Entries by DCPA Press

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 […]

A Q&A You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

In between their on-stage antics in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts current cabaret comedy, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, cast members answered a fun-filled Q&A while fending off a feeding frenzy. If your version of Dracula had a dating profile, what would it say — and what’s his most toxic trait? Adriane Leigh Robinson (Lucy […]

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 […]

Activity: Vanishing Toothpick

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 […]

Winners Announced for DCPA’s 2026 Student Playwriting Competition

Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Education and Community Engagement is happy to announce the winners of the 14th annual Middle School and High School Playwriting Competition.  The Playwriting Competition is grounded in workshops hosted by DCPA Education Teaching Artists. These in-school workshops introduce students to the fundamentals of playwriting, bolster creative writing skills, and […]

The Risks and Rewards of New Play Development

By Chris Coleman, Denver Center Theatre Company Artistic Director    Whether it’s Hamilton or Hamlet, every play started as a new work. Someone was excited by a story and brought together a group of collaborators to carve out a path toward opening night. It’s always a risky venture. Ask anyone in our industry and you’ll find that […]

Discussion Guide: Mark Twain Tonight!

    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, […]