Audio By Carbonatix
Buntport Theater was formed by a group of hyper-creative Colorado College kids who shared an affinity for quirk: The theater’s production history includes Kafka on Ice, a freewheelin’ biodrama about the existential, roach-centric German writer, set in an ice rink; and Donner, a documentary-style tragicomedy about Santa’s reindeer. This kind of refreshing experimentalism has garnered the troupe some of the city’s highest theatrical honors, including Westword‘s 2005 Mastermind Award and a Top of the Rockies nod from the Rocky Mountain News.
For five seasons, Buntport’s creative forays were partly subsidized by Magnets on the Fridge, the group’s long-running and much-loved live sitcom. Described as “a way to fill the warehouse on a regular basis while we write and rehearse our bigger shows,” Magnets revolved around five friends, a book club and an insane production schedule: Working initially off a theme suggested by the audience, Buntport wrote and rehearsed each episode in just two weeks. Magnets achieved the nearly impossible by drawing sell-out crowds to independent theater on a regular basis.
Unlike many sitcoms that stretch into eternity, Magnets wrapped up earlier this year, before it jumped the shark. And although Magnets is now off the air, its kid-friendly counterpart, tRUNks, returns as Trunk-A-Re-Runk for some summer viewing tonight, with a “rerun” of a popular episode based on Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes.” Showtime is 6 p.m.; it’s best to arrive early at 717 Lipan Street if you want a seat. Call 720-946-1388 or visit www.buntport.com.
Sat., July 28, 11 a.m.
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