{"id":2454373,"date":"2026-06-11T09:39:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T09:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2454373"},"modified":"2026-06-11T09:39:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T09:39:02","slug":"10-best-colorado-venues-to-see-music-theater-performing-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/10-best-colorado-venues-to-see-music-theater-performing-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"10 best Colorado venues to see music, theater, performing arts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> Welcome to the eighth installment of our 15-week series Colorado 150<\/a>, marking 150 years of statehood with our favorite Colorado things.<\/p>\n

O<\/mark>ne of the best parts of any concert, play or comedy act, at least for me, is the last few minutes before showtime. There is a hush that settles over the crowd, a buzzy anticipation hanging in the air, sometimes followed by a rumble of applause as the lights dim and the artists take their places.<\/p>\n

In Colorado, that flicker of excitement lasts more than just those final moments before the stage comes alive. That\u2019s because of the bounty of performing arts venues across the state, some of them almost too spectacular to describe. The places we go to shake off the rest of the world and connect to artists and acts that stir something deeper within us are unlike venues anywhere else. And they\u2019re a big part of what makes a night spent in a sea of concertgoers or theater enthusiasts so memorable.<\/p>\n

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, perhaps the centerpiece of the arts and music scene, is as Colorado as it gets. No matter the hour, it\u2019s the kind of destination that will give you something to marvel at in every direction \u2014 a towering peak carved by the hands of time, a distant view of Denver\u2019s skyline and a web of nearby hiking trails.<\/p>\n

But there are plenty of other spots in the state where musicians and performers captivate and elate their audiences \u2014 less famous but no less stunning. Take, for example, Mountaineer Theatre in Lake City, which will transport you back in time to the golden age of cinema. Or Rangely\u2019s Tank Center for Sonic Arts, an old water tank where the most ordinary sounds and songs are made otherworldly by all kinds of notes and octaves spilling from instruments and sound engineers.<\/p>\n

Where do you escape into the arts? Let us know and we\u2019ll keep growing our list.<\/p>\n

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Red Rocks Amphitheatre<\/h2>\n
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Since July 1941, Red Rocks has consistently awed audiences with its setting and the big acts it attracts. The natural amphitheatre was developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, who recognized the remarkable acoustics of the site and blasted out a slope full of built-in seats. Audiences in the outdoor venue face east, and summertime shows often feature the double spectacle of live musical performances backed by scattered lightning across the Eastern Plains. Of course, those storms don\u2019t always stay at bay, so check the weather before you head to a show (or a sunrise).<\/p>\n

MORE INFO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Creede Rep<\/h2>\n
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The curtain first lifted on the Creede Repertory Theatre in 1966, the idea of a theater-loving pastor and the town\u2019s Junior Chamber of Commerce, who were looking for a way to stoke summer tourism during an era of decline for the local silver mines. It started small \u2014 with five shows performed by 12 students who drove out from the University of Kansas \u2014 and has only grown, now employing around 75 artists and offering over 100 performances to nearly 20,000 patrons every year. When the last mine in Creede closed in 1984, the Rep became the county\u2019s largest employer, and continues to be the economic driver that its founders had hoped for.<\/p>\n

MORE INFO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ivy Ballroom<\/h2>\n
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A standing room-only venue that often pulls in national headliners on their way to Red Rocks, as well as plenty of local and regional talents. While Colorado\u2019s mountain towns have no shortage of intimate spots for live music, the Ivy stands out for its location, inside the Surf Hotel on the banks of the Arkansas River in Buena Vista, making it a perfect Main Street spot to end a day of adventuring. It\u2019s also, according to Sun reporter Jason Blevins, the \u201cundisputed best small room in the state.\u201d (And thanks to Jason Myers for the great photo).<\/p>\n

MORE INFO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Shakespeare in the Sangres<\/h2>\n
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At Shakespeare in the Sangres in historic downtown Westcliffe, the Bard\u2019s tales are brought to life in the unlikeliest of places \u2014 a small stage in the leafy backyard of an old Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad depot, with spectators fanned out on lawn chairs under sprawling trees and a few canopies for shade, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains towering in the distance. Part of the fun in these outdoor performances is in watching players scramble to prepare for their next scenes, sometimes dashing off stage into a restored railcar perched in a sideyard for rapid wardrobe changes.<\/p>\n

MORE INFO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n