Your support ensures that CSTC/Tapestry will continue to offer youth and young adults of all abilities a place to learn, be challenged, and grow through quality theatre experiences.
The mission of CenterStage Theatre Company is to create artistic productions and programs that enlighten, educate and entertain our community. We inspire and nurture a passion for the performing arts by providing opportunities for all ages and abilities.
CenterStage Theatre Company (CenterStage) houses both a high-quality educational youth theatre and a unique special needs-focused company that showcases diversity through drama. Based in Boulder County, CenterStage serves students and audiences throughout the greater metro area.
The youth program of CenterStage provides theatre classes, workshops, and productions to a wide array of students from elementary to early college. During our 20-year history, we have produced over 70 full-scale musical productions, often at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, Louisville Middle School, or the Louisville Center for the Arts. In 2018, we opened our own 70 seat Black Box Theatre at our facility in downtown Louisville.
Tapestry Theatre is our program devoted to the awareness and empowerment of children and young adults with special needs. Tapestry casts actors ages 10-adult with varying special needs (including intellectual, physical, and autism spectrum) in primary roles alongside actors without special needs as peer ensemble. Lead actors and ensemble members are partnered during the rehearsal and performance process. Tapestry's focus is to put special needs students in the forefront, utilizing their gifts to the fullest. In 2015, Tapestry expanded its programming to include performance opportunities for adults with cognitive disabilities by adding a Tapestry All Ages show.
Like many arts organizations, the pandemic was not easy for CenterStage, but buoyed by recent government grants and successful online and outdoor programs, the future is looking bright. Shuttered for much of 2020, the company slowly worked to maximize all opportunities beginning at the end of 2020. First offering online classes alongside several virtual productions including She Kills Monsters (high school), Annie Kids (elementary), and The Theory of Relativity (high school). Then, due to the close proximity of an outdoor amphitheater (The Steinbaugh Pavilion), CenterStage offered several live outdoor productions including 13, The Musical (middle school; spring 2021), and then an array of summer 2021 offerings including Pirates Past Noon and Annie Kids (elementary), Fame Jr. (middle school) and finally the fully produced 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (high school and early college). While Tapestry Theatre has been forced to stay shuttered due to the sensitive health of its population, their first production in two years, Cinderella, goes into rehearsals in late November 2021 with performances scheduled for spring 2022.
Undaunted by the challenges of the pandemic and galvanized by the success of the spring and summer programs, the board took the unprecedented step of hiring their first FT staff person in veteran arts administrator Steve Wilson. Steve took the helm as Executive Artistic Director in August 2021, bringing 26 years of non-profit experience to the organization. Among other notable credits, Steve ran the Mizel Arts and Culture Center, Phamaly Theatre Company, and was a central figure in the 2016 SCFD reauthorization effort. Steve joins part-time administrator Christina Monsolino, whose tireless dedication to CenterStage throughout the pandemic assisted the organization in navigating difficult and unprecedented times. Both employees and the deeply engaged CSTC Board of Directors have set the stage for an exciting period of growth for CenterStage.
Recently voted "Best Non-Profit" in Louisville by the Boulder Weekly - October 2021
"CenterStage's dedication both to educating and empowering youth and to the Front Range theatre scene is undeniable." - Boulder Weekly
"In a space that holds less than 100 people, CenterStage's 'Spelling Bee' is proof you don't need the big lights and big stage to spell g-r-e-a-t s-h-o-w." - Mark Collins, Daily Camera Theatre Critic
"As president of the Colorado Community Theatre Coalition, I would like to encourage you to patronize the work of this theatre. The presence of theatre like CenterStage Theatre Company in your community adds to the overall quality of life available to all." - Wendy S. Moore, Glenwood Springs
From Parents:
"I love CenterStage. It's more collegial/friendly than some of the school-based drama programs in terms of feeling inclusive/welcoming/non-competitive."
"My daughter has always done [shows with a different theatre company] in the past but preferred CenterStage because she said she learned more."
From Actors:
"I loved working with the directors! They seemed so passionate about what they are doing. They really brought us all together as a cast."
