Enhanced security, including metal detectors, will be in place by Tuesday, Feb. 13. Please plan accordingly.

To ensure the safety of guests, the city of Denver’s Department of Arts & Venues has announced enhanced security, including metal detectors, at The Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

The first installation will be in place by Tuesday, Feb. 13, said Brian Kitts, marketing director for Denver Arts & Venues, the division of the City of Denver that manages the Buell Theatre. Tuesday is opening night of the national touring production of STOMP

Much like any major concert or sporting event, guests will now pass through a metal detector and all bags will be inspected. Wand inspections and pat-downs are possible. Guests are encouraged to pack light, be aware of the guidelines and are strongly encouraged to arrive up to one hour before the ticketed start of any show.

Security screenings and bag checks are becoming standard practice in civic spaces, Kitts said, and the city has been considering upgrading security at the venues it manages at the Denver Performing Arts Complex for some time. But he said these new procedures apply only to The Buell Theatre.

“The Buell was chosen to pilot these new measures because it’s the most active venue at the Denver Performing Arts Complex,” Kitts told The Denver Post.

The new measures specifically ban most outside food and beverages, weapons, marijuana and other drugs without prescription, and bags larger than 12 by 12 by 12 inches. The complete list can be found below.

“Most people going to these performances have been through some sort of security before, whether it’s at the airport or Coors Field or the Pepsi Center,” Kitts told The Post. “This shouldn’t be any different than that.”

But increased security does take advance planning. “We just ask that if you have a big, bulky bag with you and know it’s going to be searched, just leave it in the car,” he said. Arts Complex management, he added, reserves the right to refuse any item deemed a potential safety or security risk or with the potential to be a distraction to the event being held.

“The Denver Center for the Performing Arts places the highest value on the safety of our guests,” said Suzanne Yoe, the DCPA’s Director of Communications and Cultural Affairs. “The DCPA has a dedicated security team focused on ensuring that our campus is safe, and that we continually evolve our safety procedures to meet current standards. We appreciate the leadership of Arts & Venues as it works to improve security throughout the Arts Complex campus.”

She added that the DCPA will continue to evaluate security measures in the spaces it manages — The Stage, Space, Ricketson, Jones, Garner Galleria Theatre, Conservatory Theatre and Seawell Ballroom.

COMPLETE GUIDELINES FOR CITY-RUN ARTS COMPLEX VENUES:

PERMITTED ITEMS INSIDE:

•    Empty or factory-sealed water (plastic and aluminum) bottles
•    Limelight Restaurant beverages in plastic cups with lids
•    Bags smaller than 12” x 12” x 12” (must fit under designated seat)

PROHIBITED ITEMS INSIDE:

•    ALL OUTSIDE FOOD AND BEVERAGES (exceptions: factory-sealed water bottles and Limelight beverages in plastic cups with lids)
•    Marijuana and drugs without a prescription
•    Laser pointers (will be confiscated and patron subject to ejection)
•    Coolers (hard sided and soft sided)
•    Audio or video recording devices, GoPros, professional cameras or cameras with removable lenses
•    Weapons or items construed as weapons (including, but not limited to: firearms, knives of all sizes, sharp-edged objects, mace and pepper spray, tasers, props/toys)
•    Bullhorns or noisemakers
•    Balloons
•    Selfie Sticks
•    Confetti, glitter and other items that can be thrown
•    Commercial signage
•    Animals (except service animals)
•    Bicycles and scooters
•    Patrons bringing skateboards, inline skates, hoverboards, or strollers will be asked to check them at the theatre
•    Remote control flying devices or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)
•    Bags larger than 12” x 12” x 12”

NOTE: Theatergoers may be asked to open bulky outerwear, such as jackets, prior to entering.

For additional general information, please email Lori.Garza@denvergov.org