Roamin' the Range, Nov. 2015

Avenue Q: the Student Version, Poudre High School’s fall musical, opens Oct. 30 and will play Oct. 31 and Nov. 5-7. Costumer Kari Armstrong has assisted students in creating giant puppets (think the Muppets) to perform this very funny musical satire. It pokes fun at serious current issues and topics including racism, sexual orientation, drug abuse and homelessness, thus it is not for children under age 13 or for people who are easily offended. Poudre’s theater program is one of the strongest in the district. Many of the students in the current production have won awards at the state and national Thespian Convention in costuming, stage design, acting and singing.

On Saturday Nov. 7 Loveland Public Library and JAX are celebrating local authors in Loveland, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., JAX Loveland store, 1:30- 4:30 p.m., Loveland Public Library. Different authors at each location. Meet authors, buy books, discuss their writings and have books autographed. Ten percent of book sales at JAX are donated to Loveland Public Library.

Run Free: The True Story of Caballo Blanco, a feature-length documentary about ultra-running legend Micah True will show for one night only at the Lincoln Center Magnolia Theater, 417 W. Magnolia, Fort Collins, 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. Micah True, better known as Caballo Blanco – the White Horse – was the focal character of Christopher McDougall’s 2009 best-selling book em>Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen,

about the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico, some of the best long-distance runners in the world.

Blanco was an enigmatic visionary who lived and ran with the Tarahumara after moving to remote Copper Canyon in the 1990s. He created the fifty-mile Copper Canyon Ultra-Marathon to honor their running traditions and aid in their sustainability. All race finishers receive five hundred pounds of corn, which the international runners traditionally donate to the local Tarahumara, commemorating the spirit of sharing, or “kórima,” a way of life among the natives of Copper Canyon.

Shortly after the 2012 race, Micah True disappeared in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico during his daily run. His body was recovered several days later on a trail in a deserted canyon. Micah’s vision lives on and his legacy is honored in this film that shares his compelling message of love, hope and kórima with the world while helping sustain the people and culture that meant so much to him. The film won the 2015 Bud Greenspan Memorial Film and Video Award, the Award of Excellence from IndieFEST Film Awards and the best documentary at the 2015 Arizona International Film Festival.

A percentage of the film’s profits will benefit Friends of the Running People, the non-profit agency founded by True to preserve traditional Tarahumara culture. Tickets: $12 in advance at www.lctix.com or $15 at the door.

The film’s sponsor, Fort Collins Running Club, has been promoting fitness through running since 1971. For more information: fortcollinsrunningclub.org. For more information about the film, go to runfreemovie.com.

A Tuna Christmas, described as “a hoot!” premieres Nov. 14 at Bas Bleu Theatre, 401 Pine St. in Fort Collins and runs through Dec. 27. Two actors each play 10 different male and female characters ranging from radio announcers to pre-teens to elderly aunties to a middle-aged woman who owns the local used weapons store. It all takes place in fictitious Tuna, Texas. Info. and tickets: basbleu.org, 970-498-8949.

On Nov. 25, Theresa Rose, local author and contributor to North Forty News, will be signing her book, River of Gold, a ghostly romance, at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Fort Collins, 2-4 p.m.

OpenStage Theatre presents Superior Donuts opening Oct. 31 and running through Nov. 28 in the Magnolia Theatre, Lincoln Center 417 W. Magnolia. Billed as a sticky and sweet comedy about a has-been-hippie in a decrepit Chicago donut shop and his rag-tag band of regulars. A fast-talking new employee changes the rundown storefront with soul and hardy humor. Contains adult language. Evening shows at 8 p.m., matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets online at lctix.com or call 970-221-6730 or in person at the box office 12-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and one hour prior to each performance.

Other events at the Lincoln Center in November include MOTO the Movie, Nov. 3, The Gallery of Trees, Nov. 6, Risque presented by the Fort Collins Symphony Nov. 7, A Winter Marketplace, Nov. 7 and 8 and David Sedaris Returns Nov. 9.

West Side Story continues at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse through Nov. 15. Special upgraded dinner entrees available. Tickets online at coloradocandlelight.com or at 970-744-3747.