Denver Performing Arts Complex
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Coordinates: The Denver Performing Arts Complex (sometimes referred to locally as "The Plex" or simply, "Denver Center") located in Denver, Colorado, is the second largest performing arts center in the world after New York City's Lincoln Center, and the largest "of its kind" in the Western Hemisphere. The DPAC is a four-block, 12 acre site containing ten performance spaces with over 10,000 seats connected by an 80 ft (24 m) tall glass roof. It is home to a Tony Award-winning theatre company, Broadway touring productions, contemporary dance and ballet, magnificent chorales, a major symphony orchestra, internationally-acclaimed opera and more.
The City and County of Denver’s Theatres and Arenas Division owns and operates the three largest theatres in DPAC, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, the Buell Theatre and Boettcher Concert Hall. These and the other facilities of the Complex are managed and booked by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA).
Performing arts organizations which regularly appear in one or other of the performance spaces include the Colorado Ballet, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ theatrical divisions — Denver Center Attractions, Denver Center Theatre Company and the National Theatre Conservatory.
[edit] Performance and other facilities
The Denver Performing Arts Complex houses the following performance spaces:
- The Ellie Caulkins Opera House, colloquially known as “the Ellie,” is the premier venue inside of the historic Quigg Newton Denver Municipal Auditorium. The Ellie, a world-class acoustical hall designed in the lyric style. The Ellie is one of only three opera houses in the United States, one of nine world-wide, with seatback titling at every seat in the house. Its seating capacity is 2,225.
- The Buell Theatre, is designed to provide the audience with a first-rate theatrical experience featuring incredible acoustical enhancements. The Buell is the Denver venue of choice for high-profile, traveling Broadway shows and provides an ideal setting for amplified musicals, dramatic plays and comedy acts. The Buell Theatre consistently ranks as a top-grossing theatre for its size nationally. Its seating capacity is 2,884.
- Boettcher Concert Hall, is the nation’s first symphony hall in the round designed to place the audience close to the stage in a unique environment – 80% of the seats are within 65 feet (20 m) of the stage. The seats in Boettcher are custom-designed, made from steam-bent plywood with their backs varying in height from 42 inches (1,100 mm) to 48 inches (1,200 mm). Its seating capacity is 2,679.
The Stage, Space, Ricketson, Jones, Garner Galleria and Tramway Theatres, as well as the Seawell Grand Ballroom are managed by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
- The Stage Theatre features 778 seats and a thrust stage.
- The Space Theatre has 450 seats in-the-round.
- The Ricketson Theatre has 250 seats in a proscenium theatre.
- The Jones Theatre features 200 seats and a thrust stage.
- The Garner Galleria Theatre has 210-seats and features cabaret shows by Denver Center Attractions, which presented Denver’s longest-running show — I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.
- The Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom is a pentagonal shaped room with panoramic views of the mountains. This 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) facility holds a maximum capacity of 1,029 people. It can accommodate a variety of functions and performances, featuring its own catering kitchen, freight elevator, tables, chairs, portable dance floor, moveable platform staging and a state-of-the-art lighting, audio, video and projection systems.
- The Tramway Theatre is a this state-of-the-art, 183-seat proscenium theatre is located in the Historic Tramway building and is home to the National Theatre Conservatory.
