See What You Missed on Another Hot Weekend in Denver

In summer, Denver’s calendar is so packed you can’t begin to hit all the festivals, markets, parties and celebrations around town. So this past weekend, we did it all for you. Keep reading for a look at four events in Denver we visited July 14 through July 16, with links…

Superheroes Are Invading Denver at Marvel Universe Live: Age of Heroes

Marvel superheroes have all but hijacked multiplexes during summer blockbuster season for more than a decade. And for good reason. Iconic characters like Spider Man, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy have been fodder for jaw-dropping epic stories, new myths that friends, parents and kids can bond over in air-conditioned, dark theaters with buckets of popcorn.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s Hadley Kamminga-Peck on Its Female Hamlet

A tragedy centered around a woman fighting for political power may give audience members a stinging sense of deja vu, but the play in question is not about the 2016 presidential election. Rather, it’s Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s production of Hamlet which makes a bold choice: portraying the titular character as a woman.

Addiction in Brian Smith’s Debut Short-Story Collection Rings True

Brian Jabas Smith has played for crowds of 10,000, but he says reading from his debut collection of short stories, Spent Saints and Other Stories, at some of the stops on his coast-to-coast book tour has actually been more nerve-wracking. Smith’s been a national-class bicyclist, rock ‘n roll frontman, alcoholic and crystal meth addict, and journalist, and it’s these experiences that fuel Spent Saints, which turn an empathetic and nuanced eye towards characters on the margins. On the third leg of a book tour that’s seen him reading in between rock sets (namely, the Tough Shits and Rocky Four) as well as leading a writing workshop at a Memphis Boys & Girls Club, Smith will be reading and screening the web series based on the collection at the Boulder Bookstore on July 11 at 7:30 p.m. In advance of the reading, Westword got on the phone with Smith, who called from the 110-degree heat of Tucson.

Julius Caesar’s Assassination Isn’t Just Relevant in the Trump Era

Anthony Powell, who’s directing the Colorado Shakespeare Festival production of Julius Caesar, hasn’t paid much attention to the intense controversy surrounding the version staged by the Public Theater in New York’s Central Park, in which Caesar—who’s bloodily assassinated in the play—is given a distinctly Trumpian appearance and a wife with an Eastern European accent.

Jeane Nuanes King Had Big Dreams for Concept, but the Dream Is Done

For Colorado artists weighed down by a shortage of studios, ever-rising rent and increased government scrutiny of DIY spaces, Concept was going to be “a space to dream, create, inspire,” promised founder Jeanie Nuanes King on the con.cept colorado Facebook page. But on July 5, Nuanes King announced that the dream is over.

The Five Best Free Events in Denver This Week

The Fourth of July is such a definitively American holiday that its festivities cannot be contained to one calendar day. Aside from Independence Day celebrations,Denver has plenty of free and cheap events for its residents to attend.