City Dionysia

When Euripides wrote "The Bacchae," the story of the Greek god Dionysus, in 405 BCE, he wove a tale of a young, angst-filled son of Zeus who, with the assistance of his wild women, the Bacchae, punished his mortal family for refusing to worship him.

Theaterworks and VAPA's month-long event "City Dionysia," which drew inspiration from the ecstasy and gloom of this Greek tragedy, began March 3 and will continue through April 16. Events catering to all the senses through art, poetry, music, live performance and lecture will be held at a variety of locations from Tejon St. to the Fine Arts Center to campus.

Kevin Landis, the new theater director and assistant professor who came to UCCS in August from Tufts University in Boston, is the one responsible for guiding the event. When asked to choose a spring production for the theater department, Landis chose "The Bacchae," from which, he said, the "City Dionysia" concept flowed.

"VAPA prides itself on being interdisciplinary," Landis said. "I decided to use ‘Bacchae' as a jumping-off point. I wanted something which would allow us to touch on a common theme through various mediums, and liked the idea of an interdisciplinary spring festival."

The theme for "City Dionysia" aligns itself with the theme of "The Bacchae," one of the most famous plays to be part of a tragic-play competition during Greek festivals, in which the annual new harvest and the creative and destructive natures of the Greek gods were celebrated.

The production will feature live music (written and performed by UCCS VAPA students) accompanying the show. "It is a chilling and enthralling play, and I am excited to be a part of it," said student Irene Hessner, who is taking part in the production of the play.

"This is unprecedented. An event like this has never happened at UCCS before," said Landis. "It isn't necessarily about selling or presenting perfect art, but it is about a community coming together to celebrate," said Landis, who estimates that between 100 and 150 students have been involved in producing the event. The majority of the art, music and poetry exhibited throughout the festival are creations of UCCS students and faculty.

Director of the Gallery of Contemporary Art Caitlin Green said that the Gallery, where three of the festival's 11 events are being held, is an ideal location. "It is a site where faculty, students and community members can come out and think about the ideas of ‘Bacchae' and the aesthetics of those ideas," said Green. "This place can give our UCCS community a sense of ownership."

Calendar of Events

The Bacchae: The Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theatre/THEATREWORKS.  March 18-20,  7:30 p.m.  Matinees March 20 at 2 p.m. and March 21 at 4p.m. www.theatreworkscs.org

City D Poetry Slams: The Gallery of Contemporary Art at UCCS. www.galleryuccs.org. March 17 at 7:00 p.m/The Fine Arts Center. www.csfineartscenter.org  April 7 at 6 p.m.  

The Bacchae Ensemble: Gallery of Contemporary Art, UCCS. www.galleryuccs.org April 2 at 7 p..m.

Cuong Vu Concert: FREEX will present a Poetry Slam before the concert.  $7 general, $5 student. The Fine Arts Center. csfineartscenter.org. April 7 at 8 p.m.

Gamelan Ensemble: The UCCS Upper Lodge.  April 9 at  7 p.m.

City Dionysia Parade: The final event of City Dionysia, the parade will begin outside THEATREWORKS/University Hall, proceed through campus, down the hill through the woods and end at the new University Village Shopping Center for the opening of HedoGeist. April 16 at 3 p.m.