 Welcome to another rational. I'm not really sure what to call this show. So let's call it rational show I am joined at the table today by two extraordinary people Both live locally and they're very much involved in the community first allow me to introduce Sante did I get it right this time? You did? Sante tell us you you are the founder of share. I am yeah. Tell us a little bit about share Yeah, share is Colorado's non-monogamy community and really our mission is to normalize Non-monogamy as a valid relationship choice for all adults. So if you're monogamous, we're not here for you We have no problem with that But if you've ever been curious about non-monogamy our community is here to support you Or if you already are part of any of the ethically non-monogamous communities out there We're here to support you as well. Wonderful. Wonderful. AJ is wonderful to see you back at the table again It's great to see you Nigel. I hope that everyone watched our first show that we did just in case they didn't Why don't you give us a little brief overview of yourself and what you're doing in the community? Well, my name is AJ Fox. I am an event coordinator and Creative Solutioner as I like to call it living out here in Colorado I've been working on events for the last several years and Been very excited to partner with Sante on a couple of amazing projects that I think really deserve a lot of attention Now you've you have both come together under this partnership. I think we desperately need to talk about what is happening on November the 17th November the 17th. We have no co-exchange Which is like shares cool sibling kind of of event We have a lot of people who? travel from up north and go all the way to Denver to make events in Denver for these type of like lifestyle community focused events and They are just kind of tired of that drive. I know that I am I've been driving to Denver for four years for multiple weekends in a row every month and it gets tiring So I've definitely wanted to create more opportunities and spaces for people like me and the communities that I'm a part of To enjoy themselves a little bit closer to home It's kind of interesting that you say that because you have earmarked the Dickens And I should give it its full name the Dickens Opera House here in Longmont, which is a fantastic old building to start with How did you get involved with the Dickens? Well the Dickens and I have a very Long love affair. I love the Dickens so much. It was the first venue I ever Got started doing events that ever actually like years ago in my early 20s when I was a junior wedding planning junior wedding planning assisted So now I'm excited to come back into the space and to bring more experience and passion and focus to create Events that everyone can enjoy And I think you're doing a wonderful job. I mean the fashion show that you did this just this last week Talk a little bit about that because I want people to understand that there are real things going on here in Longmont There are I mean Longmont has grown like exponentially even since like We went through the pandemic and everything I feel like there's so many people in Longmont now And there's a lot more culture and a lot more diversity than what I've seen like my entire life growing up in this area I love to see it And I think that we need to bring those communities together and show them that you can hang out in Longmont and have a good time and That the communities that you're interested in learning more about or that you're a part of are here And that they're represented by people who care and who are a part of it as well So on the 17th, what will people expect to see? Well, we have an incredible headliner confirmed as our emcee and headliner We have Jessica Lahore who is just one of my favorite drag entertainers in the industry itself We've hired her for past events. She's been in Denver with us She's been in Vegas with us and she does a lot of like drag events at left-hand brewery here in Longmont as well So I thought she would be the perfect fit because she's familiar with the city and the city's familiar with her And we can just give her an extra venue to like just put her magic all over And then so she'll be headlining and performing and emceeing and we'll have a couple of Cool performances after that as well, which I'm really excited about actually next Thursday October 19th from 6 to 9 p.m. We're hosting a casting call and a community meeting to Just cast talent that's here locally and we're trying to find northern Colorado talent Yeah, we really are trying to focus more on people who live locally, right? I mean people who are willing to travel to Longmont are more than welcome to join But I am a little biased in that sense. Well now I understand that but I mean you're you're really looking for northern Colorado And I think that's that's the key there So, you know Loveland Greeley Fort Collins. Yes, Windsor all the little yeah, all of that Yeah, we'll just but the focus isn't because there's so much going on in Denver already Yes, and this is an opportunity to showcase all the amazing talent that we have in northern Colorado, right? And I know there is some being involved with the Longmont Theatre Company I mean we've got some absolutely amazing talent in this area and that's not just acting that singing That's across the board. Yeah So one of the really great things is even after the performances like not only do you have an opportunity to enjoy like the show You can also get a dinner ticket with your ticket and enjoy a dinner and a show cabaret style So I'm really hoping to get some burlesque along with the drag because I just feel like that fits the Dickens vibe Like so well it does and then after the dinner in the show We have an after-party with one of my favorite DJs whose local as well DJ Nate Anomaly and he is just a really good friend some really good friend of mine really good friend of Sontes as well and Yes, he's No, he's super talented He does something really great with his mixes where he brings a lot of like Latin infusion into it Which I think is so important because I go to clubs all the time. I never get it here And either I get done I never get to hear anything that has more of like that cultural Influence and he takes it from different parts of The world in different countries and he's really good at marrying those together and getting people to move so excellent Yeah, you've got me excited to see this show already Of course you did mention drag artists, which is a bit of a shame because it means this show will immediately get banned in Florida Oh We've had folks from Florida come to our events and say that they they came specifically so they could be expressed without being arrested Absolutely, and it's it's amazing that in 2023 we still have to deal with that in the wild that art could be illegal So we're here to do anything to like support and to give more opportunities for people Yeah, as well fortunately here in Longmont. We have a different view on that. Yeah Yeah It is good because you know when you look at what is happening in Florida and I hate to keep bringing Florida up But you just have to shake your head and wonder what the heck are they thinking down there? You can't say gay They're not thinking about people is what's happening. Is that I don't really like they're putting a lot of things in consideration But I mean human nature is an interesting thing when you look at recorded history, right? I can't say it's surprising but Shocking, I know right. I just don't get it. I don't get it either I found the whole thing so amusing because back in the 60s and the early 70s we every Saturday night There used to be a performer called Danny LaRue. Guess what he was? He was a dried artist He was on mainstream television eight o'clock Saturday night. Yeah, and everyone loved the show Yeah, because it takes talent. Yeah to do that. It does. Yeah, I mean drag has been around since before Shakespeare so I Mean I'm true. Yeah, if you what if you actually Probably shouldn't say this, but if you watch any show at all on say ancient Rome. They were all in drag. Yes Yeah, they're at the bar We don't even get the people But I mean one thing about Longmont is that there's a lot of opportunities to be creative and to be a part of these I mean, I even hate to say that they're alternative communities because they're really not I would say that they're probably more of the majority And it that's just the norm. Yeah It's 2023 and people shouldn't be scared to be themselves or to make the art that they want to make in the world and I'm very happy to highlight summit tacos for Hosting drag Queen Loteria. That's something that I think is incredible and highlight left-hand brewery And now to add a third spot on the map in town is just a huge goal of mine So absolutely. It's amazing. It really is now. I wrote a note down here sex on site and I can't remember why I wrote it down Clickbait I know you wanted to talk about it. So could you help me out of the hole? I think you're missing a couple of words there is no sex on So while there might be You know participants of like Swinger communities or other kind of non-monogamy communities. We're all sexy people We all have the drive to be in these communities. However Control yourselves at the Dickens Opera House. It's a classy space. We do have Some great hotels nearby that you can get a room at Especially if you're coming from down south or some from somewhere farther away And you want to have a space to crash in Longmont at the end of night There's tons of hotels like less than a mile away. Yes, that you could get a stay at. Yeah, so These are nice hotels. They are. Let's just talk about that. I mean these are not sort of like a little motel No, no, no, these are real hotels. It's a trick. That's right. I just wanted to get that cover And it's I mean the after-party we're leaving up to guests to create their own after-party We're one of the stigmas. I mean one of the big missions of share is to reduce stigma Yes, around non-monogamy and one of the biggest stigmas we see is that it's hyper sexualized people think that if you're non-monogamous That you're sleeping with everybody Right that you have a sex addiction There's just all sorts of stigma around that we want to reduce right and so this event Specifically it's designed to be accessible to people who are just curious who may not even know if non-monogamy is for them But they can come out here and connect with a real community of great people without any pressure to you know It's not like going to a sex club or something like that right which in a lot of cases the only first step That's been available. So this is a place where you can just come learn. They'll be people there with just information Yeah, it's a lot to walk into just going to like a sex club or something like that, too You don't know like what to do with your hands or where to look You know who to hang out with or who's okay or how do you approach someone? So it's just that's why these events there It's smaller. It's more intimate. It's not a nightclub experience at all It's very just focused around connecting with your no-co lifestyle communities Yeah, right and really like interacting with maybe some familiar faces, but meeting fresh ones in your circles We all kind of get stuck in our own circles. So it's great to make new connections and to network quite some time ago April teas She used to have a burlesque well, she still does right burlesque group Yeah, and she used to put on a lot of performances at a little club south of Denver called squirrel Creek Yep, uh-huh great little club, right? I did a lot of photography there for April photographing her shows videoing her shows, etc One thing I discovered everyone everyone in that building was friendly If you were feeling a bit lonely and just wanted to go and talk you could just literally walk across to anyone And and they would talk to you. Yep, and it was an amazing feeling there It's sort of I know it's strange, but it reminded me of being in a British pub Yep, because that's exactly the same thing will happen. Yeah exactly the same thing The other thing I'd like to say at this point is I hate the word Alternative in this context, right? I really do Alternative society what the heck does that mean? Right never normalize this if that's how it's always looked at right? Yes, I was putting that caveat in front of it absolutely agree with that I mean, I it's one of those words. I wish we could all drop it from our vocabulary in this context Yeah, because it does have a real meaning and it can be used in a real way, right? But not in this context because we're all human beings. We are one of his is human beings We all have feelings, you know, but we're all built differently. Yeah, you know what may turn you on won't turn me on Yeah, what turns me on may not turn Ajax AJ on Myself Oh How do people get tickets? Yeah, you want to tell me Jay? Oh my goodness. Yeah, you can go to no co exchange calm and it'll take you to Brilliant little page that explains our itinerary Who we have booked what's going on and have a lovely little button that says it buy tickets and you click that We have early bird seating right now And I would highly recommend getting your seating sooner than later because they are tiers and each tier means that the ticket prices go up Higher understood. Yeah It's just it helps the restaurant plan ahead for knowing who wants to get dinner as well And I feel like it's better just to get the dinner and the show ticket because you're gonna be in there Without dinner watching everyone else eat dinner and then you're gonna want to get dinner in ways Yes, so you might as well just get the whole package You know and we do have a limit on the number of tables Available inventory at this point so as we're filming this so Definitely if you want dinner in a table book sooner than later. Yeah, otherwise standing room, which is great, but not as great as I am so pleased to hear 50% yeah Yeah, I mean Yeah, we know a lot of people in the community we have some people driving up from Denver We're gonna be getting hotels Are we gonna allow them in though? You know, you know, as long as they're not performing no No, we love our we'd love our Denver family. We just wanted to do something up north Yeah, and we definitely want to showcase talent from up here, right? And the whole point is like you have to show up to each other's events in order to get people at events It's a reciprocal ecosystem, you know, that makes sense. We talked about that in our last interview about just people are like How do you get people to your events? It's like you go to theirs and then you invite them back Cross-collaboration is key. We've been meeting and talking with lots of community leaders people who have like Facebook groups for Lifestyle groups and everything and we have some leaders committed to coming and they'll be bringing their people So it's gonna be a lot of fun in a really good way to meet new faces and have delicious food and enjoy yourself And just unwind after like such a serious week. I feel like things have been very heavy in the world lately So it's nice to connect with others and to be present in the moment and to enjoy What is right in front of you? They're in for a treat. It's gonna be wonderful. It's gonna be absolutely wonderful It really is you're bringing all your favorites, too. I'm so excited For a long time To do So so with the rehearsals being are not rehearsals may be a casting on the 19th of October I guess you're gonna be adding people that get into the show. You'll be adding those onto the website Yeah, we'll have the performers confirmed a week after that next Thursday So they'll get to know within a week what we're thinking and we're still gonna keep everyone's information Who shows up to the casting call so that way we can pull from that in the the future for future events as well Okay. Yeah, do you have any closing thoughts? Boy put me on the spot That's my job. I think I just I want to drive home that we want to make this accessible to everybody And really it's not just that there won't be sex on site for a lot of people who are ethically Nominogamous or curious about non-monogamy. It's not about sex at all. No, it's about connections and even with for the people who Are getting something sexual out of it. It's still mostly about connections and friendships human connections and really Our goal is really just to let people know they have a choice so many people feel their only choice is to stay in an unhappy monogamous relationship or in fidelity and There's another option. So if that's you and you're stuck somewhere in here, yeah, this is a place that'll help you get on the court and learn more Yep, that's superb. Yeah, thank you for summarizing it like that. Yeah, that was excellent AJ. Do you have any closing words? Yeah, I mean just Going underneath what Santé was saying This is just an opportunity to take a step deeper into the life that you want to be living We can all stand to be more authentic, you know in a lifetime where social media and Making sure that the appearances and the likes and all that are like lined up it's really important to have face-to-face interaction with people and to practice, I don't know being people with one another having conversations like there's a lot of Passion that's being put into this project not only from like me and Santé but from like the venue That's been so helpful and supporting us. They really want to be a part of supporting communities That haven't really been supported historically in the past and they want to be leaders in that as well So I really feel like we just have a whole team Who is passionate about creating spaces for creating spaces for people that have been meeting spaces to meet and to enjoy themselves at Right. There used to be a great TV show called the red-green show Whether you've ever seen or used to be on PBS. Yeah Canadian show Okay, one of his catches catchphrases was always and don't forget. We're all in this together. Mm-hmm, and we really really are Yes, yeah, people are people. Yeah, treat them like people treat them like human beings It doesn't matter what their personal lives are. Yeah, they're still human and they still deserve representation Thank you both for coming in today and talking about this I'm really excited to see to see what happens on October the 19th That's too and meeting those people which will be great But of course November the 17th. Don't forget November the 17th write it in your diaries order tickets I'm going to be really wonderful to meet all these different different people Of course, if I'm behind my camera, which I probably will be I won't get to meet too many I'll make sure I do pre-show and post-show. Yeah, great, which is is to me is important It really is because um, yeah, you never know. I'm an old dog, but I'm even I may learn something new Yeah, well, you're really great at connecting with all kinds of communities Nigel I've witnessed that for the last several years that I've known you and I just I appreciate your Ability to talk to anyone and fit into any room. So I know we could speak for hours here I know you are both incredibly busy people. I know the AJ has to get ready to shoot down to Denver This was a show with a difference just two gorgeous people I love working with these two and Don't forget November the 17th really important the Dickens Opera House here in Longmont. It is a great facility There is parking at the back You're going to have a tremendous time and you are going to meet some of the most fascinating people under the sun I'm Nigel Aves your host. This was a rational show. I want to thank you all Thank you so much everybody for joining us at the table. Bye. Bye