2022 Aurora Visitor Guide - 40

FACTORY FIVE FIVE:
Unique Concept
Emerges During
Pandemic
Arts collective, Black Box Theatre, fashion
and film school open in Aurora.
A
BOLD
IDEA
DAISY'S DAY SPEAKEASY
Skye Barker Maa, owner of Neighborhood Music in Stanley
Marketplace, perhaps had a little extra time on her hands
during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic but that's surely
not the case anymore with her creation of Factory Five Five.
This inventive new arts collective is all about fashion, film, and
photography studios, classes and events, with Factory Fashion
at Stanley Marketplace and Factory Theatre & Film and the
65-seat Black Box Theatre based at 10255 E. 25th Ave. Inspired
by Andy Warhol's Silver Factory studio space in New York
City in the 1960s, the style of Factory Five Five is a nod to
Mod culture.
The mission? Factory Five Five strives to empower and
embolden aspiring artists, designers, and creators to bring
their imaginative visions to life. For example, Factory Theatre
is an all-age community theatre performance troupe that is
presenting the Colorado premiere of " The Lightning Thief: The
Percy Jackson Musical " with tweens and teens on stage.
Starting last fall, Factory Five Five activates its Velvet
Underground Coffee Shop and Bar (really a speakeasy,
but don't tell anyone!) quarterly for a theatrical dance
performance that can be attended by the 21-and-over
set. Even the audience dresses to the theme-the 1920s
Prohibition era last September and a 1960s Mod version is
planned for March 2022-and the cocktail menu matches
as well.
Since there is so much going on with the various productions,
events, and classes, Maa recommends visiting factoryfivefive.com
to stay current. For example, there are improv nights open to
ages 16 and up; one-off classes for adults in film, photography,
theatre, and fashion; and a Factory Fashion show utilizing
embroidered stories on six upcycled wedding dresses and
actors reading from an original script in February.
Factory Five Five also is hosting a free Stanley Summer Series
the first two weeks of June 2022. The first week involves
presenting " Metamorphoses " by playwright Mary Zimmerman
in water (one acts and readings), and the second week is a
dance festival with music, theatre, and art intertwined. Denverbased
jk-co Dance, an adult contemporary dance troupe that
Maa helped establish, is spearheading the dance festival and
expanding it from last year to include both local and out-oftown
dance companies. factoryfivefive.com
40 VISITAURORA.COM | Official Visitors Guide 2022
MARTHA WIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY
http://www.factoryfivefive.com http://www.factoryfivefive.com http://www.VISITAURORA.COM
2022 Aurora Visitor Guide

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