By Stewart Oksenhorn

There won't be any opera this winter season at the Wheeler Opera House. But patrons of Aspen's Victorian-era venue will be hard-pressed to find another form of entertainment lacking. The Wheeler has announced its schedule of presentations, which range from comedy to dance, and cabaret to country, with a heaping dose of folk singing.

Combine the Wheeler's own presentations with outside productions -- including, in the weeks ahead. Aspen Filmfest 2007 and the Aspen Community Theatre musical "She Loves Me," plus a smattering of concerts later in the season -- and the venue, owned by the city of Aspen, seems to be fulfilling the direction of the city council to bring more live entertainment and special events to town.

The schedule of Wheeler presentations opens Oct. 20 with Barry Smith of Aspen performing his one-man multimedia theater piece, "American Squatter." Smith has performed his two award-winning shows -- "Jesus in Montana: Adventures in a Doomsday Cult," and "American Squatter," about his days skateboarding in Southern California and squatting in London apartments – in venues throughout the valley and, this summer, across Canada. This marks his solo debut at the Wheeler.

Festival in the Desert, an annual musical gathering in the West African country of Mali, becomes a road show this fall. The tour, featuring two top acts -- Tinariwen, which opened for the Rolling Stones recently; and Vieux Farka Toure, son of the famed Malian singer-guitarist Ali Farka Toure -- makes a stop at the Wheeler on Nov. 1.