The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to welcome a bold new production of the legendary rock opera The Who’s TOMMY playing Oct. 16–18, 2026 in the Buell Theatre at 14th & Curtis in downtown Denver. Fresh from Broadway, this high‑voltage revival brings renewed energy, emotional depth, and theatrical spectacle to one of […]
Denver Public Library resources to enhance your experience at Water for Elephants READ The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey Into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present by Duncan Wall Duncan Wall was an American Fulbright scholar in France when he decided to enroll in the École Nationale des Arts du Cirque, a […]
By Julia Schemmer, Founder of Puppetry on Broadway Feeling inspired by the incredible puppetry in Water for Elephants, and want to get started on your own puppetry journey? Thankfully, you don’t need to join the Benzini Brothers Circus to get started. There are so many incredible opportunities to learn, build, and play with puppets […]
Denver Public Library resources to enhance your experience at Meredith Willson’s The Music Man READ This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill Abby Akerman believes in the Universe. After all, her Midwest high school marching band is about to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. If that’s not proof […]
Puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling where a person, called a puppeteer, manipulates a figure resembling a human, animal, creature, or inanimate object. In Water for Elephants, playing Denver’s Buell Theatre Feb 11-22, 2026, puppets and puppeteers are used to enhance the storytelling. Take, for example, Silver Star, the prized horse and equestrian act […]
The Broadway touring musical, Water for Elephants, brings the circus to life on stage, complete with animal acts, high flying trapeze, and slight of hand tricks sure to mesmerize audiences. Try the Vanishing Toothpick trick at home before or after the show. Materials: Toothpick Clear tape Mirror or camera (for practice) PREPARATION To begin, tear […]
Two incredible theatrical events took place in 1861. In Paris, France, construction started on the Palais Garnier, destined to become perhaps the most famous and elegant opera house in the world and the magical setting for Gaston Leroux’s Gothic horror novel, The Phantom of the Opera. Meanwhile, 7,850 kilometers away on the high plains of […]
In Mark Twain Tonight!, we hear an oft-quoted section from Twain’s autobiography: “In my schoolboy days I had no aversion to slavery. I was not aware that there was anything wrong about it…local papers said nothing against it; the local pulpit taught us that God approved it, that it was a holy thing, […]
The musical Water for Elephants is bringing the circus to Denver this February. In preparation for the titular pachyderm’s arrival, I spoke with Maura Davis, curator of large mammals at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, to learn more about Denver Zoo’s six Asian elephants: Groucho, Bodhi, Billy, Jake, Baylor, and Duncan. Our following conversation has been […]
From pop royalty to royalty royalty, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ musical hits the right notes. Possibly the most famous playboy in all of history, King Henry VIII had six Queens, who, all but one, met with an unfortunate fate. The first was divorced. The second beheaded. The third died from childbirth. From there, […]