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This month's SCFD Staff in the Spotlight feature is Program Officer, Kirsten Lang! Kirsten joined SCFD in 2024 and was formerly the founding program administrator for the Diversity in the Arts Internship. Here are a couple things you may not know about her, in her words:
The best part of Kirsten's job:
"The SCFD team. It's not easy to find a job you genuinely enjoy doing at an organization doing impactful work for your community. It's even more difficult to find both of those things wrapped up in a supportive office culture with a rockstar team, so it is something I never take for granted."
A recent, memorable experience with arts, culture, or science:
"In June, I had the pleasure of seeing a former castmate, Jenna Bainbridge, perform on Broadway as the first wheelchair user to play Nessarose in Wicked. We last shared a stage in Phamaly Theatre Company's 2018 production of Into the Woods where I played Little Red and Jenna played Cinderella. Going from scene partners to seeing Jenna as a barrier-breaking Broadway principal will likely be the highlight of 2025 for me. Plus, she gave me a backstage tour of my favorite musical!"
Kirsten's current favorite song:
"Reincarnated by Kendrick Lamar. This song is a masterclass of every element of hip hop (sample flipping, vocal intonation, creative storytelling, etc.) while also shedding light on the stories of two historical Black musicians."
If SCFD had an office talent show, Kirsten would wow everyone with:
"My ability to rap all 6 minutes and 23 seconds of Euphoria (yes, the Drake diss written by Kendrick Lamar), bar for bar while mimicking all of the stylistic flow switches and finding time to breathe."
A fun fact:
"I am a historical garment seamstress! Due to having Fibromyalgia, I have been drawn to wearing historical clothing primarily from the Victorian and Edwardian eras as they are designed for wearing corsets (which provide back support in my day-to-day) and because of the difference in how the garments are designed to sit on the body. In 2020, I purchased an antique Singer treadle sewing machine and have been gradually sewing a new wardrobe for myself based on historical patterns."
Kirsten's connection to Culture For All:
"My first time seeing a professional production was when my parents took me to see The Lion King tour at the Buell Theatre. Watching a stage full of performers that looked like me was the first time I realized that the professional artistic world had space for Black people. It sparked a passion that led me to discover my love for musical theatre and eventually landed me on stages in the Denver metro area. However, most of my classmates in elementary and middle school could not relate to this excitement because of the cost barrier with touring Broadway productions and the lack of diversity in our local theatre companies. The breadth of diversity within Colorado's arts & culture community today is incredibly healing to see, I adore seeing children of all backgrounds getting involved in art that reflects them and their family and this expansion in available programming is due, in part, to SCFD."
Want to learn even more about Kirsten? Read her bio here.
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