Vox Feminista, an issues-driven theater group known for infusing activism into their performances, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this fall with a series of performances.

The group got its start at former Boulder coffeehouse Penny Lane, after a few of the founding women performed together in a co-ed show.

“We would get upset that the guys would leave right away, leaving us to clean up,” co-founder Joy Boston, of Jamestown, says. [hec: of what city?:  ]She remembers that the idea came up to have an all-women show, and within a week of planning they had “more women than we knew what to do with.”

In the early years, Vox’s shows were cabaret-style, featuring many individual performers. Over the years Vox started creating themes and writing group pieces, a change that mirrored the evolution of the group, Boston says.

“We began by talking about women’s issues and empowerment,” she says. “But then we evolved and started being more inclusive of men, of the earth and of human rights.”

The evolution kept attracting new members to the group. There is a rotating cast — six to seven performers per show. For the anniversary show, 12 women will perform or work behind the scenes.

Libby Mann, a video producer and Vox performer from Boulder, saw a show in 2004 and immediately wanted to be a part of the troupe. She recently helped create a set of DVDs commemorating the best of Vox’s skits over the years.

“It’s humbling and amazing to look back at this huge body of work,” Mann says. “I’m really honored to be a part of this in this time of history.”

If you go
20th-anniversary celebration performances:
Nov. 6 — Naropa Performing Arts Center, 2130 Araphoe Ave., Boulder. Time TBA.
Nov. 7 — Mercury Café, 2197 California St., Denver. 8 p.m.
Nov. 14 — Mercury Café. 8 p.m.
Nov. 20 — b.side lounge, 2017 13th St., Boulder. 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 — Mercury Café. 8 p.m.
Nov. 28 — Mercury Café. 8 p.m.
Dec. 4 and 5 — Nomad Theatre, 1410 Quince Ave., Boulder. 8 p.m.
Dec. 12 — Avogadro’s Number, 605 S. Mason St., Fort Collins. 8 p.m.
Dec. 18 and 19 — Nomad Theatre. 8 p.m.

On the Web
www.voxfeminista.org

— By Jennie Dorris

She co-founded the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts, a community school that makes music lessons affordable, and she started Integrity Arts, a consulting company helping artists find grants. For those in the performing arts, she’s been a valuable behind-the-scenes resource for the last 13 years.

Kucsan started as a performer herself. She landed her first orchestral job in Caracas, Venezuela, in a chamber orchestra. She soon learned that in many government-subsidized parts of Latin America, people were either “haves” or “have-nots.”

“We were stepping over homeless people on the way to the orchestra. I would think, ‘Why am I sitting in a chair and playing the oboe as I’m waking up to the things in the world?’” Kucsan says.

In 1995 Kucsan found herself in Boulder, admiring the national movement of settlement schools, which were growing schools of the arts that had the mission of making art affordable to everyone.

Using that model, in 1995, she and partner Peggy Bruns started the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts, a nonprofit music school, which recently merged with and became the educational wing for the Colorado Music Festival. The two met while pursuing their Masters at University of Colorado-Boulder.

“We had 13 students on the first day, and we added nearly 100 students each year. We’ve been steady at 750 students for the past six to seven years,” Kucsan says.

Two years ago Kucsan stepped down her involvement with the center and started Integrity Arts, a business that provides consulting and grant writing to artists.

“It was time for me to move on from RMCMA. I was getting antsy, and realized the thing I liked the best was hunting for grants,” she says.

Integrity Arts has already cited success with more than 20 grants for its range of artists.

“The cool thing about being in the arts is that there’s nothing typical,” Kucsan says, citing that her clients have ranged from Boulder sculptors to the Back Door Theater in Nederland. “What I really love to do is take this piece of work off their plates and create a space for people to do their art.”

After we caught up with Kucsan about her work with Integrity Arts, we asked her the five questions we ask of all of our Front Range artists.

What’s your ultimate deal-breaker?
Kucsan: Lying. That would do it. Lie to me — bye bye.

What song would you be embarrassed of if people knew you had it on your iPod?
Kucsan: “Barbie Girl” by Aqua.

What’s your life’s motto?
Kucsan: I don’t have an actual phrase; it’s more of an energetic feeling. I think of kindness first.

What’s your daily beauty routine?
Kucsan: I would never forget my hair product, Stucco.

If you could have dinner with a famous artist, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Kucsan: Tracy Ullman. She’s an amazing actor comic and mimic. She also sings and dances. There’s something about her ability to impersonate people (of different ages, genders, races, ethnicities) in a spot-on way that utterly thrills and fascinates me. If I got to have dinner with her, I’d toss out a list of people I’d like to see her impersonate.

— By Jennie Dorris

Amy Zuckerman,

When Amy Zuckerman co-authored “Sexual Orientation in the Workplace: Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Heterosexuals Working Together,” she wouldn’t have guessed that the book, published in the mid-’90s, would guide the next decade of her life.

Zuckerman and her partner moved to Boulder from Washington, D.C., two years ago. Soon after, a board member of Boulder Pride — a local organization that promotes equality and safety to all sexual orientations — asked Zuckerman to get involved.

Zuckerman is now the chair of the board. She quickly found her stride by spearheading the Workplace Equality Project, creating a survey that asked people if they had suffered discrimination.

“The results were staggering,” Zuckerman says. “I thought we were living in one of the most liberal counties in the nation.”

She found more than half of GLBTQ people felt discriminated against in their jobs, and 12 reported they had been fired over their sexual orientation.

Zuckerman now visits Boulder County workplaces, offering information and trying to create awareness about discrimination based on sexual orientation. She also plans to train nonprofits and offer free sessions for the public. Get more info about this program by contacting Boulder Pride’s executive director, Alicia Lewis, at alewis@boulderpride.org or by calling 303-499-5777.

The P Word Party

On Saturday, June 20, Boulder Pride is throwing its second annual P Word Party, a fundraiser for Boulder Pride. The event’s name, riffing off “The L Word,” represents a new “p” word each year. This year’s party is themed “Prohibition to Protest,” and will have a speakeasy and cabaret feel.

“I’ve heard compliments about our first party for a year,” says Zuckerman, who is helping to plan the event. “People say it’s the best party they’ve ever been to.”

The party, at a board member’s house, will feature music from DJ Earth, cross-dressing cabaret, and other performances.

Tickets are $15 if purchased online at www.boulderpride.org until June 5; $17 until the day of the event; and $25 at the door. For more information, e-mail amy@boulderpride.org.

After we caught up with Zuckerman about her work with Boulder Pride and the P Word party, we asked her the five questions we ask of all of our Front Range artists:

What’s your ultimate deal-breaker?

Zuckerman: Cheating.

What song would you be embarrassed of if people knew you had it on your iPod?

Zuckerman: The worst of the worst is “Gloria” by Laura Branigan, which I absolutely love. It’s totally underrated.

What’s your life’s motto?

Zuckerman: Ideas into action. I love having ideas and bringing them to fulfillment.

What’s your daily beauty routine?

Zuckerman: There are two things I can’t live without: the woman at Fix Salon who does my hair and my sun block.

If you could have dinner with a famous artist, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you talk about?

Zuckerman: Marlena Dietrich. She was someone in the ’20s and ’30s, and she was so glamorous and sexy. If you try to find pictures of her, you’ll see she never took her clothes off, but conveyed a sultry sexiness without stooping to any kind of low. Specifically, I would ask her how she created this elegant, sexy atmosphere not only for men, but for women. She could make anyone of any gender swoon.

Know a local female artist or entertainer we should feature? E-mail noboysallowedcolumn@gmail.com.

Find “Sexual Orientation in the Workplace: Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Heterosexuals Working Together” at any major book seller, including Amazon.com, for $52.95.

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