Buddhist Arts and Film Festival: The Lion's Roar
2025-09-14 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Denver) | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
ALL ACCESS PASS
TICKETS
THE LION’S ROAR, director Mark Elliott
This is the masterful portrait of the late 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, the great Tibetan Buddhist master known as the Black Hat Lama. The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, one of the four great lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. His line of successive reincarnations has its origins in the 13th century when it was the first to identify tulkus, reincarnations of Buddhist teachers. He is recognized as the embodiment of the teachings of his lineage, one that traces its source from teacher to disciple through Tibet’s great teachers Milarepa and Marpa to India’s Naropa and Tilopa all the way back to the Shakyamuni Buddha. 50 minutes

Buddhist Arts and Film Festival 2025: Wisdom of Happiness
2025-09-14 12:00 - 13:30 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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TICKETS
WISDOM OF HAPPINESS, directors Barbara Miller & Philip Delaquis
WISDOM OF HAPPINESS is a deeply intimate and highly cinematic documentary featuring the Dalai Lama, who, at nearly 90 years old, offers practical advice for navigating the 21st century’s challenges. The film captures the Dalai Lama speaking directly to viewers, creating a sense of a private audience, and shares his timeless wisdom on achieving inner peace and happiness for everyone.
WISDOM OF HAPPINESS is a profound, new cinematic exploration of the innermost world of the Dalai Lama, perfectly attuned to our times. In an intimate heart-to-heart, the world’s greatest ambassador of compassion invites everyone along for a journey to the source of happiness. 90 minutes.

Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet: LOLA RUN
2025-09-14 14:00 - 15:00 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS

A Mesmerizing New Work by Internationally Recognized Choreographer Robert Sher-Machherndl in Collaboration with Renowned Concert Pianist George Lopez
Lemon Sponge Cake performs the mesmerizing poetry of LOLA RUN, a new work by choreographer Robert Sher-Machherndl. With a lean, elegant, modernist, almost mechanical impressionism, the audience faces the beauty of how bodies move in space without explanation. Sher-Machherndl takes movements and gestures, some of which recognizable from everyday life and transforms them into a style of dance that doesn’t tell what to think, what to feel, or what to believe. A new form of beauty stripped of signposts and melodrama.
“… it’s my curiosity that drives me to uncover new movement language, to redirect one’s mind, and take the audience on an intriguing journey,” says Sher-Machherndl.
Sher-Machherndl and dancers are to share the stage with highly-accomplished guest artist and dynamic concert pianist George Lopez, a Bowdoin College Artist in Residence.
“Working with Robert Sher-Machherndl again after almost ten years is a real joy. He’s such a creative force—so spontaneous and deeply musical. I love how his choreography with Lemon Sponge Cake feels both free and grounded. It will be a fun and inspiring collaboration, and I’m excited to see where the movement and music take us this time.” says George Lopez.
Lemon Sponge Cake operates in a place full of curious combinations and in doing so gives a world as big, and as deep, and with as many possibilities as the world we live in. You must sometimes dig for it, that’s for sure, but in every production there’s a freedom offered, a freedom that empowers the audience to follow its own path with the piece without the fear of being ‘wrong’.
“ … highlight of the program.” – The New York Times.
“When your way of seeing beauty is changed, your way of seeing the world is changed. It’s this that makes Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet Company so irreplaceable and vital to the cultural conversation around art’s place in society. With the ‘Technological Age’ about to enter a new and uncertain chapter with the advent of AI as part of daily life, of fact and fiction being almost impossible to tell apart, I can think of no greater place, no more important a place, no more essential a place for an artist to create than a world that reminds us to create our own beauty. Lemon Sponge acts like a solvent on reality, and with it, we’re given a chance to see beauty in everything.” Michael French | Director Writer

The Upstart Crow presents "Medea” by Euripides; directed by Katherine Dubois Reed
2025-09-14 14:00 - 16:00 | Carsen Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Medea’s shock and grief when her husband Jason discards her to marry King Creon’s daughter quickly turns to rage. She vows revenge—but how much revenge is enough? Euripides explores how a person’s pride can lead to deadly recklessness regarding consequences.
Thursdays 8/28 & 9/11 are Name-Your-Price-Nights. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis. *NO reservations needed & NO ticket needed* – just show up at the Carsen Theater for the show. Donations of any amount are accepted in lieu of purchasing a ticket.
For Season Tickets, please visit: www.TheUpstartCrow.org/Season-Tickets
Current Season Ticket Holders, please make your reservation at: www.TheUpstartCrow.org/Reservations
Medea is a powerful revenge play not suitable for children due to violent descriptions.

Buddhist Arts and Film Festival 2025: Brakhage on Brakhage
2025-09-14 14:00 - 16:00 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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TICKETS
BRAKHAGE ON BRAKHAGE, director Colin Still
Working outside the mainstream, the wildly prolific, visionary Stan Brakhage made more than 350 films over a half century. Challenging all taboos in his exploration of “birth, sex, death, and the search for God,” he turned his camera on explicit lovemaking, childbirth, even autopsy. 94 minutes.

The American Southwest
2025-09-14 14:00 - 16:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Sept 10-14
This family-friendly wildlife movie takes viewers on an unforgettable journey down the mighty Colorado River. Narrated by indigenous environmentalist Quannah Chasinghorse, the film beautifully showcases the abundant wildlife of the region, confronts the ecological impacts of dams and water overuse, and boldly advocates for better management of water and wildlife. Made in association with Natives Outdoors, the movie incorporates an indigenous perspective and features some of the Southwest’s most charming characters… such as industrious beavers, bugling bull elk, and soaring condors. Between its’ legendary landscapes and fascinating wildlife, The American Southwest aims to endear millions of people to better cherish, love, and conserve this unique region. (Ben Masters, 2025, USA, 1:47, G)

Buddhist Arts and Film Festival: BORN I Guided Meditation and Sound Bath
2025-09-14 16:30 - 18:00 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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TICKETS
Presence and sound, guided meditation and sound bath. This offering will include a short dharma talk on self-compassion and presence, followed by a guided meditation and immersive sound bath.

Hola Frida
2025-09-14 16:30 - 18:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Sept 10-14
In this animated feature, Little Frida is a bright-eyed girl who loves exploring in her Mexican village and playing with friends. When a polio diagnosis casts a cloud over her spirit, she is forced into the solitude of her bedroom. There, she finds solace in her imagination, brimming with possibilities. Hola Frida recreates the early life of famed artist Frida Kahlo and highlights the saving power of imagination. (André Kadi & Karine Vézina, 2025, France/Canada, 1:22, NR)

Buddhist Arts and Film Festival: Blessings The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns Of Tibet
2025-09-14 18:30 - 20:15 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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TICKETS
BLESSINGS: THE TSOKNYI NANGCHEN NUNS OF TIBET, director Victress Hitchcock
In 2005, Tsokyni Rinpoche, a renowned Buddhist teacher, led a group of Western women on a journey into a remote mountainous region of Eastern Tibet to visit nunneries where 3000 women were practicing an ancient yogic tradition of Buddhist teachings. This is the original longer version of the film that documented this extraordinary journey. 104 minutes
Celebrating 20 years since the pilgrimage, the film will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with the director Victress Hitchcock along with other members who were on the journey.

The Short Game
2025-09-17 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-18 16:30 - 18:30, 2025-09-19 16:30 - 18:30, 2025-09-20 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-09-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Sept 17-20
Jeremy Avery is vying for a college golf scholarship, but his preparation and game are affected by family pressures related to his younger autistic brother Ethan. Jeremy’s path leads him on a journey of discovery both internal and of his brother’s savant-like gifts, that if embraced can create an unstoppable pair. But on the brink of his greatest victory, Jeremy is forced to make a life-altering decision, finally achieving his own personal dreams or standing by his brother. (Frank Sanza, 2025, USA, 1:33, PG)

Humans and Other Animals
2025-09-17 16:30 - 18:00, 2025-09-18 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-09-19 18:30 - 20:00, 2025-09-20 17:30 - 19:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Sept 17-20
This documentary takes viewers on an epic journey—from witnessing firsthand how animals think, use language and feel love, to dangerous investigations of powerful industries using custom-built surveillance equipment and never-before-attempted tactics. Inquiries into evolution, animals’ emotional intelligence and the deconstruction of speciesism lay the groundwork for a profound philosophical idea that may forever change how we view other animals…and ourselves. (Mark Devries, 2025, USA, 1:24, NR)

The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard
2025-09-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Sept 17, the feast day for Saint Hildegard of Bingen
The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard is an inspirational documentary of how the filmmaker reaffirms his life’s work when he fell in love with a 12th century Saint. It’s a must-watch for anyone interested in spirituality, history, music, or the power of the human spirit to transcend limitations. Hildegard von Bingen is venerated for her widely recognized impact on today’s theologians, artists, musicians, doctors and educators.

Local filmmakers in attendance. Join us in 2026 to walk in the footsteps of Saint Hildegard. Learn more: https://www.sainthildegardway.eu/
(Michael M. Conti, 2014, USA, 1:04, NR)

The Blind Cafe Music & Dinner In The Dark Experience
2025-09-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-09-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Carsen Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Rosh & The Blind Cafe Orchestra + Richie Flores Project and Special Guest Artist James Carson (on Sept 20-21 only)
Join us for an award-winning social impact music and dinner in the dark experience at the Dairy Arts Center. Enjoy a tapas-style dinner, social impact discussion with legally blind ambassadors, and live music in 100% darkness—no blindfolds!
Tickets: $125 General Admission
Early Bird $110 General Admission – Before September 1st
$89.00 Seniors / Students
$79.00 Early Bird Seniors / Students
Limited Sliding Scale Tickets Available – contact Admin@theblindcafe.com
Volunteer in the dark – – contact Admin@theblindcafe.com
Contact: admin@theblindcafe.com
What’s Included
Dark Chocolate Tasting: Social reception to awaken your senses.
Wine and Drinks Available for purchase before entering dark at Dairy Arts cafe : ARRIVE before 6:30PM to purchase your drinks to be ready for entering dark at 7:00pm
Mystery Tapas Menu: Dietary friendly (bread and butter), shared table items, designed for sharing at communal tables to foster connection.
Dietary questions? Contact: admin@theblindcafe.com
Social Impact Discussion: Led by legally blind ambassadors James Jackson and Richie Flores, sharing personal stories and engaging in Q&A.
Live Music in the Dark: Intimate performances by Rosh & the Blind Cafe Orchestra, Richie Flores Project, and special guest James Carson.
Pianist James Carson has developed a new form of music and over the last twelve years has produced and directed Cabin Music, a feature film, to share it with the world. A childhood prodigy born with perfect pitch, Carson composed complete songs at age four and had his music performed by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at age sixteen, leading him to be called “one of the most gifted rising stars” by the Edmonton Journal. When he attended the New England Conservatory, however, his studies with Joe Maneri, Cecil Taylor, and the poet Robert Creeley led him to a dramatic life change: he walked away from music and spent two years backpacking and farming overland from Spain to Japan. After his return to Northern Alberta, Canada, he then spent five years designing, building, and practicing in a remote strawbale cabin. The musical result was multilayered, detailed, meditative, and harmonious. “I wanted to play the whole piano at once,” says Carson, “in the same way that a single breeze can cause the entire forest to dance and tremble in unison.” (performing on Sept 20-21 only)
Our Mission
The Blind Cafe inspires positive social change by fostering connection and compassion through darkness-based experiences, encouraging participants to engage beyond visual conditioning and social norms.
Our Story
Founded in 2010 by Rosh, inspired by a Reykjavik “cafe in the dark,” The Blind Cafe Experience has evolved into an internationally touring pop-up event. Partnering with blind ambassadors James Jackson and Richie Flores since 2011, it combines music, dining, and dialogue for transformative social impact.
Testimonials
“I cried during ‘Transcend’… knowing I was invisible made it easier to feel. Our table held hands and swayed together!” —Katie Maginnis, Seattle
“An incredible, enlightening experience… professional and impactful.” —Brian Johnson, The Marquee Music Magazine
#Music #DateNightIdeas #BlindTasting #DiningInTheDark #BoulderEvents #ColoradoEvents

Miss Manhattan: A New Musical
2025-09-19 19:00 - 21:15, 2025-09-20 19:00 - 21:15 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
MISS MANHATTAN is a new musical inspired by the true story of Audrey Munson, America’s “first supermodel,” whose often-nude statues adorn the New York City skyline. Allegedly cursed as a child, Audrey’s meteoric rise to fame meant brushing elbows with Rockefellers, Whitneys, and Astors, but her abrupt fall was punctuated by scandal and murder.
Why has Audrey been largely forgotten, despite her image enduring around the world? In modern day, precocious but awkward 8th grader Claire seeks to learn more about Audrey and what it means to be “beautiful.”
Their stories come together with a compelling score by Graham and Kristina Fuller (off-Broadway’s “That Parenting Musical,” f/k/a “In the Trenches”), and a book by the Fullers and Stephanie Ronco. The star-studded cast includes Anne Terze-Schwarz, Megan Van De Hey, Sophia Dotson, Vidushi Goyal, Scott Rathbun, Katja Podsiadly, Elton Tanega, Graham and Kristina Fuller (the composers), and more.
The producers of Miss Manhattan believe theater should be accessible to everyone. If the cost of tickets would prevent you from attending this production, please email us at 19kproductions@gmail.com

Friday Night Weird: Somnium
2025-09-19 20:30 - 22:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Sept 19
After a painful breakup, small-town Gemma moves to Los Angeles with the hopes of making it big. To get on her feet, she takes a job working the overnight shift at Somnium – a mysterious, experimental sleep clinic where dreams are made real. Meanwhile, Gemma throws herself into the cutthroat world of Hollywood auditions. But as the pressure to succeed mounts, she begins to experience strange and unsettling phenomena, and soon finds herself trapped in a nightmarish spiral as she discovers a darkness lurking within the clinic walls. (Racheal Cain, 2025, USA, 1:32, NR)

Miss Manhattan: A New Musical + Talkback
2025-09-20 14:00 - 16:15 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
MISS MANHATTAN is a new musical inspired by the true story of Audrey Munson, America’s “first supermodel,” whose often-nude statues adorn the New York City skyline. Allegedly cursed as a child, Audrey’s meteoric rise to fame meant brushing elbows with Rockefellers, Whitneys, and Astors, but her abrupt fall was punctuated by scandal and murder.
Why has Audrey been largely forgotten, despite her image enduring around the world? In modern day, precocious but awkward 8th grader Claire seeks to learn more about Audrey and what it means to be “beautiful.”
Their stories come together with a compelling score by Graham and Kristina Fuller (off-Broadway’s “That Parenting Musical,” f/k/a “In the Trenches”), and a book by the Fullers and Stephanie Ronco. The star-studded cast includes Anne Terze-Schwarz, Megan Van De Hey, Sophia Dotson, Vidushi Goyal, Scott Rathbun, Katja Podsiadly, Elton Tanega, Graham and Kristina Fuller (the composers), and more.
The producers of Miss Manhattan believe theater should be accessible to everyone. If the cost of tickets would prevent you from attending this production, please email us at 19kproductions@gmail.com
Talkback: Join us right after the show on Saturday 9/20 (approximately 4:30 pm) for an audience talkback with the cast.
