DCPA’s Claudia Carson to Retire: A Lasting Legacy

Last week, not an hour after Claudia Carson first gathered this year’s 10 finalists for the Outstanding Lead Performer 2023 Bobby G High School Musical Theatre Awards, “it” happened – as it so often has since 2013: Competition dissolved into camaraderie right before her very eyes. “The top priority for me, the minute I meet […]

2018 Bobby G Winners: Where are they now?

From the archives: this article was originally published on May 18, 2022 Each May, The Bobby G Awards gather high school students from across Colorado to celebrate and reward their theatrical achievements. After two years away from the stage, The Bobby G’s are back with more excitement than ever. “The energy, power and positivity in […]

DPS Shakespeare Festival Takes Kids Beyond the Text

On a brisk April morning, 4,500 students, educators, volunteers, family and friends filled downtown Denver. Passersby were overheard asking, “Is there a parade?” And, the answer was “yes,” but not just any parade. It was the fanfare that preceded the 39th annual Denver Public Schools Shakespeare Festival, which kicked off with remarks in Skyline Park […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]