34-Year DCTC Veteran, Lisa Orzolek, Discusses Scenic Design and Problem Solving

When Lisa Orzolek first began working as the second scenic assistant at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in 1992, the Theatre Company was producing The Grapes of Wrath based on John Steinbeck’s novel about the Joads of Oklahoma, forced to migrate west by a convergence of Depression Era economics and environmentally wrought disaster.  […]

Q&A with 2026 Student Playwrighting Winners, Finalists

Six winners have been announced for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ 14th annual Middle School & High School Playwriting Competition, three in each age group. This year, the DCPA’s Education & Community Engagement team received 288 submissions from students across Colorado. The top three plays by each age group will be included in […]

Puppetry: An Ancient Form of Storytelling

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 Moon: Good for Zorbing, Bad for Frisbee

  With winter solstice fast approaching and Goodnight Moon about to enter the final month of its Denver Center run (now through Jan 25, 2026), there’s never been a better time to say “Hello, Moon.” So I met up with Mitch Slevc, Educator Performer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, in order to […]

Preserving a Classic: Meredith Willson’s The Music Man

What makes something obsolete – and conversely, what makes it a classic? The very premise of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – the abduction of young women to care for the brothers, who were inspired by the rape of the Sabine women – keeps it off most stages these days. The King and I requires […]

“King of the Road” Richard Thomas Takes on Mark Twain

  “King of the Road” calls to mind the pop hit by singer-songwriter Roger Miller. For fans of great touring Broadway theater, though, that crown belongs to star of stage and screen Richard Thomas, who arrives in Denver on Saturday, January 31 to channel the homespun humor of the bard of Hannibal, Missouri in Mark […]

Goodnight Moon: Dramatic Play Activities

Developed by DCPA Education and Community Engagement | education@dcpa.org | 303.446.4892   In the Great Green Room is a resource of five lesson plans that provide you and your classroom or family with five pre-show sessions in anticipation of attending the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ production of Goodnight Moon. Each session is designed […]

Finding the Heartbeat in The Notebook

Sentimentality is often scrutinized. Rightly so — let the teary among us admit. Yet, in the hands of people who appreciate its power but also believe it has integrity, the sentimental can be more than merely moving or easily nostalgic. Enter singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and writer Bekah Brunstetter, the tag team responsible for the musical […]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Tickets go on sale on Halloween

“One of the most defining pop culture events of the decade” – Forbes   Tickets for the Denver engagement of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child go on sale October 31 at 10am — fittingly, on the most magical day of the year. This spellbinding continuation of the wizarding world’s legacy arrives in Denver as […]

How to Build a Season to Remember

    Ever wonder how the heads of the Denver Center’s three branches — Broadway, the Theatre Company, and Off-Center — chart their seasons? When does Artistic Director Chris Coleman, start puzzling out the Theatre Company’s intricate season? What goes into the immersive offerings of Off-Center, helmed by Executive Director and Curator Charlie Miller? When […]