An actor places a crown on her head during a performance of Macbeth

Taking Theatre to the Community: Shakespeare in the Parking Lot Returns

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ commitment to community performances goes back before Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, before its DCPAccess $10 ticket program, even before its founding in 1979. In fact, the very fabric of the DCPA was rooted in community because its benefactress, the late Helen Bonfils, made it her mission. When […]

The casts and creative teams for the High School Playwriting staged readings pose for a photo together

Q&A with the High School Playwriting Competition Winners

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Education & Community Engagement’s annual Middle School & High School Playwriting Competition inspires students across Colorado to connect with their inner artist.  In this year’s tenth annual competition, three freshman winners were selected for the first time in the competition’s history. The DCPA is excited to see […]

Auditions

From Stage to Screen: Acting for the stage and on-camera

Acting has been around for centuries and over time evolved into different forms. One popular form is acting for the screen. While traditional theatre tells stories from start to finish, performing the same show each night for a different audience, film and television are produced by stitching together scenes, often doing take after take until […]

The Buell Theatre seats filled with students, administrators, and teachers for the To Kill a Mockingbird student matinee performance

Student Matinee Success at DCPA

Growing up in rural Arkansas in the 1970s, there were very few opportunities to experience culture…let alone theatre. I still remember the first time I saw a live performance. My church group drove two hours to see The Nutcracker in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It left an impression that ultimately led to a 30-year career in the […]

8 Gallery High School Playwriting Colorado New Play Summit

Two-Time Win for the Walker Family in DCPA’s Playwriting Competition

If sibling rivalry isn’t enough of a motivator, a little cash might do. Or so it seems on the surface when you talk to 2022 and 2023 Middle School Playwriting winners, Wilson and Liesel Walker (ages 13 and 11 respectively). But if you dig just a little deeper, expressing themselves creatively plus the encouragement of […]

A high school playwright takes notes from a DCPA teaching artist

Finalists and Winners Announced for the 2023 Student Playwriting Competition

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is proud to announce the winning plays as part of its tenth annual Middle School & High School Playwriting Competition, which has impacted more than 25,000 students since its inception in 2013. This year, the DCPA received 179 total submissions from 22 counties across Colorado. After careful […]

A DCPA education student reads from a piece of paper onstage

Unleash Your Inner Playwright

Imagine two characters meeting on the street. One sincerely believes they know each other, while the other insists they have never met. How would their interaction go? If this prompt got your creative engine running, consider taking a playwriting class from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Education Department. Since 2012, DCPA Education […]

The Impact of DCPA Education

Denver Center for the Performing Arts Education offers year-round classes for all ages at all skill levels. Whether your child is looking to try something new, or you would like to develop your interpersonal skills for your career, or you’re a young actor looking to build your skill set, or a professional wanting to switch […]

Flexible Schedules Boost Enrollment for DCPA Education

A study by Pew Research Center shows that a majority of Americans were able to find a personal silver lining in the pandemic. Many people noted that having more flexibility in their working schedules, remote or hybrid work environments, and the implementation of video meetings has allowed them to dedicate more time to personal activities. […]

Headshot of Ryan Omar Stack

Local Artist Highlight: Ryan Omar Stack

Over the last few years, students from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ (DCPA) Adult Education program have emerged on professional stages across the Denver metro area. “It’s exciting to see several students step into professional theatre,” Head of Acting Tim McCraken shared. “There are real theatrical opportunities around town for these students because […]