Variety is the name of the game in the Lakewood Cultural Center’s newly announced LCC Presents 2018-2019 season.

“We’re just a 320-seat theater, so every performance here is very intimate,” said Karyn Bocko, marketing and promotions supervisor with the city. “When you see a show here, you’re really going to feel like you’re connecting with the performer.”

Beginning in September, the season will bring a range of performances, including music, dance and theater. It starts out on a Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29, with The Flying Karamazov Brothers, who bring juggling feats, laugh-out-loud comedy and wild theatrics to the stage.

The season continues with the Mirari Brass Quintet on Friday, Oct. 5, then Sybarite5 on Thursday, Oct. 11, and gives the stage over to children with “Call of the Wild: Illustrated Edition” on Thursday, Oct. 25.

October ends with Nobuntu, a five-member female a cappella ensemble that performs a fusion of Zimbabwean-rooted music, Afro jazz, gospel and crossover music on Saturday, Oct. 27. There’s also the opportunity for audiences to learn hands-on about the form with an African dance workshop led by two members of Nobuntu that afternoon.

From there, Aquila Theatre presents “Frankenstein” on a Thursday and Friday, Nov. 8 and 9, then Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas on Saturday, Nov. 17, and the year ends with the return of Timothy P. and The Rocky Mountain Stocking Stuffers on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and 2.

Once 2019 gets underway, BODYTRAFFIC dance company is stopping by on Saturday, Feb. 16, followed by the child-centric “Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon” on Sunday, Feb. 17.

The Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado comes by on Thursday, Feb. 21, and CATAPULT: The Amazing Magic of Shadow Dance arrives on Saturday, March 2. Grammy-nominated musicians Alfredo Rodríguez and Pedrito Martinez perform on Saturday, March 9.

The final run of performances includes The Swingles, a London-based a cappella ensemble, performing “Folklore” on Saturday, March 16.

“Crazy for You” co-presented with Performance Now Theatre Company takes the stage on Fridays and Saturdays March 22 through April 7. Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience performs The Fab Four’s classics on a Friday and Saturday, April 12 and 13, and the season ends with the Takács Quartet on Saturday, April 20.

“We want to expose audiences to artists they wouldn’t see in places like downtown,” Bocko said. “Our main focus is really, really high quality performances on our stage.”

Season subscriptions and “Create Your Own” packages are now available at Lakewood.org/LCCPresents, 303-987-7845, or the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office, 470 S. Allison Parkway. Tickets for individual performances go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 1.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks

There are some performers who, thanks to top-notch performing skills and a dedicated fan base, have made Red Rocks their home over the years. The Avett Brothers are one such group and their annual weekend runs at the Rocks are always incredible.

This year, The Avett Brothers are setting up camp at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Friday, June 29 through Sunday, July 1. The band has a different opening act each night — David Crosby on the first, Mandolin Orange on the second, and finally Jill Andrews.

Multiple-night attendees will be rewarded, but even just one evening on the Rocks with the Avetts is practically guaranteed to be one of your best shows of the year. Rush over to www.redrocksonline.com for tickets.

Drink whiskey and fight cancer

It is difficult to imagine an event more perfectly tailored for Coloradans than to combine tasting beers and whiskey with raising funds to fight cancer.

If that sounds like a promising mix to you, you’ll want to attend Lone Tree Brewing Co.’s CancerBlows Beer and Whiskey Dinner on Friday, July 6, at Snooze an A.M. Eatery, 10002 Commons Stree in Lone Tree. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner begins at 6 p.m.

This annual benefit will feature live music by Ryan Anthony and the H2 Big Band, and a special beer and whiskey dinner expertly curated by chefs from Snooze and Suga Me Sweet of Highlands Ranch. The food will be paired with whiskey from Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, an IPA collaboration with Cannonball Creek, and select beers from Lone Tree Brewing Co.

The funds go to CancerBlows, which uses unique musical events featuring the talents of brass musicians worldwide to raise awareness and money to encourage research for cancers with a focus on blood cancers and multiple myeloma.

Tickets for the 2018 CancerBlows Beer + Whiskey Dinner are $80 each and can be purchased at eventbrite.com along with sponsorship options, and at the Lone Tree Brewing Co. tasting room now through July 6 while supplies last

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. A community editor with Colorado Community Media, he can be reached creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com.