October, 1957. Elvis Presley is dominating the charts. “Bridge on the River Kwai” debuts in England. The Little Rock 9 just began their first days of school in Arkansas, under the protection of Army National Guard troops. Jack Kerouac’s tome, On The Road, has just been published, launching the beatnik generation.

The Gaither report is weeks from being published, which will sound a clanging bell for the need for more fallout shelters during the early days of the Cold War.

And on Oct. 4, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, putting the first man-made object into space, scaring the beejeezus out of every U.S. citizen.

The Theater Company of Lafayette and its artistic director Madge Montgomery see the 50th anniversary of the launch as more than just a date.

So much so, in fact, that she’s dedicated a whole show run about the topic. “The Deep Beep-Beep: Short Plays Inspired by Sputnik” is a collection of eight short plays inspired by the launch of the Space Race.

“There are some obvious parallels between the late 1950s and today,” Montgomery says. “We used to have communists and duck-and-cover; now we have terrorists and lockdown drills.”

She brought this unusual production to fruition, gathering the directors and writers together and grabbing a couple of the pieces herself to direct.

Writer Edith Weiss was only too excited to be involved in the project. Her piece, “Dancing with the Jihad,” is about a cheerfully patriotic dance instructor who, relieved that America won the Space Race, “inadvertently destroys her student during a dance lesson.”

“The space race,” Weiss says, “with us in second place, was used by the government to instill great fear in Americans. I saw parallels to today.” It didn’t take too long to bang out a script with such inspiration. The theater company’s commitment to stretching artistically and producing untested material proves to be an incentive to fledgling playwrights.

“Giving new plays full productions is a risky act,” Weiss says, “…and it nurtures new playwrights. I was so impressed with the ‘Frankenstein Experiment’ and wanted to work with Lafayette again.”

“The Frankenstein Experiment” was a similar concept piece produced in 2006; 12 short plays, 11 of which had been written and produced just for that show. But coming up with a good concept is one thing, inspiration another. Enter Sputnik.

“A few years ago,” Montgomery says, “I ran across a book called Sputnik: The Shock of the Century by Paul Dickson. (It) proposed that Sputnik was one of the most important and pivotal events of the 20th century. I realized that we were coming up to the 50th anniversary of the launch, and thought that it was a rich topic that sheds light on who we were back then, as well as who we are today. I think I was particularly drawn to Sputnik, because it represents both the hope and fear that Americans experienced in the late 1950s.”

“The Deep Beep-Beep : Short Plays Inspired By Sputnik”

“Sput-Night”
by Rob Gerlach, directed by Jackie Tisinai
A fast-paced farce featuring Mamie and Ike in the White House master bedroom on the night Sputnik is launched.

“If This Had Been A Real Emergency”
by Susan Hickey, directed by Jackie Tisinai
Two girl scouts, one from 1962 and one from 2007, find common ground as they discuss communists, terrorists, lockdown drills and Ken dolls.

“Sputnik Trek”
by David McClinton, directed by Bill Graham
In this parody of “Star Trek,” Chekhov proves once and for all the superiority of the Russians as he recounts his own version of the launch of Sputnik.

“Unit One, Female”
by John Thornberry, directed by Tim Housand
Inspired by true events, this play provides a snapshot of Mercury 13 women astronauts with the right stuff at the wrong time in history.

“D’edushka Korolev”
by C.P. Stancich, directed by Madge Montgomery
Four individuals have been drawn together into a bizarre support group after they discover the shocking truth about Sputnik and their own origins.

“Chosen”
by Nora Douglass, directed by Madge Montgomery
A dark comedy in which a German scientist ponders his unlikely fate as he builds a satellite more lovable than Sputnik.

“Fellow Traveler”
by David Golden, directed by Brian Miller
The launch of Sputnik reverberates with three different women from three different eras in this time-tripping romp.

“Dancing With the Jihad”
by Edith Weiss, directed by Billie McBride
Relieved that America won the Space Race, a cheerfully patriotic dance instructor inadvertently destroys her student during a tango lesson.

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September is a big month in music history. On Sept. 17, 1923, Hank Williams was born. Elvis made his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show on Sept. 9, 1956. On Sept. 13, 1960, the practice of payola (giving gifts for airplay on the radio) was outlawed. And on Sept. 24, 1991, Nirvana released Nevermind. These shows are certainly a good way to celebrate September’s musical importance.

SUGAR HILL GANG
The Sugar Hill Gang, made up of Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike and Master Gee, is widely credited with the first official Hip Hop song in history (“Rapper’s Delight”), and somehow, they’ve managed to parlay that fact into a career that has spanned almost 30 years. Well, 30 years, minus the difference from 1985 to 1999, when they were on a “hiatus.” The group returned with a rap album for children called Jump On It in 1999 and is eking out a living playing “Rapper’s Delight” to nostalgic 40-somethings all over the world. Just like you. Sept. 6/Gothic Theatre/8 p.m./$20/303.788.0984

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With summer already in full swing, it’s amazing to me that we’re more than halfway through 2007. Before you know it, the NFL preseason will be upon us and the kids will be back at school. Make the most of July before it’s too late with this spate of upcoming shows. And try not to blow your hand off on the fireworks.

Arguably their finest outing since The Trinity Sessions, the album that introduced them to the world, At the End of Paths Taken, signaled a shift and substantial evolution for the Cowboy Junkies. The Canuck quartet’s rootsy, folky sense remains intact, but guitarist Michael Timmins’ songwriting delves even deeper into relationships and life in a manner that is neither trite nor heavy-handed. Meanwhile, sister Margo’s vocals capture the emotion of the lyrics perfectly—likely because so much of the subject matter is as personal to her as it is to her brother; it’s all about family. CJ has definitely moved to a new frontier in their craft, and it shows tremendous promise. Chautauqua Auditorium/July 14/8 p.m./$32.50+/303.440.4666

There isn’t a lot that hasn’t been said about the Jester (as dubbed by Don McLean) already. One of the most important figures in popular music history, Bob Dylan is certainly an American troubadour unmatched. Most often associated with protest songs and ’60s folk, it would be a grave mistake to suggest his contributions to music lay only there. Indeed, everything from his introspective songwriting to his crappy singing voice influenced generations after him in a manner few others can claim—maybe Hendrix, Elvis and The Beatles. And despite the fact that his career spans almost 50 years, he continues to put out relevant material: last year’s Modern Times proves the man is still at once Woody Gutherie and Robert Johnson; a proletariat American voice with the heart of a bluesman. Hopefully, this show is only one of plenty more Red Rocks stops on his Never Ending Tour. Red Rocks Amphitheatre/July 19-20/7:30 p.m./$55/303.640.7300

While her music is good, and has been since she first started touring in 1991, Ani DiFranco’s musical contributions have been greatly overshadowed by her brilliant success as a completely DIY performer. Despite offers of houses made of gold and fountains of diamonds, or whatever else the major labels threw at her, she’s released every album on her own label, Righteous Babe records, turning it into the most successful independent label in history. Hopefully, it will endure this most recent phase of her career; either age or impending motherhood has taken its toll on the punk-folk rocker, and last year’s release, Reprieve, was a subdued outing, rife with texture, but without the bite of earlier works. She has since given birth to her daughter, Petah Lucia, so we’ll see if sleepless nights and changing diapers energizes her; we’re guessing it will. Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield/July 22/1 p.m./$40+/720.865.3500

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