Meet Kristin Skye Hoffmann | Theatre Artist & Event Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristin Skye Hoffmann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristin Skye, why did you pursue a creative career?
Most creative folks will tell you that they pursued a career in the arts because they didn’t have a choice. I’m no different. Unlike other, more traditional careers, people that populate real jobs like writers, directors, actors, painters. sculptors, graphic designers, tech designers etc., creatives tend to be really in touch with what makes them happy and fulfilled. If someone can connect with that part of themselves, very often that someone will spend their whole lives trying to make that their lives. I only just realized in the last 5 years or so that there are people who don’t mind working at a day job that they aren’t passionate about so that they can live their lives AFTER work. What a concept! I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t pursuing a career in the arts, either making art or doing whatever I can to boost up other artists so they can promote themselves and their work. That’s what makes me feel fulfilled. I’m looking forward to the day when more people understand that art isn’t all “fun” and is really hard, valuable work!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love to make things. Paintings, crafts, jewelry, and on and on, but what I’ve always craved is collaboration. I believe that is why I found my favorite medium to express myself in theatre. Theatre is by nature a collaborative art form. I love finding a play, ideally an unpublished work so I can work directly with the playwright, feeling what it is trying to say, putting together a team of actors, designers, and producers to bring that play to an audience so they can experience this story. I’m particularly interested in plays that take a subject that someone is certain they know their own opinion about and then flip those preconceived notions on their head. Nothing like seeing something from a brand new perspective. Being a director means wearing a lot of hats and supporting a lot of different personalities. I wish I could say I nail it every time but that isn’t true. I do try my best every time. I’m a great admirer of people who put themselves out there for the world to see in a vulnerable way. No one does that more than the great theatre artists.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh, yay! This is my favorite thing to do! The job I have that pays my bills (in addition to a few others like being a public school drama teacher) is as Event Director for Analogue Books, Records, and Bar. We get a ton of folks who are either considering moving to Pueblo, are new to town, or just passing through and staying at one of the nearby hotels, and I love pointing them in the right direction for fun and hidden gems!

First, Analogue is the best place in town. I’m biased, but I wasn’t when I first got to town and discovered it. The bar is awesome with an excellent menu of craft cocktails, local beer, and wine selection. You can take your drink with you while you browse new and used books and records which is also a delight. We have live music ever Friday, live jazz piano ever Wednesday, local author nights, a rotating art show for local artists, a creative writing open mic night and so much. more! All those events are free and we have more coming. Plus, it’s all ages! If this place had been here when I was in high school here I never would have gone anywhere else.

Then you have to check out BloBack Gallery. This is an awesome space that is a music venue and large art gallery. They host awesome festivals and holiday markets for the local artists here in town. It is a great event space and they are working on renovations to make it even more awesome!

Flip-a-Coin is a fantastic pinball bar underneath Bite Me Cake Company! It is a true hidden gem where you can play pinball, either on your own or in a league, and have yummy snacks and drinks. I recommend the pulled pork sliders. Truly lovely!

If you make your way over to the Riverwalk, you have to stop into Brues Alehouse. This place is great. It is a brewery, restaurant, cafe, and music venue. They have great food, fantastic service, an excellent patio for dining al fresco!

In the summer months the food truck union in Mineral Palace Park is fantastic! Food trucks from all over Colorado meet in the park to serve the folks in Pueblo. It’s truly great.

Plus, opening up very soon is the Fuel & Iron building which promises to be super cool. Not only will it host a permanent Solar Roast Coffee Cafe, it will have an awesome bar and a rotating list of local pop up restaurants. What an amazing way to support the awesome culinary artists of Pueblo and bring the community together to try new food! I’m especially excited about Mosh Ramen and a new vegan spot

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to send a Shoutout to the founding members of Pueblo, Colorado’s newest community newspaper, The Pueblo Star Journal. The team behind this paper is really working toward something important, and filling a need that this community is desperate for. Not long ago I connected with Gregory Howell, one of the founders of the paper, and shared an idea I have with him. Not many folks know that there is quite a bit of theatre being made in Pueblo and NONE of it was being reviewed or advertised by any publication in town. That was flabbergasting to me and I had an idea for how to fix it. I wanted to start a review squad made up of respected members of the theatre community. The idea is to bring the theatre community together while boosting one another up and making potential audience members aware of what’s going on in their own town. You’d be shocked at how many times I hear, “Oh! I would have gone to that! I wish I would have known in was going on!” So I want to make it easy for and audience to find the work while simultaneously legitimizing what these great theatre groups are doing and making it so we start seeing one another’s work. Gregory jumped on the idea and could not possibly be more supportive! He sees the same need I do and we are in process of putting together the reviews squad! The Pueblo Star Journal is committed to the arts and culture scene in Pueblo and that is vital to its longevity.

Website: https://www.kristinskyehoffmann.com/

Instagram: @tawlpoppi

Image Credits
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