Denver, CO Theater & Comedy

The Denver Theater scene is on par with the weekend trail: it leads its audience to explore new places, triggers curiosity, stimulates conversation, and delivers a jet plane of emotion by the closing scene.

The Denver Performing Arts Complex (DPAC)—which, you can’t miss with its two pearl-colored dancing statues out front—couldn’t be more conveniently located off of Speer Blvd, on the west end of Downtown. The DPAC has been home to the Denver ballet, a Tony-winning Theatre Company, and countless touring acts over the years.

Sculpture Park

Said statues, called, “The Dancers,” are 50 feet in height and mark The Sculpture Park, the Denver Theatre District’s outdoor venue, which is spectacular for festivals, receptions and events that range from the Shakespeare Festival to Snowboard on the Block. The complex is like a honeycomb, comprised of a dozen other theatres and spaces with several that hold greater fame.

Ellie Caulkins Opera House

Known as “the Ellie,” the Ellie Caulkins Opera House is one of only three opera houses in the entire U.S. and one of nine in the world. Designed in lyric style, the Ellie is a world-class acoustical hall with four levels including the balcony, loge, mezzanine and orchestra. Each seat allows a clear view of the stage and the overall experience stays intimate: the small venue seats just 2,225 people.

Boettcher and Buell

Featuring a round design, the Boettcher Concert Hall is the nation’s first symphony hall with such a structure, which allows the audience to sit close to the stage: 80 percent of the seats are within 65 feet of the performers! As for acoustics, the walls are slightly canted to prevent echoes, and curved surfaces in the hall diffuse the sound evenly throughout the space. Then, of course, there’s the exquisite Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre: the venue of choice for high-profile, traveling Broadway shows.

Denver Comedy  

The show isn’t drama, dance and symphony all the time. Aside from the satire woven into its classic theatre programs, the DPAC and Denver’s Downtown are home to straight-up comedy acts. At the complex, check out acts at the cabaret-style Garner Galleria Theatre—with a capacity of just 213 folks!—and the same-sized Jones Theatre. Both venues offer refreshing drink service throughout the entertainment.

Beyond the arts complex, stroll a few blocks north to Larimer Square and you’ll enter Comedy Works, with a reputation as a premier destination for stand-up comedy since 1981. For improvisational comedy and performance, check out Voodoo Comedy Playhouse’s six show nights a week and the Bovine Metropolis Theatre. Want to take a stab at your joke delivery? Each offers improv classes for adults, too.

Downtown Scene

If you're looking for a hip place that doesn't require a tuxedo dress code, the Paramount Theatre is your spot. The Paramount always has cool features year-round, from film premieres to speakers and comedians and trendy musicians, new and old.

From Rialto Café and Osteria Marco to Rioja and Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen, there are dozens of restaurants—casual, fast, slow, gluten-conscious, vegan-tailored, upscale, you-name-it—within walking distance of your DPAC show, including several acclaimed kitchens that have topped the metro’s best-of list in Denver’s city magazine, 5280.

Tons of hotels are within walking distance, but if your choice lodging isn’t downtown, the light trail line can roll you into the bustling area via a drop-off at Union Station or convention center—don’t forget to grab a gelato or beer before the show.