How New Plays Get Made

When the world premiere of Rattlesnake Kate debuted at the Wolf Theatre in 2022, it garnered a lot of positive attention. The play featured not only a spirited story about Kate Slaughterback, a Colorado woman who famously killed 140 rattlesnakes one day in 1925, but showcased how a play or musical might get commissioned by […]

Cracking the Enigma Code

They called her Elizabeth Thorpe. And Betty Pack. And Cynthia. She was an American, working for the British, and sometimes the Spanish, although the French and Polish thought she was theirs for a while. She came from an upstanding family, a proper girl who was thoroughly improper. The biggest enigma, though, was the Nazi coding […]

Virginia Hall awarded a medal for her services. A man stands pinning it to her dress.

A Spy Among Us

From the archives: this article was originally published on March 22, 2023 If you Google “international intelligence agencies,” Wikipedia gives you a list that’s almost too long to count. While the fictitious 007 — Bond, James Bond — works for the non-fictitious MI6, the United Kingdom is far from the only country to have intelligence […]

black and white photograph of Betty Pack

Rubicon: Sex, Espionage and a Woman Finding Purpose

Do you remember a sexy movie with Lauren Bacall as a glamorous society woman turned wartime spy named Betty, blazing through men and countries, from South America to Europe, seducing her way to crucial information for the Allies in WWII? No? That’s because there was no such movie — although perhaps there should have been. […]

Director Jerry Ruiz gestures while reading notes for Cebollas

Cebollas: When a Road Trip is a Family Journey

This world premiere work by New Mexico playwright Leonard Madrid drew loud laughs from audiences at the 2022 New Play Summit. The tagline says it all: Three Sisters, four wheels, four hundred miles, and one dead body. From a comedic premise, a heartwarming comedy-drama emerges when three Latina sisters embark on an unexpected drive, Albuquerque […]

Sante Fe, New Mexico at sunrise

Plan Your Albuquerque to Denver Road Trip

In Cebollas, three sisters take a 10-hour road trip from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Denver, Colorado. The why of it can be revealed when you see the show, but if you find yourself with the opportunity to drive from New Mexico’s largest city to Denver’s capitol city, here are some suggestions to make it memorable. […]

black and white photograph of Betty Pack, codename Cynthia, holding a finger to her lips

Betty Pack: “She used sex like James Bond uses a Beretta” — TIME

From the archives: this article was originally published on February 3, 2022 Her exploits are straight out of a James Bond movie. Elizabeth – Betty for short – Pack was a spy for the British in World War II, and now she is the subject of a new play. Rubicon by Kirsten Potter was a […]

Full Cast and Creative Teams Announced for Cebollas and Rubicon

The Denver Center Theatre Company is excited to announce the full casting and creative teams for the world premiere productions of Cebollas by Leonard Madrid (Las Arañas, Berkeley Rep) and Rubicon by Kirsten Potter (Unraveling, ACT Seattle -workshop). Both world premiere productions were first introduced to audiences as readings at the 2022 Colorado New Play […]

A group of townspeople surround the Ghost of Christmas Present on his sleigh

First Look: A Christmas Carol

Essential to the holiday season in Denver, A Christmas Carol is a joyous and opulent musical adaptation for the whole family that traces money-hoarding curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge’s triumphant overnight journey to redemption.  Take a look at some of the production photos below.

Participants in the Colorado New Play Summit sit at a table

Playwrights Announced for 18th Annual Colorado New Play Summit

The Denver Center Theatre Company is proud to announce playwrights, dates, and details for the 2024 Colorado New Play Summit (CNPS). The 18th annual festival will take place over one weekend on February 24-25, and feature readings of new plays by Terence Anthony, Nina McConigley and Matthew Spangler, Andrew Rosendorf, and Vauhini Vara. The festival will also feature […]