DENVER’S BUELL THEATRE GREETS THE FALL SEASON WITH A FACELIFT
With new seats, carpeting and lobby doors, the Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex is greeting fall theatergoers with an inviting new look. Home to touring Broadway theatre productions, concerts, lectures and much more, the 17-year-old venue received its first major update since the building’s 1991 opening.
Owned and operated by the City and County of Denver’s Division of Theatres and Arenas, the 2,843-seat theatre underwent renovations during the summer of 2008. The $1.2 million project was financed by Theatres and Arenas’ capital budget and the Buell Foundation. Upgrades at the venue include:
Original seats were replaced with self-rising, cherry-stained wooden seats. Moving away from the teal décor of the theatre’s early-90s beginnings, the new seats feature deep red upholstery, creating a new look for the venue’s interior that is reminiscent of traditional theatre color schemes. Most seats now include cup-holders to accommodate patrons at shows that allow beverages to be taken into the house.
The worn carpet found inside the theatre was replaced with approximately 4,000 yards of new carpet. The carpet complements colors already found in the main lobby, and the installation of a similar carpet is planned for the venue’s lobbies in 2009.
New doors were added to the main lobby entrance of the theatre, creating a vestibule that will enhance energy efficiency and create additional space for patrons in the lobby.
Walls located in the mid-Orchestra and rear of the Mezzanine and Balcony sections were removed, allowing for additional wheelchair seating and making the venue more flexible and accessible for patrons with disabilities.
The Buell Theatre provides an ideal setting for amplified musicals, dramatic plays, music performances and comedy acts and consistently ranks as a top-grossing theatre for its size nationally.
Denver Center Attractions, the Broadway touring division of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and one of the Buell Theatre’s main tenants, presents
The Drowsy Chaperone at the venue October 14 – 26. The first theatrical offering in the venue since its renovation, the Tony Award-winning musical was one of the most celebrated productions of the 2006 Broadway season. Upcoming Denver Center Attractions shows at the Buell include
Jersey Boys, The Color Purple, Spring Awakening, the new musical
Little House on the Prairie and eagerly awaited return engagements of
Wicked and
The Phantom of the Opera. For information on season ticket packages, visit
www.denvercenter.org.
An increasingly popular concert venue, several major music events will also be held at the Buell Theatre this fall. KBCO (97.3 FM) presents the Studio C
20 th Anniversary Concert on October 30, featuring Alanis Morissette, G. Love and Special Sauce and Newton Faulkner; ticket information is available at www.kbco.com. Live Nation presents Jackson Browne on November 1, and AEG Live presents Vince Gill on November 2, and k.d. lang on November 8; tickets for all three shows are available at www.ticketmaster.com.
The City of Denver’s Division of Theatres and Arenas owns and operates the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Colorado Convention Center and the historic Denver Coliseum. For more information visit www.artscomplex.com, www.redrocksonline.com, www.denverconvention.com and www.denvercoliseum.com.