All the World's a Stage: Children's Theater in Denver

Emily Vanek - Denver
May 15, 2012

Denver has so much to offer families-national parks, museums, and even a fabulous zoo! Parents may not know there are also many ways to share the love of theater and the arts with their children in and around Denver as well. Musicals and plays and children's productions are in abundance. Here are our top five venues for theatrical performances.

Denver Center for the Performing Arts (or the DCPA as it's locally known) hosts many events for parents and children alike. Featuring such shows as The Lion King, Wicked and Stomp, the DCPA is also next to a great landmark: The Big Blue Bear. The piece is called "I See What You Mean" and is quite the attraction for kids! He is seen peeking into the Convention Center and is a great place to take photos before or after your show!

Heritage Square Music Hall is just minutes away from Denver in Golden, Colorado. The Music Hall's performers treat children to interactive entertainment each Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Each performance is a fun-packed hour of original plays based on favorite fairy tales, and children from the audience are often called on stage to help. Each play is written to include as many children as possible. This is also a low-cost venue with tickets well under $10 per person, per show.

The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities is a multi-use cultural facility just northwest of Denver. In addition to shows and the Front Range Youth Symphony, this center also hosts a myriad of summer camps featuring music, dance, visual arts, humanities, and more. If you are looking for a one-stop shop of cultural art and fun, the Arvada Center is it!

The Colorado Ballet is a nationally recognized regional dance company that was originally conceived as a ballet school but now performs favorite shows such as The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. They also offer dance camps for kids such as Roots of Hip Hop, Dance and Art Collide, Boot Camp, and more. Kids and parents will enjoy a night of culture, family, and dancing. What could be better? They also have The Academy, a world renowned ballet school for ages three through adult, beginner through professional.

The Magic Playhouse in Boulder, Colorado, is home to the Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids. With plays, workshops, and summer camps, this immersive theater gives students, beginner and experienced alike, a professional theater experience as well as the unique opportunity to study theater in a true workshop environment. They can learn how the plays work from the ground up. Music, lighting, art, props and much, much more! They also have a program in Denver at Saint Mary's Anglican Church and Calvary Temple.

These are just a few of the many performing arts complexes, centers, and playhouses the Denver metro area has to offer families. Most of them also off summer camps, workshops and acting or dance classes, so make sure you check them out!