The city of Boulder, Colorado, is known for its thriving and eclectic arts scene. It’s been named one of the most artistic towns in the US by Expedia and has been named the third most creative small city in the country by the Western States Arts Federation. Here, creativity can well and truly flourish, which is why so many people enjoy visiting and keep coming back.
This page is dedicated to a particular section of the city’s vibrant arts sector: theatre. Boulder is home to a diverse mix of theatres and other live performance venues that put on a diverse line-up of shows produced by locals, performed by locals and aimed at everyone. If you want to find out more about the city’s theatres, just keep on reading.
Boulder’s Top Theatres
Boulder is home to a small collection of theatres that put on a wide range of performances throughout the year. Most of these are concentrated in the downtown area, while others are further away from the city centre, but still within easy reach. Here’s a detailed summary of each of the city’s theatres and what sorts of performances they put on.
- The Nomad Playhouse. Located in the North Boulder area, this theatre is one of the city’s more distinctive venues. It’s designed to resemble a Quonset hut (a lightweight structure of galvanised steel in the shape of a half-cylinder) and has been standing for close to 70 years. It has a maximum audience capacity of 155. All sorts of shows have been put on here, from lively family entertainment and classic drama performances, to musical shows and films screenings. It was purchased by Tara Performing Arts School in 2015 and since then, a lot of work has been done to renovate the theatre and make it more comfortable and enjoyable for today’s audiences.
- Boulder Theater.
- One of the city’s main theatres, Boulder Theater is set within an impressive art deco building that’s been entertaining audiences since 1906. When it opened, it was known as Curran Opera House and the shows it feature were mostly musicals, operas and silent movies. In 1935, it was purchased by The Fox Theater Company and underwent a renovation, which not only expanded its size, but also gave it the art deco makeover that it’s still known for today. This would be the first of several renovations that the building would have over the course of the next few decades. Though it’s been enhanced and upgraded several times, it’s still very much a historical building. Today, the theatre can hold all manner of events, from tech conferences and corporate meetings, to private celebrations, film screenings and, of course, traditional theatre performances. The theatre has a maximum capacity of 860.
- Fox Theater. This venue specialises in live music performances and has been around since 1926. It operated as a vaudeville theatre for its first few years and, according to some papers, showed movies at one point. However, just six years after opening it was listed as being vacant. It spent many years as a movie theatre, though in 1991 it was leased by The Pyramid Group, Inc. and plans were drawn up to turn the venue into a concert hall. The place has had quite a turbulent history, though its future as the city’s top venue for live music seems to be guaranteed. The venue seats 625 people in total and is highly rated. In fact, it was voted the fourth best music venue in the US by Rolling Stone Magazine.
- BDT Stage. Located in the eastern part of the city, BDT Stage is the city’s premier destination for dinner shows, with the venue’s name actually standing for ‘Boulder Dinner Theatre’. BDT Stage has been delighting people from Boulder and beyond with its dinner theatre experience, which effortlessly combines the entertainment of Broadway-style productions, with fine dining of the highest quality. Book tickets to see a show here and you’ll get to enjoy a sumptuous meal as well as live spectacle. Meals typically start getting served an hour and a half before the show begins. The theatre’s total capacity is 274 and audience members are seated at tables surrounding the stage.
- Rocky Mountain Theatre For Kids Boulder. Also located in the city’s eastern area, Rocky Mountain Theatre For Kids Boulder is a venue where two companies operate. These are AAPA and RMTK. The former, Actors’ Academy For The Performing Arts, offers a range of training programmes throughout the year for budding young actors and actresses. The latter, Rocky Mountain Theatre For Kids, holds summer camps that focus on performing, as well as classes. The venue has been open since 1996 and has always specialised in youth theatre. Those who attend the year-long training programme benefit from professional development in the performing arts. Those who take part in some of the summer camp programmes rehearse and put on a full-length musical. While there’s a strong focus on the performance side of the industry, students get to learn about what goes on behind the scenes and backstage, too.
- LOCAL Theater Company. This is a non-profit theatre company that specialises in putting on shows that are timely and American. The plays performed here tackle a range of contemporary issues and are designed to make the audience feel engaged and motivated to act. Local Lab is the theatre’s development programme that helps playwrights get their plays from being ideas in the mind, to full performances on the stage. The Local Lab is inits tenth season and, to celebrate, is supporting more work than ever before, with 10 pieces being produced. Four of these are brand new scripted players.
- Chautauqua Auditorium. One of the city’s most important historic sites is Chautauqua Auditorium. It dates back to 1898 and has played host to many shows, performances and talks over the years, with big names such as BB King, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, Chris Isaak and Ziggy Marley among the many people who have taken to the stage. The wooden interior structure has undergone very few changes and is known for having excellent acoustics. Though the theatre was able to seat 6,000 people, its total capacity today is just over 1,300 – this is thanks to bleachers being removed and being replaced by dressing rooms. Such is the importance of the theatre that in 1974, it earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places. It can be found in the southwest of the city.
- Dairy Arts Center. One of the city’s younger arts venues, Dairy Arts Center has been up and running since 1992. The building used to be a milk processing facility, hence its name, though is today an important place for fostering and exhibiting local talent in the arts sector. In fact, it’s the largest multi-disciplinary center for the arts in the city. Those who transformed it from a milk processing facility wanted it to become a hub where local creatives could inspire one another and the wider community. From visual arts and cinema, to magic, comedy, dance, music and drama, the range of activities the venue supports is broad and eclectic. There are no fewer than four theatres that vary in size and are designed for different purposes. The Grace Gamm Theater holds 116 people and is where most of the building’s leading theatre shows take place. The others include the Gordon Gamm Theater (the largest one with 250 seats; used mostly for dance shows); the Carsen Theater, which is configurable and seats 99; and the Boedecker Theater, which functions as a cinema and can set 70 people.
A show being performed at Dairy Arts Center
Theatre And COVID-19
It’s worth mentioning COVID-19 as the pandemic, which is still ongoing at the time of writing, has had a significant impact on the city’s theatre industry. Just like most other places, shows have had to be postponed or cancelled, and theatre buildings have had to close their doors for many months, which no one thought would ever happen.
Thankfully, the many theatres throughout Boulder seemed to have weathered the pandemic quite well. They’ve started reopening and putting on shows again, albeit with social distancing measures in place. Though right now audiences are only a fraction of the size of what they used to be, hopefully the end is in sight and there’ll come a time soon when theatres can start filling all of their seats again.
The performing arts industry has been suffered a lot throughout the pandemic and continues to do so. If you’re planning a visit to Boulder any time soon, consider doing whatever you can to support the city’s theatres and other performing arts venues, whether it’s going to see a socially distanced show or even making a donation.
The city’s theatres on Google Maps
Visiting Boulder
You should have a pretty good idea of what Boulder’s theatre scene is all about. Here, it’s all about local talent, community productions and big ambitions. The line-up of shows that are put on across the city’s theatres may be varied in style and subject-matter, but what they all have in common is that they’re memorable shows that people enjoy watching.
If you’re still not sold, the city of Boulder has a lot more to offer. For starters, there’s the atmosphere and the people who live here. You may be surprised to learn that the city’s been voted the happiest in all of the US. That’s because the city offers a refreshingly relaxed pace of life. It also happens to be pretty scenic: it’s located half an hour from Denver and is neatly tucked into the Rocky Mountain foothills, with the mountains providing a stunning backdrop. Nature enthusiasts, hikers and lovers of the great outdoors will find many reasons to visit this quaint city, while culture vultures will no doubt enjoy sampling the city’s many culinary offerings. For history buffs, there’s the historic Pearl Street – the beating heart of the city, Pearl Street is replete with buildings from decades past and features an exciting array of shops and restaurants.
There’s still so much more to discover about Boulder. For example, it’s been named the fittest US city several times in recent years and is known for its thriving health foods scene. You may be surprised to learn that the city is home to the US’ largest concentration of companies specialising in natural and organic foods. Beer is also big here. The city’s home to the fourth highest concentration of breweries – if you’ve got a thirst for some refreshing beers, Boulder is the place to be! When you’re not tasting delicious foods or going on brewery tours, do what many locals and explore the surrounding area, which is quite spectacular.
Summary
We’ve only just scratched the surface of what Boulder’s theatre scene and the city as a whole have to offer. If you’re ever in the area, make sure you spend plenty of time getting to know the place and experiencing its wonderful attractions. Many of the city’s industries, including theatre, have been taking a big hit throughout 2020, though it should only be a matter of time before everything in the city is back up and running the way it should be.
So, before heading to Boulder, see what shows the city’s many theatres are going to be putting on and book your tickets sooner rather than later. After all, the shows can be very popular indeed and seats can get booked up pretty quickly. Though there’s a lot to this cosy and intimate city, no visit is complete without sampling its delightful and lively theatre scene. Whatever your tastes, there’s bound to be a show or two that you’ll thoroughly enjoy and want to see again.