Updated March 20, 2019
Denver also offers a wealth of theater options for arts patrons, from large companies to smaller neighborhood troupes. Browse the following for a sample of theater companies and performing arts venues.
Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
6901 Wadsworth Blvd. Arvada, 80003 720-898-7200 www.arvadacenter.orgThe Arvada Center offers award-winning, professional regional theater (both plays and musicals); Denver’s best children’s theater; a wide variety of concerts; classical and contemporary dance performances; nationally recognized gallery exhibitions; a history museum; more than 800 arts and humanities classes for all ages. The center’s state-of-the-art theaters include a 500-seat indoor venue and an outdoor amphitheater.
Aurora Fox Arts Center
9900 E. Colfax Ave. Aurora, 80010 303-739-1970 www.ci.aurora.co.usOperated by the city of Aurora, the center presents plays, musicals, children’s theater, concerts and guest artists for the public. The Center also features performing arts classes and a young actor’s workshop.
The Denver Performing Arts Complex (DPAC)
Speer and Arapahoe Streets Downtown Denver 720-865-4220 www.artscomplex.comConnected by an 80-foot-tall glass roof, The Denver Performing Arts Complex (DPAC) is the largest arts complex in the world in one complex. The DPAC is a four-block, 12-acre site with 10 performance spaces that is also home to a Tony Award-winning theater company, Broadway touring productions, contemporary dance and ballet, magnificent chorales, a major symphony orchestra, an internationally acclaimed opera and much more.
The City and County of Denver’s Theatres and Arenas Division owns and operates DPAC’s three largest theaters—the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, the Buell Theatre and Boettcher Concert Hall. DPAC also houses the cabaret-style Garner Galleria Theatre, the Tramway Theatre, the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex, The Stage, Space, Ricketson and Jones theatres—all managed and booked by The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA). The Denver Performing Arts Complex is also the host for the Colorado Ballet, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado and The Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ theatrical divisions—Denver Center Attractions, Denver Center Theatre Company and the National Theatre Conservatory.
Festival Playhouse
5665 Old Wadsworth Blvd. Arvada, 80003 303-422-4090 www.festivalplayhouse.comHome of the Players Guild, the oldest family-owned and operated community theater in the country, the Festival Playhouse offers performances for adults and children throughout the year.
Germinal Stage Denver
2450 W. 44th Ave. Denver, 80211 303-455-7108 www2.privatei.com/~gsdenFounded in 1973, this nonprofit, award-winning theater is one of the longest-lived and most respected small theaters in the Rocky Mountain region. The company performs in a 100-seat converted storefront in historic North Denver and at festivals, special events and on tour.
Miners Alley Playhouse
1224 Washington St., Suite 200 Golden, 80401 303-935-3044 www.minersalley.comThe Miners Alley Playhouse is a 120-seat intimate venue featuring professional theater, music and movie nights, and classes and workshops for all ages. Formerly The Morrison Theatre, the Playhouse moved to Golden in 2003 and changed its name after 14 years of presenting award-winning productions in the city of Morrison.
Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center (PACE Center)
20000 Pikes Peak Avenue Parker, 80138 303-805-6800 www.parkerarts.orgThe PACE Center is a state of the art facility offering the best of touring and local performances.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
18300 W. Alameda Pkwy. Morrison, 80465 303-295-4444 www.redrocksonline.comInternationally recognized, this unique venue is a 300-foot-high natural sandstone amphitheater located in the foothills west of Denver. For more than 60 years, its breathtaking views and natural surroundings have been drawing internationally acclaimed musical performances. The open-air amphitheater with its perfectly acoustic surroundings is not duplicated anywhere in the world.
