Whether your taste runs to campy Broadway satire or drama on the “fringe,” you have plenty of theatrical choices in Boulder County and elsewhere on the Front Range this fall.
More than 30 stage productions are scheduled to open between this weekend and the end of October.
There are re-imaginings of familiar works — “Peter and the Starcatcher” takes us into the world of Peter Pan before he became the boy who wouldn’t grow up — along with world premieres like “Rancho Mirage” by Colorado native Steve Dietz.
And, of course, there are the classics — “Death of a Salesman,” “Richard II,” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and the triumphant return of Tony Award-winning blockbuster “The Book of Mormon.”
So many choices, so little time.
“I think we have a lot of exciting things going on this fall,” says Gloria Shanstrom, general manager of the Colorado Theatre Guild. “One of the biggest things for me is excitement at the risks that the smaller theater companies are taking in setting their season. There are a lot of regional premieres. A lot of these guys are thinking outside the box.”
Not just thinking outside the box, but going after shows they might once have ceded to larger companies.
“I see companies that are working hard to get new titles that would attract a younger audience, like ‘In The Heights,’ which just opened at Vintage Theatre. It’s addressing a younger audience and a Latino audience. These are the kind of titles small companies are trying to acquire.”
Shanstrom said companies are also going after long-underserved audiences.
“Last June we saw productions by our first Asian theater company, Theater Esprit Asia, and also Rocky Mountain Deaf Theatre.”
Does that mean Colorado theater is coming out of the recession?
“Audiences are out there and they’re paying to see good theater,” she says.
The following list contains fall shows that run longer than one weekend
in Boulder County and along the Front Range:
BOULDER COUNTY
August openings
Footloose, Aug. 16-18, Rocky Mountain Theater for Kids, Boulder, theaterforkids.net.
A … My Name Will Always Be Alice, Aug. 16-Sept. 7, Theater Company of Lafayette, Mary Miller Theater, Lafayette, tclstage.org.
Front Range Playwright’s Showcase, Aug. 23, Coal Creek Community Theater of Louisville, Louisville Center for the Arts, cctlouisville.org.
Bus Stop, Aug. 30-Sept. 14, Upstart
Crow Theatre Company, Dairy Center, Boulder, 303-442-1415.
September-October openings
The Full Monty, Sept. 6-Nov. 9, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 303-449-6000,bouldersdinnertheatre.com.
Boulder International Fringe Festival,Sept. 18-29, various venues, Boulder, 303-803-5643, boulderfringe.com; including Waiting: A Love Story, Sept. 19-28, written and performed by Sherri Rose, Wesley Chapel, Boulder, 650-678-5234, waitingalovestory.com;Exotic Exile, Sept. 20-28, Agora at the Riverside, boulderfringe.com; Dancing with Demons: A Comedy of Sorts, Sept. 21-22, Sept. 24-26, Sept. 28, written and performed by Shana Cordon, Dairy Center, Boulder,shanacordon.com.
Seminar, Sept. 27-Oct. 20, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, 303-444-7328,boulderensembletheatre.org.
Failure: A Love Story, Oct. 10-26, The Catamounts, Dairy Center, Boulder, 303-440-7826,thedairy.org.
The Sound of Music,
through Sept. 1, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, Johnstown, 970-744-3747,coloradocandlelight.com.
Beauty and the Beast Jr., through Sept. 8, Jesters Dinner Theatre, Longmont, 303-682-9980, jesterstheatre.com.
The Turn of the Screw, Oct. 11-28, Jesters Dinner Theatre, Longmont, 303-682-9980,jesterstheatre.com.
Cabaret, through Oct. 16, Jesters Dinner Theatre, Longmont, 303-682-9980, jesterstheatre.com.
ELSEWHERE
August openings
In the Heights, through Sept. 1, Vintage Theatre, Aurora, vintagetheatre.com.
Peter and the Starcatcher, Aug. 15-Sept. 1, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Center, 855-767-6578, Denver, denvercenter.org.
Wonder of the World, through Sept. 1, Miners Alley Playhouse, Golden, minersalley.com.
The Producers, Aug. 23-Sept. 7, PACE Center, Parker, 303-805-6800, InspireCreative.org.
Evil Dead, the Musical, Aug. 23-Sept. 14, Equinox Theatre Company, Denver,equinoxtheatredenver.com.
The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Aug. 30-Sept. 29, Edge Theatre, Lakewood,theeproject.org.
Sweeney Todd, Aug. 30-Nov. 10, Heritage Square Music Hall, Golden, 303-277-0040,heritagesquare.info.
September-October openings
Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Sept. 3-15, Buell Theatre, Denver, 855-767-6578,denvercenter.org.
After the Revolution, Sept. 7-Oct. 19, Curious Theatre, Denver, 303-623-0524.
Camelot, Sept. 10-29, Arvada Center for the Arts, 720-898-7200, arvadacenter.org.
Jesus Christ Superstar, Sept. 13-Oct. 5, Crossroads Theatre, Denver, 720-898-7200,ticketleap.com, 720-898-7200.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Sept. 13-Oct. 13, Town Hall Arts Center, Littleton, 303-794-2787,townhallartscenter.com.
Death of a Salesman, Sept. 20-Oct. 20, Space Theatre, Denver, 855-767-6578,denvercenter.org.
The Complete World of Sports, Sept. 20-Oct. 26, Avenue Theatre, Denver, 303-321-5925,avenuetheater.com.
Sister Act, Sept. 24-Oct. 6, Buell Theatre, Denver, 855-767-6578, denvercenter.org.
Avenue Q, Oct. 3-Nov. 4, Aurora Fox, Aurora, 303-739-1970, aurorafoxartscenter.org.
Just Like Us, Oct. 4-Nov. 3, Stage Theatre, Denver, 855-767-6578, denvercenter.org.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Oct. 4-Nov. 3, Aurora Fox, Aurora, 303-739-1970,aurorafoxartscenter.org.
Vigil, Oct. 4-27, Cherry Creek Theatre, Denver, 303-800-6578, cherrycreektheatre.org.
Shadowlands, Oct. 11-Nov. 10, Vintage Theatre, Aurora, vintagetheatre.com.
The Most Deserving, Oct. 11-Nov. 17, Ricketson Theatre, Denver, 855-767-6578,denvercenter.org.
Witness for the Prosecution, Oct. 12-Nov. 9, John Hand Theatre, Denver, 303-475-5825.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Oct. 18-Nov. 17, Edge Theatre, Denver, 303-232-0363,theeproject.org.
The Gut Girls, Oct. 18-Nov. 9, Spark Theater, Denver, 720-346-7396, sparktheater.org.
The Book of Mormon, Oct. 22-Nov. 24, Buell Theatre, 855-767-6578, denvercenter.org.
Rancho Mirage, Nov. 2-Dec. 7, Curious Theatre, Denver, 303-623-0524.
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