Hello & welcome to my September 2023 newsletter. I'm so glad you're here! New Mexico has a rich history in the arts & as you know, I love to support the local creative community as much as possible. This month I want to highlight the performing arts community here in Albuquerque because when the days start getting shorter, I see it as the beginning of theatre season. The experience of going to a live performance & escaping into another world for a few hours is the embodiment of art in motion. With many venues & theaters throughout the city & state, you can experience a local play or show as well as traveling acts year round. We are fortunate to not only have a thriving performing arts, theatre & music community but also several schools & programs focused on offering training for the next generations of actors, dancers, performers & musicians. The fall & holiday seasons are particularly busy so check out the schedule of performances & consider adding one or many to your calendar in the upcoming months.
Since 1930, Albuquerque Little Theatre has been home to actors & plays that entertain the Albuquerque community. Its first six years were spent at the KiMo before moving into the first structure in Albuquerque to be built by the Works Progress Administration as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” In the long history of this community theatre, hundreds of plays have been performed. They are a non-profit & offer many volunteering opportunities to more than 500 volunteers in activities ranging from box office, backstage, on-stage, front of house, to Board & standing committee membership. They have several plays on their upcoming calendar for the 2023-2024 season including Camelot in November.
Duke City Repertory Theatre (Duke City Rep) provides professional opportunities to artists of color & produces work by & about people from historically undervalued groups. Their mission is “to serve the audience – every audience, especially anyone who has never seen a play, and maybe even thinks “going to the theatre” is not for them.” The unique nature of this theatre company is illustrated in both their nomadic approach & “Pay What It's Worth” ticketing structure. Their productions can be experienced at many local venues, including breweries, empty storefronts, museums, farms, schools & more. They offer unique ticket pricing that puts control in the hands of the audience members who are encouraged to pay what they think the show was worth at the end. This is a company whose primary goal is to bring the magic of the theatre experience to the community; in unconventional, inclusive & innovative ways.
Musical Theatre Southwest, established in 1959, is a community theatre focused on Broadway-style performances. It is a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities in all aspects of musical theatre. They aim to tell “authentic, underrepresented stories” & strive for diversity in all areas within their community theatre experience.
The Adobe Theater, established in 1957, is a venue focused on presenting diverse plays & musicals to the Albuquerque & Rio Rancho communities. They provide educational guidance in theatrical development & opportunities for theatre enthusiasts to grow on the stage or behind the scenes.
The Vortex, Albuquerque's oldest continuously-running Black Box Theatre, has been a pioneering venue since 1976. The theatre continues to entertain audiences with some of the city's finest stage productions, as well as both local & national premieres. Cardboard Playhouse Theatre Company, established in 2004, is one of the only children's theatre companies in Albuquerque that casts children on their ability to perform, not on their ability to pay. To date Cardboard Playhouse has created close to 100 productions, casting over 1,000 local adult & child actors. Blackout Theatre, founded in 2007 by a group of University of New Mexico students, offers traditional theatre programming, alongside interdisciplinary work from scratch, sketch comedy & digital media production. Blackout is committed to producing work by, for & centering on New Mexicans.
When it's time to catch a performance, I have many favorite venues. Of course, the iconic landmark KiMo Theater in Downtown Albuquerque is at the top of everyone's list. I also especially enjoy attending shows at one of the several theaters on the UNM campus. These include Popejoy Hall, renowned performing arts theater hosting Broadway shows, dance competitions & other national acts, the Rodey Theatre & the Experimental Theatre. Two of my favorite community venues are the North Fourth Art Center & the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Each has its own personality so you're sure to enjoy a unique experience every time you visit a new venue for a different performance or show.
Several schools in the Albuquerque metro offer performing arts programs for students, including Menaul School, Albuquerque Academy, Public Academy for Performing Arts & Rio Grande Academy for Fine Arts. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico School for the Arts is the only four-year, statewide, public high school serving artist-scholars across New Mexico with a pre-professional arts & academics program. You will also find community center programs such as North Fourth Art Center. North Fourth Art Center is a contemporary art center dedicated to accessibility in the arts for people of all abilities, ages, cultures & income levels. Since 1981, they have focused on providing arts education & exhibition opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. They provide theatre programs as well gallery space & outreach programming.
The real estate market in Albuquerque continues to rebound in inventory levels. As you can see, available homes are still in short supply so if it's time to sell your home, reach out to me. I can help you ready it for listing & navigate the selling process with you. If you have been considering searching for your dream home, now could be your time before the market picks up in the fall. Contact me today or visit nmhouse.com to find out more about buying or selling. I can help you reach your real estate goals this year!
Thanks so much for tuning in again this month. I hope you found the information useful & will consider supporting our local performing arts community in the coming months; they truly represent the heart & soul of our city & state. Albuquerque Theater & AllEvents are two of the online resources I regularly use to search upcoming performances. This list is by no means comprehensive & I'm sure I've missed mentioning many organizations in the interest of time & space. Please reach out & share any theatre organizations that may be new to me, I'm always on the lookout for more local folks to support & add events to my fall calendar.
