LOcaL: Collaborators

Kate Collardson rekindled a love for the stage after a 20 year hiatus while pursuing a career in renewable energy and creating a family. The new journey began with a stand-up comedy slam in February of 2020, just before the world shut down for COVID. After three years of online classes and showcases, Kate is thrilled to be performing in front of a live audience again.

Ren Q. Dawe (he/they) is tired. Lauded as a highly unsuccessful author, Ren works in education and trans advocacy–but really just likes talking about fake dicks into a mic. Ren was the host of the sold out Colorado Queer Comedy Festival, has told jokes on 9 News Denver, Comedy Works in Denver, and is the organizer of the largest arts fundraiser in Colorado, "Housing for the Homies".

I am about an entire philosophy. Songs and singing are a way of communicating ideas, emotions and even mystical moments. We all share the common experience of existence. Whatever your beliefs – we are here together. And that is the greatest gift in my life. I hope my songs take you to a pleasant place with some new ideas, some old feelings and some strong energy to produce a better tomorrow for us all.

My name is Justice (she/her) and I'm the owner of The Mighty Vegans LLC 🩵💛🩷🌱. I've been a musician since I was 10, starting out with lessons from E-Town drummer Christian Teal on hand percussion (bongos and congas). After practicing the trap drum set, I began learning guitar nearly 20 years ago. After 7 years of playing open mics on guitar and vocals, our four piece band Jiggatones enjoyed half a dozen shows at The Dark Horse in Boulder, where we played covers, originals and cartoon theme songs. Learning keyboard and ukelele along the way, I've gravitated to ukelele because of its convenience, mostly practicing while walking my dog 🎶🩷🐶. I grew up in Boulder and graduated from The University of Colorado with a philosophy degree and studio art. Music is my favorite passion, along with cooking and raising my wonderful daughter Jam, who is 14. Together with Jam we have written countless songs. With my twin brother, who is a professional camera man, we have made around a dozen music videos and counting on YouTube. #Justicemarcellus9

Emily is a talented loud mouth sass ball who brings her nerdy band geek charm to warm crowds up and down the front range. She is co-producer of The Matriarchy Presents Laughing Matters, a monthly showcase (first Saturday of every month) featuring mostly mom comedians at Rise Comedy in Denver. When she isn't making the funnies, she is in the thick of raising her two daughters and works for a local school district non-profit that promotes equity, diversity, and learning readiness for all students in the district. Her patriarchal busting humor and her flugelhorn keeps her sane during the non monotonous monotony of motherhood.

Cara Leoni (she/her) is an up-and-coming comedian and an OG queer. A self described rascal, you can find her performing at local bars, comedy clubs and teacher lounges. When Cara is not turning up the laughter you can find her knee deep in a project she’ll never finish or getting roasted by her students.

Katrina Miller is a filmmaker and owner of Blackat Video Productions. Creating video for over half of her life, most of her work highlights social issues and tries to address possible pathways out of our darkest societal problems. Her Most recent film, worked on with Landlocked Films titled, “This Is [Not] Who We Are,” compares the progressive and liberal reputation of her community with the actual lives and experiences of African Americans in her area. This film has gone on to receive dozens of awards world wide and is now broadcasting on PBS nationally. Katrina was the 2023 YWCA impact award winner based on the discussions her films have prompted. Katrina feels her life’s purpose is to explore and promote big ideas through art, and this is only the beginning. Flame was a music video Katrina worked on with musician Wellington Bullings. Bullings’ idea for the video was to have only BIPOC artists manage different aspects of production. Blackat Productions was hired to film and edit the video which tells a story of Black empowerment and excellence despite systemic and real barriers that are oppressive to people of color. This is a beautifully vivid and dreamy piece, peppered with symbology in every scene.

I host a podcast named Sharing Boulder and am an avid housing and transportation activist. I am working for cities in Boulder County that welcome new residents, encourage public transit, walking, and cycling, and create highly socially connected neighborhoods where people of all backgrounds and economic situations can thrive with housing security and rich opportunities for engaging in public life. I regularly perform stand-up comedy at local shows and open mics. I have PhD in Computer Science and work in a research lab on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

I have always thought of making art as a tool to communicate and connect with people. The strange, creative happenings in my head are able to find a home in my art. It is for this reason that I love sharing what I create with others. It is because I am sharing a piece of myself with the world, and it is through this that I am seen. I create animations through a process that I call Handprinted Movies, where I hand carve the images from rubber, creating a stamp, which I use to make prints on paper with ink. I then cut out each piece and move them by hand, photographing each shot to create a stop motion film. One minute of animation is composed of hundreds of photographs. I view my films as a kind of visual language and the elements and techniques I have are my tools. In sequencing my animations, each piece flows into the next as a visual representation of events in a narrative timeline. I employ symbols, color, movement, sequencing and transitions as methods of storytelling. I am a big proponent of D.I.Y aesthetic and technique. My work wouldn’t exist without it. Since everything is done by hand, there is an imperfection to what I make that becomes a part of it. I make what I know, what I can think of, try, combine and discover. The forms that my practice has taken has at times arisen out of conditions. When I have a smaller space I tend to work small and when I have a larger space I can make a mess in, my work might expand. I believe that invention can arise out of limitations and I enjoy finding ways through working with what is in front of and available to me as it often challenges me to forge paths I might not otherwise have considered. My animations express a range of ideas, from very personal experiences exploring grief, loss and trauma to playful absurdism with fantastical creations. In the process of making and bringing my work to life I find transformation, as stories take on a new form through a visual language. I believe there is power and healing in re-framing experiences through art. I invite the viewer into an escape from the ordinary and to find their own interpretations when viewing my work.

Catherine Shea, a single working mom, has her own take on motherhood and she wants to tell you all about it! Described as warmly subversive, Catherine performs all over Colorado!

The only thing I enjoy more than eating Colorado food culture is drawing it. I'm M. J. Star. I moved to Colorado in 2019 and have been drawing digitally for almost 2 decades. In early 2022, I started work as a visual food critic, drawing art that depicts Colorado's rich food and drink culture. I've been traveling the state going to various breweries, wineries, cideries, bars, and restaurants. I try their food and drinks, and transform all of that into art that celebrates Colorado's blossoming local food culture.

Lisa began writing after many years as a performing artist – an actress and singer – and she is thrilled to integrate those years of crafting characters and storytelling. A former recipient of a Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute Fellowship, much of Lisa’s fiction writing focuses on the stories I grew up with as the proud first generation daughter of immigrants. She loves writing from a place of joy and to shine a light on Jewish families and life for all young readers. Although, she does admit to holding a special place in her writer’s heart for the Jewish kids who live in small towns. She was one of those kids and so are her three daughters. Her nonfiction performance essays, including the pieces she will be performing for Longmont Out Loud, are centered on parenting and Jewish lifestyle. Lisa is an active member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She holds a MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University, as well as a B.S.S. in Theater from Northwestern University. She is also a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, a body awareness modality.

The Tribonacci Trio Band developed due to a unique housing crisis. Evan (left, guitar) found himself homeless and his generous coworker Matt (right, mandolin/violin) invited him to come stay for a month. During this time, they realized their common love for folk and bluegrass music. On a lazy summer Sunday, the Tribonacci Trio began when Karen (middle, vocalist) joined the two boys on their daily jam session and sang the song they had all been listening to nonstop. From this day on the group of friends have been mixing strings and harmonies to create the band they are today.