bay area newspaper, and every so often, hosts lives theatrical performances in her living room, sort of like a house concer ... More >>

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep tackles health, care, death and dying in the USA

Drama Salon

John Moore's exit from the Denver Post leaves a void in the theater scene

​It hit home for members of the theater community Sunday, when they opened the Denver Post and found a gaping void in the arts pages: There was no column by longtime critic and commentator John Moore. No review. Everyone had known John was taking the Post's buyout. His Facebook fans read his ... More >>

Party On the Fringe

LIDA and Control Group, together again

​It was always kinda, sorta meant to be, but late last week, the official announcement was made: The LIDA Project theater troupe led by Brian Freeland (a member of Westword's Mastermind class of 2009) and the Control Group Productions avant-garde dance ensemble led by Patrick Mueller are formi ... More >>

The Terror, the Terror!

Backstage: New horizons beckon for Brian Freeland and the Lida Project

​For the last year, something's been missing from the Lida Project. Certainly, it hasn't been creativity or an open mind; under the energetic guidance of stand-in artistic director Julie Rada, the local experimental theater group in fact thrived as well as any small group of its kind can in De ... More >>

Now Playing

Now Playing

Now Playing

Roller Skating With My Cousin will have you going in circles

A Wheel Deal

The verdict is in: The Trial inspires a worthy play in Joseph K

Today's featured event: Things get downright Kafkaesque at the LIDA Project tonight

Anyone who's followed the theatrical footprints of Brian Freeland, founder of the LIDA Project and Countdown to Zero troupes (and one of Westword's most recent crop of Masterminds), will immediately know -- and not know -- what to expect of his next production. A grassroots agenda, subversive poli ... More >>

Kafka Captured

Meet the MasterMind Class of 2009

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

Bertolt Brecht's warning fails to move.

Simply Resistible

Countdown to Zero tells a frightening tale.

Previous MasterMinds: Brian Colonna

Now Playing

Capsule reviews of current shows

Now Playing

Capsule reviews of shows

Now Playing

Capsule reviews of shows

My Name Is Rachel Corrie

A dead reckoning in Gaza.

How I Learned to Drive

Curious Theater has stayed on course to reach its tenth anniversary season.

How We May Know Him

This metaphoric comedy knows its depth.

tempOdyssey

Playwright Dan Dietz ponders the mysteries of life, death -- and chickens.

Ghost Story

The Turn of the Screw delivers thrills and chills.

A Critic's View on LIDA

Another stage goes dark in Denver's theater community.

A Critic's View

Denver's theater scene struggles to reach critical mass.

Best Introduction of a Major Contemporary Playwright

Fucking A, LIDA Project

A Cursed Life

Existence is a struggle in Fucking A.

The Naked Truth

To this critic, The Balcony is a pain in the neck.

Alice in Cyberland

The LIDA Project examines technology's effect on the human conscience.

Click Me

Theater pioneers fall through the computer’s looking-glass to tell Alice’s tale.

Stage Plight

Small theater groups are having a tough time carving out their own space in Denver.

Flesh Wounds

Back to the Futurist

The Harried Experiment

Vacant Lot