Entertainment in Denver Comes of Age

Denver, "you’ve come a long way, baby."  This was a very-long ago Virginia Slims ad from 1968 to 1986 but also applies to the Denver entertainment and cultural scene.  Sure, we still have our world-famous casual approach to life and I am sure glad of that.  As a stark contrast to the laid back lifestyle, we also have our world class Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA).

Founded in 1972, the Denver Center is a showcase for live theatre, a stop for Broadway tours and a nurturing ground for new productions.  This renowned facility also has an award-winning multi media production studio, established in 1983, and has since received numerous international awards and Emmys for television production, direction and sound design.

In 1974, Donald R. Seawell, looking for a facility to house the DCPA found himself on Curtis and 14^th Streets looking at the then old Auditorium Theatre.  It was his vision that became the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Ground was broken for the 2700 seat Boettcher Concert Hall in December 1974.  This became the nation’s first concert hall in the round and was completed simultaneously with an eight-story parking garage.  In 1979, the Auditorium Theatre was renovated, two cabaret spaces were added and the Helen G. Bonfils Theatre Complex opened with four theatres:  The Stage, Space, Source (now Jones) and Ricketson.  In 1991, the Temple Buell Theatre was completed and the Donald R. Seawell Ballroom was added.   2006 witnessed the grand entrance of the newly renovated and historically renewed Auditorium theatre, home to the world-famous Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

For a night on the town, what could be better than dinner and a trip to the Denver Center for a play or the opera?  Yes, you’ve certainly come a long way, baby.

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