Expand your theater experiences this holiday season by going to Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center for a show.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Littleton Town Hall Arts Center

Maybe you didn’t even realize that suburban Littleton has a historic downtown? Hop on the RTD Light Rail and get off at Littleton’s historic train depot to explore the three blocks of shops, restaurants, and then head to the Town Hall Arts Center.

The Town Halls Arts Center started out as a municipal building, thus the name, in 1920. Designed by architect J.J.B. Benedict, who is also known for what was long-known as the Gart Bros. Sports Castle building, the boat pavilion in Washington Park, and several area churches, the town hall once housed the local jail and firetruck.

In 1982, after a new municipal building left the old town hall redundant, locals reopened it as a performance space and 260-seat theatre.

Today the Town Hall Arts Center is home to the Stanton Art Gallery, multiple productions each year, and educational programming for emerging thespians.

WHAT’S ON STAGE

If you’ve missed a big show on the stages of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, there is sometimes a chance to catch a local production of it at the Town Hall Arts Center at a later date.

Did you miss Newsies in 2016? It will be playing at the Town Hall Arts Center from Nov. 18 through Dec. 30. Newsies tells the story of newsboys in the late 1800s who were fighting for better wages. The cast sings and dances their way through this hard luck tale based on real newsboys.

The choreographers for Newsies are Debbie Stark and Ronni Gallup, who may be known to audiences at the DCPA through their work with Phamaly, such as a production of Annie at the Wolf (formerly Stage) Theatre in 2017. Director Steve Wilson, who is also the Executive Artistic Director at CenterStage Theatre Company in Louisville, leads the team for Newsies. The music director for this production of Newsies is Donna Kolpan Debreceni, who was a 2019/20 nominee in the Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Awards for “Outstanding Musical Direction” of Cabaret at the Town Hall Arts Center.

For those buying theater tickets as holiday gifts, consider I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which will be playing at the Town Hall Arts Center Feb. 17-March 19, 2023. This silly off-Broadway musical revue ran at the Garner Galleria Theatre for many years, keeping audiences in stitches with its relatable jabs at marriage and dating.

WHILE YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Littleton Candlelight Walk

Make a night of it in Littleton with dinner and drinks.

Ned Kelly’s Irish Pub is a classic bar with basic snacks such as soft pretzels and pizza to go with your beer or cocktails.

The Lazy Greyhound invites you to relax, sip your drinks, nibble, and keep chilling out on their comfy couches in this British-inspired cocktail bar. Small bites include charcuterie plates and other shareable dishes.

Jackass Hill Brewery has made the outside as cozy as the inside with a large heated patio and plenty of craft brews on tap. You can munch on food truck specialties as well as some basic chips and dips.

There are also holiday events you can join such as the annual Candlelight Walk and Tree Lighting on Nov. 25.