Telluride’s “Squids” host text-a-thon, the Llama, 4/1

30 Mar Telluride’s “Squids” host text-a-thon, the Llama, 4/1

[click “Play”, Sasha tells us why to support the Squids]

No joke. But lots of fun.

Remember Jerry Lewis? In an over-the-top, no-holds-barred attempt to win the Telluride Foundation’s Text-to-Give contest by a landslide, Telluride’s SquidShow Theatre troupe hosts a “Squidstravanganza,”  a variety show/telethon modeled on the meastro’s kitschey fundraising marathons.

Highlights of the evening include “Best of the “Squids”: song, dance, burlesque, comedy. The event, hosted by Squid founder Sasha Cuciniello and partner in crime Colin Sullivan (who moonlights as the Ah Haa School for the Arts curriculum development director), takes place April Fool’s Day, 9:30 p.m., at Telluride’s The Llama (corner of Colorado & Pine).

“It is a fundraising marathon, and we’re coming into the home stretch,” says  Sasha. “The Telluride Foundation’s challenge, which began on March 5, invites supporters to text a code – in this case, Squid to 90999 – to commit $5 (or up to $25) to any of four participating local non-profits until the contest closes on April 4. The organization which raises the most money earns matching funds, up to $2,000, from the Telluride Foundation.”

While the Text-a-thon happens onstage, donors are encouraged to visit the Operators Standing By (with their cell phones),  there to help attendees secure their $5 donation and enter to win one of many amazing door prizes, including:

– Mountainfilm passes

– KOTO Do-Dah tickets

– Wagner Custom ski swag

– CashmereRed swag

Stakes are high as SquidShow Theatre aims to raise money to fund its summer musical extravaganza, which as mandated in its mission statement, will be free to the public.

Since its inception in 2006, SquidShow has worked tirelessly to establish a foothold in Telluride’s cultural economy and its shows, as must-see artistic experiences in the Telluride community. The results are impressive.

In 2009 alone, SquidShow Theatre produced one full-length contemporary play, four full-length original plays, six professional play readings, and two historical adaptations from non-fiction work, totaling a whopping 22 performances and reaching over 1,600 locals and tourists, while collaborating very successfully with countless non-profits.

With the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities, the Squids produced “The Play’s The Thing,” a reading series.

With Telluride Mountainfilm, the task was a production of Howard Zinn’s popular non-fiction “Voices of the People.”

An original piece of children’s theatre co-produced with Telluride’s Sheridan Arts Foundation resulted in “Bella and Buckley’s Birthday Bash.”

The Squids worked with the Telluride Historical Museum to write and produce a Fireside Chat, “Women in Their Words.”

Working with Telluride’s Ah Haa School for the Arts, the Squids wrote, directed, produced and performed tableux vivant-like events at the 2009 art auction.

For the Town of Telluride’s Bear Awareness Week, the Squids wrote, produced and performed a theatrical piece, “Bear It – Bear Safety for the 21st Century.”

To learn more about why supporting this cultural engine makes sense, click the “play” button and listen to Sasha’s podcast.