The Denver Gazette’s senior arts writer on this year’s True West Awards recognizing Colorado theatre artists.

 Introduction & Recent Shows (00:00-06:30) Alex and Toni welcome John Moore from the Denver Gazette to discuss the final year of his True West Awards. The hosts share their recent theater experiences, including Frozen at the Arvada Center, where they were impressed by the technical execution and performances from Anne Terze-Swarz and Jennasea Pearce. John mentions seeing Matt Zambrano in the BETC production of Every Brilliant Thing, Frozen, and his final visit to Rattlebrain's Santa's Big Red Sack after 23 years of watching it evolve.

Holiday Productions & New Companies (06:30-25:00) Toni reviews Wonderbound's ambitious Holidays at the Hideaway Hotel set to Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom, praising its complex storytelling. He also discusses What If Theater's What the Dickens, an improvised take on A Christmas Carol that showed promise but suffered from performers not following improv fundamentals. The group discusses Ballet Ariel's unusual pairing of a condensed Nutcracker with Little Women. 

Season Announcements & Industry News (25:00-32:00) Two Cent Lion announces new leadership under Olivia Buntaine with a 2026 season featuring three productions focused on queer narratives and gender exploration. The hosts pause to honor Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle following their tragic deaths, reflecting on Reiner's theatrical roots and iconic films like The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men.

True West Awards Discussion (32:00-50:00) John explains this is the final year of his 25-year tradition of the True West Awards—30 daily stories celebrating Colorado theatre achievements throughout December. He discusses the personal cost of the intensive writing project and his desire to spend more time with family. Key awards mentioned include recognizing Rattlebrain Theatre, Matt Zambrano's banner year, Phillips Sneed's retirement from the Arvada Center, DU tech students building professional sets, and emerging writers like Olivia Buntaine and Emy McGuire.

Creative Couples & Standout Performers (50:00-57:00) John highlights the trend of married couples being cast as romantic partners in 2025, specifically Marco and Adriane Robinson appearing together in three major productions. He praises costume designer Nicole Harrison's prolific output of 18 designed shows with involvement in 60 total productions. The discussion emphasizes how directors are leveraging real-life chemistry to compensate for shortened rehearsal periods.

Denver Actors Fund Update (57:00-1:00:00) John provides an update on the Denver Actors Fund, which has distributed $238,000 in 2025 alone (totaling $1.8 million since 2014) to help Colorado theatre artists with medical, dental, veterinary and mental health expenses. He announces new webinars in partnership with Connect for Health Colorado to help artists navigate healthcare subsidy changes. The fund has never turned anyone away and continues to operate entirely through volunteer efforts and community donations.

OnStage Colorado Updates & Wrap-Up (1:00:00-1:05:30) Alex announces the upcoming third annual OnStage Colorado Awards (OSCAs) scheduled for January, noting they'll recognize excellence from approximately 165 reviewed productions this year. He shares plans to potentially transition OnStage Colorado to nonprofit status in 2026 to access grants and expand coverage. The hosts encourage theatres to submit events directly through their website form. They thank listeners for a successful 2025 featuring 45 podcasts, 165 reviews, and 50 newsletters, signing off until January.

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca reflect on the year in Colorado theatre, discussing recent performances, notable shows, and the impact of national politics on local arts funding. They highlight various productions, including It's a Wonderful Life, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol and Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum, while also addressing leadership changes within theatre organizations. 

Also in this episode a look at the Top 10 Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows worth checking out:

• Santa’s Big Red Sack: The Final Season, The People’s Building, Aurora, Dec. 4-24
• Grandma’s Last Hayride, Golden Outpost, Dec. 4-20
• Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre, Dec. 10-31
• Three Leaches New Play Festival (Weekend 2), Three Leaches Theater, Lakewood, Dec. 11-13
• Little Women & The Nutcracker, Ballet Ariel in Lakewood and Northglenn, Dec. 12-28
• The Notebook: The Musical, Denver Center Buell Theatre, Dec. 16-28
• Ben Roy’s Ha-Ha Holiday Comedy Show, Denver Comedy Undergroun, Dec. 26-27
• New Year’s Eve with Eddit Ifft, Comedy Works South, Dec. 31
• New Year’s Eve with Emo Philips, Comedy Works Downtown, Dec. 31
• NYE Comedy Showcase, Denver Comedy Lounge, Dec. 31

Plus an interview with Jo McIver Lee and Em Perez from Unleashed Theater about their Hallmark-movie-meets-slasher-flick play opening this weekend. 

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca follow up on last week’s show featuring holiday shows around the state to call out some of the non-holiday offerings available. From the military courtroom drama A Few Good Men at Boulder’s Upstart Crow Theatre to Theatreworks’ production of The Importance of Being Earnest in Colorado Springs, there are more than a few un-tinseled shows to see this month.

Along with a bit of theatre news touching on Colorado Gives Day and Giving Tuesday, we also get into John Moore’s annual True West Awards — which he says are the last ever this year. Later in the episode, Alex interviews Em Perez and Jo McIver Lee from Unleashed Theatre about their upcoming show Christmas Movie, The Play, The Beginning - described as “Hallmark Christmas meets 80s slasher.”

Alex and Toni celebrate Thanksgiving week with a packed episode featuring reviews of Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, Camp Christmas 2025, Batman Live, Mary Poppins at Colorado Springs FAC, and the disappointing Wicked: For Good. They discuss major news including Hamilton's licensing availability for community theaters, Candlelight's 2026 season announcement, Frozen breaking box office records at Arvada Center, and capital campaign milestones for Arts Hub Lafayette and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. The hosts share their top holiday theater picks across Colorado, then Alex interviews Meghan Frank (Theater Artibus) and Amber Blais (Starry Night Productions) about their circus cabaret collaboration Moonlight Elves, a playful show pitting North Pole elves against South Pole elves at the Savoy featuring 20+ Colorado performers. Plus, they preview next week's conversation about Unleashed Theater's Christmas Movie, The Play, The Beginning - described as "Hallmark meets 80s slasher."

Plus the latest shows and an interview with Debut Theatre Founder and Artistic Director Lee Kaplan

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Toni Tresca and Alex Miller dive into the latest shows they’ve seen and take a look at theatre programs. How do people feel about no program, or a “light” program with just one page and a QR code link? Also, what’s up with the decision for NY theatres to dispense with the casts-change slip in the program?

Later in the episode, Alex catches up with Lee Kaplan, the founder and artistic director at Fort Collins’ Debut Theatre. With more than three decades of teaching youth everything from acting to set design, lighting and more, the theatre is poised to get its own space finally in an old AMC theatre.

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Toni Tresca and Alex Miller jump into what they’ve seen lately on stage, run through some arts news from around the state and discuss the week’s Top 10 Colorado Headliners. This week’s list:

• Job, Curious Theatre, Denver, through Dec. 7
• Jerry’s Girls, Veritas Productions/Mizel Center Denver, Nov. 13-23
• Daisy Violet the Bitch Beast King, Feather Fall/Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, Nov. 13-30
• Drag Queen Magic, Local Theater Company/e-Town in Boulder, Nov. 18
• Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, Candlelight, Johnstown, Nov. 20-Jan. 11
• Murder on the Orient Express, Viva Theater, Boulder Dairy Arts Center through Nov. 23
• The Elixir of Love, Boulder Opera at Dairy Arts Center, Nov. 15-16
• Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous, Vintage Theatre, Aurora, through Nov. 23
• Sherlock Holmes & the Greek Chorus, Theater Company of Lafayette, through Nov. 23
• A Doll’s House, Millibo Art Theatre, Colorado Springs, Nov. 13-23

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca look at some recent A&E news — including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s season announcement and a chat with Ballyhoo Table & Stage founder Julia Tobey on the new venue’s grand opening this Saturday.

Later in the podcast, Alex chats with Scot Merchant, creator of the new musical Ichabod, which has its world premiere at Denver’s Mizel Center Oct. 30.

Also in this episode, the Top 10 Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows from around Colorado that may be worth checking out. Here’s the list in no particular order:

• Ghostlight, Oct. 29, Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and Nov. 12, at various venues in the Denver metro area
• Edgar Allan Poe Is Dead and So Is My Cat, Oct. 31-Nov. 16, Buntport Theater, Denver
• La Traviata, Nov. 1-9, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch - remount, Nov. 6-23, Ballyhoo, Denver
• R.U.R., Nov. 6-23, Spring Ensemble Theatre, Colorado Springs, 
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Schoolhouse Theater, Parker, through Nov. 16
• Dracula, Main St. Live, Trinidad, through Nov. 2
• Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Denver Center Garner Galleria, through May 10
• Misery, OpenStage at Fort Collins Lincoln Center, Oct. 31-Nov. 29
• Alibis & Other Lies, What If Theatre, Lakewood, through Nov. 1

Just a bit of news and reviews from around the theatre community

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado podcast, hosts Toni Tresca and Alex Miller talk about recent productions they’ve seen, including Wonderbound's Rock Ballets, Audacious Immersive's Cult of Cthulhu, Diva Royale at Miners Alley and Lizzie at Aurora Fox. They also discuss Colorado arts news including leadership changes at the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, the upcoming 48th Denver Film Festival and ongoing sound quality issues at the Buell Theater.

Miners Alley’s Len Matheo joins to talk about the pros and cons of running a bar, plus Top 10 Colorado Headliners

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Toni Tresca and Alex Miller are joined by Len Matheo, Producing Artistic Director at Miners Alley Performing Arts Center in Golden. We wanted to talk about serving alcohol in theatres — the pros and cons, revenue opportunities, disruptive patrons etc. — and since Miners Alley has one of the most full-service theatre bars in Colorado, we figured Len would have some thoughts. He also gives us the low-down on what’s up on stage at MAP this year and next.

Later in the episode we dig into our Top 10 Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows from around Colorado you might want to check out. Here they are, in no particular order: 

·      Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous, Vintage Theatre, Oct. 17-Nov. 23

 ·      Bless Me, Ultima, Su Teatro, Oct. 16-Nov. 2

 ·      Disney’s The Lion King, DCPA, Oct. 23-Nov. 16

 ·      Rocky Horror Show, Durango Arts Center, Oct. 24-Nov. 1

 ·      Goodnight Moon, DCPA Theatre for Young Audiences, Oct. 24-Jan. 25, 2026

 ·      Same Time, Next Year, Bailey Theatre Co., Oct. 9-19

 ·      Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Aurora Fox, through Oct. 18

 ·      LIZZIE, Aurora Fox, Oct. 10-Nov. 2

 ·      Cult of Cthulhu, Audacious Immersive, various Front Range locations

 ·      Diva Royal, Miners Alley, Golden, through Oct. 31

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca take a deep dive into Spooky Season. From multiple Rocky Horrors, Miseries and Draculas, we scanned the state to highlight some of what’s happening as we race toward a Friday Halloween this month.

We also hit some news and Toni recaps some recent reviews: Steel Magnolias at Candlelight and A Case for Black Girls Setting Central Park on Fire at Local Theater.

Director Kelly Van Oosbree guest-hosts, plus an interview with ‘Shucked’ actor Ryan Fitzgerald and the Top 10 Colorado Headliners

 What’s the big deal if actors don’t show up for an audition slot? Plenty, says Kelly Van Oosbree, who joins hosts Toni Tresca and Alex Miller to talk about that and all she’s up to with shows at the Aurora Fox and Platte Valley Theatre Arts as well as her new role as artistic director at Performance Now Theatre Company.

Later in the episode, Alex catches up with actor Ryan Fitzgerald — a graduate of the Denver School for the Arts now in the touring Broadway production of the musical comedy Shucked. After getting his start at Jester’s Dinner Theatre in Longmont, Fitzgerald has been on the road for years, with an international tour of West Side Story and this tour of Shucked, which plays at the Denver Center Oct. 7-19 and ends next June in Las Vegas.

Also in the episode we run down our list of the Top 10 Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows that might be worth checking out. This week’s list, in no particular order:

• First Date, Vintage Theatre, Aurora, Sept. 29-Oct. 23
• The Vampire of Cripple Creek, The Butte Theater, Cripple Creek, Oct. 3-Nov. 2
• A Fine Monster You Are, Impossible Players, Pueblo, Oct. 3-18
• A Case for Black Girls Setting Central Park on Fire, Local Theater Company, Boulder, Oct. 2-25
• The Pumpkin Kid, Ballyhoo Table & Stage, Denver, Oct.
       4-25
• Misery, Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts, Oct. 3-12
• Dracula, Colorado Ballet, Denver, Oct. 3-12
• Hamlet, Merely Players, Durango, Oct. 3-12
• Alabama Story, Firehouse Theater at John Hand Theater,
       Denver, Sept. 27-Oct. 26.
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Denver Center Theatre Company, Oct. 3-Nov. 2