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Inside the Circle:
Where New Work Begins
August 2026

Humor. Heartbreak. Rebellion.


Save the date: on November 7 at The Hearth in Paonia, experience the next presentation in our Alan Espinoza Solo Performance Series.


Created and performed by Rose Costello, this daring one-woman, one-act theatrical work collides storytelling, music, and movement to shatter the myth of the “perfect mother.”


Rose is collaborating with artists Gabrielle Louise, Rebecca Ascarrunz, Justin Njissan, Jamie Payne, and David Alderdice - building the project together in the months ahead.


Coming up next this summer

Some voices refuse to stay silent.


Across two centuries, extraordinary women have challenged the worlds they inherited. Paonia playwright Marty Durlin brings these voices together in “Outspoken,” a new musical experiment.


The piece moves through pivotal moments in the lives of environmental activist Judi Bari, anarchist Emma Goldman, suffragist Lucy Stone, socialist Kate Richards O’Hare, and climate activist Greta Thunberg - revealing how struggles across generations continue to echo today.


“Progress for women, and for civil and equal rights for all people, has stalled,” says Durlin. “We are still fighting for many of the rights they were fighting for one hundred years ago.”


On Friday, September 4, from 5-7 p.m. and Sunday, September 6, at 2 p.m. at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts, audiences will meet “Outspoken” while it is still taking shape.


The free previews feature an ensemble of local artists, including Pam Petersen, Eames Petersen, Jeff Reynolds, Ellen Hutto, Sally Kane, Marian Pierce, Christy Eller, Lenore Cambria, and Violett Petersen. Friday evening will be followed by a reception, with an audience talk-back on Sunday - opening the circle to our community.


“Marty has spent decades creating theater that asks difficult questions with intelligence, humor, and enormous heart,” says Juniper Circle Executive Artistic Director Michael Cooper. “We’re honored to help cultivate this first chapter of Marty’s creative process.”

"Outspoken" in rehearsal at the Blue Sage

Photo courtesy Marty Durlin


A black album cover with the title "ASHES OF MAY MICHAEL LIGHTBRINGER" in white text over a streaking white light and textured foreground, set against a dark background.

From seed to song... to single.


What happens when a songwriter responds to a place - a feeling - and is given the freedom to follow where it leads?


That question is at the heart of From Seed to Song, Juniper Circle’s summer series of original pop-up events inspired by Arbol Farmers Market.


August's commissioned artist, Michael LightBringer, wrote and produced “Ashes of May,” available now on Spotify, Apple Music, other streaming platforms, and Juniper Circle’s YouTube channel.


These are the moments when artists need support most.

Juniper Circle Productions invests in the creative process - commissioning artists, fostering collaboration, creating space to experiment, connecting artists with communities, and helping ideas take their next step.


Inside the circle, your generosity gives our artists the freedom to find out what is possible.


A CIRCLE OF SUPPORT

Fair pay for artists.

Cross-cultural collaboration.

Immersive presentation models.

 

Presented with support from

Martha + Christina Goode

Ho Chiang Foundation

Four Corners Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation

Walmart Spark Good Grants

 

Sponsored by Alpine Bank, Oak Star Bank,

and The Colorado Health Foundation


2026 Season:

Remembrance · Renewal · Reckoning

Dedicated in honor of Patti Kaech

 

Juniper Circle Productions is a designated 501(c)3 that facilitates the arts by exposing rural culture and communities to urban artists, and rural artists to urban culture and communities, providing an educational, circular forum by which artists can present their productions and receive creative feedback.

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