Theater Aspen has been graced with years of success and continual growth, physically culminating in the beautiful new Hurst Theatre in the Rio Grand Park a stones throw from the Rio Grande river. Surrounded by beautiful gardens and pools this hidden gem is a marvelous location to see a show after a great day of skiing or hiking up Aspen Mountain. Coming from the basement of the Hotel Jerome in 1983 and changing directors and names several times over the years the Theatre is stronger than ever.
Theatre Aspen’s professional productions feature the best of Broadway talent, as well as local performers, offering musicals, plays, new work and family-friendly shows that are perfect for a summer vacation. The 2013 season included world-class performances of Les Miserables, Fully Committed and Charlie Brown. Fully Commited featured Matt Bailey as the lone actor, playing some 40 characters, all of them spinning around the dizzyingly busy reservations desk of a hot-spot New York restaurant.
Over the years the local productions have tackled big name shows with the bravado unparalleled from such a small town, proving that Aspen truly has the ability to present performances on par with New York and other major centers of art.
In addition to providing Aspen with great theatre arts, Theatre Aspen offers theatre education for children ages 5-18, as well as adults through TAS (Theatre Aspen Schools). Our approach emphasizes providing high-quality professional training in the various elements of theatre – both onstage and backstage – in lieu of merely just providing a performance opportunity. It is also our goal to build character and confidence in our young students. We provide a large number of scholarships and work-study opportunities, and are proud of the fact that we have never turned a student away due to financial need.
How lucky is this small community to have the opportunity to experience the majesty and grace of the mountains, then enjoy a Broadway worthy show all in the same day.