Historic Elitch Theatre

Historic Elitch Theatre Elitch Theatre was founded in 1891 located at the original Elitch site in NW Denver. It was the first summer stock theater company in the U.S.

Stars the graced the Elitch stage included Fredrich March, Grace Kelly, Edward G. Robinson...and more! Elitch Theatre is an 1891 theatre located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. created and developed by John and Mary Elitch. Sarah Bernhardt came to Denver in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake destroyed the theatre where she had been scheduled to perform. At E

litch's she played "Camille" at the matinees and "LaSorcier" at night. Douglas Fairbanks was hired into the same company. With the purchase of Elitch Gardens by John Mulvihill in 1916, Mary Elitch stepped down from control of the theater, but among her purchase conditions was a stipulation that two lower boxes would always be reserved in her name. Mulvihill oversaw the theatre until his death in 1930 and was succeeded by his son-in-law Arnold Gurtler. Stars that graced the Elitch Gardens Theatre's stage include Fredrich March, Grace Kelly, Edward G. Robinson, Debbie Reyonolds, Cloris Leachman, and many others. In 1953, the Elitch Theatre was used for two days to film scenes for The Glenn Miller Story. It stopped operating as a traditional resident summer-stock company in 1963, switching to single, star-packaged shows out of New York under a special Actors Equity contract. Broadway stars would be very happy to create a show featuring themselves during the summer hiatus, and perhaps bring their family along for the fun of it. A show would play for one or two weeks, before moving on. Denver and Elitch Gardens became the Western-most stop on the summer circuit. The theatre's last season was 1987, and it closed in 1991.

๐ป๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘๐‘ฆ ๐ต๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ to the legendary ๐’๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ก! ๐ŸŽ‚๐ŸŽญ Booth is one of the rare performers to achieve the ๐‘ป๐’“๐’Š๐’‘๐’๐’† ๐‘ช๐’“๐’๐’˜๐’ ๐’๐’‡ ๐‘จ๐’„๐’•...
08/30/2026

๐ป๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘๐‘ฆ ๐ต๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ to the legendary ๐’๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ก! ๐ŸŽ‚๐ŸŽญ

Booth is one of the rare performers to achieve the ๐‘ป๐’“๐’Š๐’‘๐’๐’† ๐‘ช๐’“๐’๐’˜๐’ ๐’๐’‡ ๐‘จ๐’„๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ โ€” winning an Oscar, two Emmys, and three Tony Awards over her remarkable career, including her iconic, Emmy-winning turn as the beloved TV housekeeper in ๐‘ฏ๐’‚๐’›๐’†๐’ and her Oscar-winning performance in ๐‘ช๐’๐’Ž๐’† ๐‘ฉ๐’‚๐’„๐’Œ, ๐‘ณ๐’Š๐’•๐’•๐’๐’† ๐‘บ๐’‰๐’†๐’ƒ๐’‚. ๐Ÿ†

In 1968, Denver audiences got to see that star power up close when Booth brought her Broadway role of Bunny Watson to life in ๐‘ซ๐’†๐’”๐’Œ ๐‘บ๐’†๐’• right here on our historic stage! ๐ŸŽ‰ Join us in wishing this Broadway and Hollywood legend a very happy birthday โ€” learn more about her and the many stars who've graced our stage! โœจ

๐€๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐š๐ ๐ž: https://historicelitchtheatre.org/shirley-booth/

๐“๐ข๐œ๐ค๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ฏ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐“๐Ž๐๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“! Romeo & Juliet!๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ: https://historicelitchtheatre.org/event/romeo-juliet/This sixโ€‘actor...
08/29/2026

๐“๐ข๐œ๐ค๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ฏ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐“๐Ž๐๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“! Romeo & Juliet!

๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ: https://historicelitchtheatre.org/event/romeo-juliet/

This sixโ€‘actor, musicโ€‘infused production reimagines Shakespeareโ€™s tragedy with visceral storytelling, live instrumentation, and a kinetic performance style that heightens the playโ€™s themes of love, grief, passion, and violence.

๐ŸŽญ๐ŸŽป A bold & electrifying staging of ๐‘๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐จ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž๐ญ! This Saturday and Sunday we continue our Elitch Encore season wit...
08/28/2026

๐ŸŽญ๐ŸŽป A bold & electrifying staging of ๐‘๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐จ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž๐ญ!

This Saturday and Sunday we continue our Elitch Encore season with a production by Denver Theatre Ensemble and Piknik Theatre.

๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ & ๐—ง๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€: https://historicelitchtheatre.org/event/romeo-juliet/

This musicโ€‘infused production reimagines Shakespeareโ€™s tragedy with visceral storytelling, live instrumentation, and a kinetic performance style that heightens the playโ€™s themes of love, grief, passion, and violence. Adapted and directed by Rhianna DeVries, the show blends the sound of strings and swords to create an atmosphere where every moment feels immediate, intimate, and emotionally charged.

Audiences can expect a fresh interpretation that questions the roles we inherit and the lengths we go to for loveโ€”an approach that has become a hallmark of Denver Theatre Ensembleโ€™s work.

Performed inside Denverโ€™s oldest cultural landmark, this production offers a rare chance to experience Shakespeare in a historic setting that has hosted legendary performers for more than a century. Secure your tickets now and be part of a powerful Shakespeare event that promises to resonate long after the final note fades.

Romeo and Juliet performs Saturday, August 29 at 7:30 pm and Sunday August 30 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $20 each.

๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ & ๐—ง๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€: https://historicelitchtheatre.org/event/romeo-juliet/

๐Ÿงบ ๐—•๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿต๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฑ! ๐ŸงบSome things never change... someone got ๐‘ ๐‘œ excited about a day at Elitch's Gardens that they...
08/28/2026

๐Ÿงบ ๐—•๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿต๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฑ! ๐Ÿงบ

Some things never change... someone got ๐‘ ๐‘œ excited about a day at Elitch's Gardens that they left their picnic basket behind โ€” spoons and all! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ๐Ÿ˜…

This tiny classified ad ran ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ-๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š๐ ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐š๐ฒ, in 1905, and honestly, we feel for whoever hopped off that trolley car empty-handed, already dreaming about the rides and the roses, only to realize halfway home: ๐–๐€๐ˆ๐“! ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐’๐๐Ž๐Ž๐๐’!!

A reward was offered for their safe return. We can only hope some honest person got a nice treat for their trouble!

Moral of the story: always do a final sweep of the trolley car before you disembark. Some habits are 120 years old and still true today. ๐Ÿš‹

Have YOU left your basket behind for a day at the Gardens? Let us know in the comments! ๐Ÿ‘‡

#1905

๐Ÿพ For ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐จ๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ we're celebrating ๐‚๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ! ๐ŸพLong before Elitch Gardens had roller coasters, it was Denver's fir...
08/26/2026

๐Ÿพ For ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐จ๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ we're celebrating ๐‚๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ! ๐Ÿพ

Long before Elitch Gardens had roller coasters, it was Denver's first zoo โ€” opened in 1890 by Mary Elitch, the only woman in the world at the time to own and operate one. Her menagerie grew to include lions, bears, camels, and even an ostrich she'd hitch to her cart for a ride around the grounds.

Cappless, one of Mary's many dogs lived right alongside the zoo's animals โ€” including Gladys, an African lioness. In fact, an 1896 theatre program talked about the zoo animals and noted that Cappless and Gladys will not eat without the presence of the other!

Mary treated every creature -- feathered, four-legged, or maned -- like family.

๐ŸŽญ ๐“๐„๐ ๐˜๐„๐€๐‘๐’ ๐€๐†๐Ž ๐“๐Ž๐ƒ๐€๐˜, we danced the night away at ๐—” ๐—ก๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ผ celebrating our 125th Anniversary in style! ...
08/26/2026

๐ŸŽญ ๐“๐„๐ ๐˜๐„๐€๐‘๐’ ๐€๐†๐Ž ๐“๐Ž๐ƒ๐€๐˜, we danced the night away at ๐—” ๐—ก๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ผ celebrating our 125th Anniversary in style! โœจ

Looking back at these photos, we're reminded of just how far our historic community has carried this beautiful theatre โ€” and how many more stories we've added to its walls since.

This year we're celebrating 135 years of Denver's oldest cultural venue โ€” still standing, still telling stories, and still powered by the people who love it.

๐Ÿ“ธ Swipe through our throwback gallery from that unforgettable night, and join us in celebrating over a century of magic on our stage. ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://historicelitchtheatre.org/eventsprograms/eventsgallery/gallery-night-at-trocadero/

Join us for our upcoming events! https://historicelitchtheatre.org/events/

๐Ÿฅณ๐ŸŽ‚๐ŸŽ‰ ๐‡๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐€๐ง๐ง ๐€๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ! ๐ŸŽ‚๐ŸŽIn 1987, Ann Archer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress fo...
08/25/2026

๐Ÿฅณ๐ŸŽ‚๐ŸŽ‰ ๐‡๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐€๐ง๐ง ๐€๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ! ๐ŸŽ‚๐ŸŽ

In 1987, Ann Archer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Fatal Attraction, but 20 years before, in 1968 she was a young 20-year old actress and she passed through the Historic Elitch Theatre in the tour of Glad Tidings.

Please help us celebrate an alumna of the Historic Elitch Theatre!

In 1987, Ann Archer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Fatal Attraction, but 20 years before, in 1968 she was a young 20-year old actress and she passed through the Historic Elitch Theatre in the tour of Glad Tidings.

For our 125th anniversary, we're featuring 125 alumni of the theatre. See The Ushers of Elitch Theatre Company for more information.

๐ŸŽญโœจ๐ŸŽถ ๐—•๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—˜๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ! Four reasons to visit ๐ท๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ'๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ข๐‘’ this weekend:๐ŸŽช ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ...
08/21/2026

๐ŸŽญโœจ๐ŸŽถ ๐—•๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—˜๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ!

Four reasons to visit ๐ท๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ'๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ข๐‘’ this weekend:

๐ŸŽช ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ, ๐—”๐˜‚๐—ด ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿญ @ ๐Ÿฒ๐—ฝ๐—บ โ€” FREE Family Film Series: *The Greatest Showman*
Free screening plus balloon animals and stilt walkers. Fun for the whole family.

โœจ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜, ๐—”๐˜‚๐—ด ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฎ @ ๐Ÿณ:๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ๐—ฝ๐—บ โ€” Timeless Mysteries: An Evening of Magic and Illusion
Sleight of hand, mind reading, and jaw-dropping illusions in the golden-age style of classic stage magic. Tickets $20.

๐Ÿ‘‘ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ป, ๐—”๐˜‚๐—ด ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ @ ๐Ÿญ:๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ๐—ฝ๐—บ โ€” 150 Years of Colorado and Its Legendary Ladies
Honoring Colorado's trailblazing women pioneers as we mark the state's 150th birthday. Inspiring stories and great company. Tickets available through Leading Ladies.

๐ŸŽถ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ป, ๐—”๐˜‚๐—ด ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ @ ๐Ÿฒ๐—ฝ๐—บ โ€” FREE Concert in the Carousel: Denver Mandolin Orchestra & Sentimental Sounds
Close out the weekend with a free summer evening of live music in our historic carousel space.

Four great events this weekend โ€” see you there! ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ

๐Ÿ‘‰ Full details & links: https://historicelitchtheatre.org/events/

๐‘ฐ๐™ฉ'๐™จ ๐™๐’‰๐™ช๐’“๐™จ๐’…๐™–๐’š ๐’Ž๐™ค๐’“๐™ฃ๐’Š๐™ฃ๐’ˆ... ๐Ÿฅฑ๐Ÿ˜ดHave you watched "This Is Me" from ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐†๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐’๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐š๐ง lately? If not, ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช...
08/20/2026

๐‘ฐ๐™ฉ'๐™จ ๐™๐’‰๐™ช๐’“๐™จ๐’…๐™–๐’š ๐’Ž๐™ค๐’“๐™ฃ๐’Š๐™ฃ๐’ˆ... ๐Ÿฅฑ๐Ÿ˜ด

Have you watched "This Is Me" from ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐†๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐’๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐š๐ง lately?

If not, ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ!!

๐Ÿ‘‰ https://youtu.be/CjxugyZCfuw ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜

That song is more than a showstopper โ€” it's a declaration. In a world that often feels divided, angry, and quick to judge, this is the anthem we need: ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ก๐š๐ญ๐ž, ๐š๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฉ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ž๐ฑ๐œ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฆ๐ž. It's a reminder that every single one of us belongs, exactly as we are.

Join us ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐…๐ซ๐ข๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐€๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ฌ๐ญ, at the Historic Elitch Theatre for a showing of The Greatest Showman! ๐ŸŽฌ

๐ŸŽˆ ๐Ÿ”:๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐๐Œ โ€” Kick off the evening with a stilt walker twisting up animal balloons for the kids (and the kids at heart)
๐ŸŽฅ ๐Ÿ•:๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐๐Œ -- Movie starts shortly after โ€” Settle in for a night of music, wonder, and a message we could all stand to hear again

Bring the family. Bring your neighbors. Bring whoever needs reminding that they are seen, valued, and celebrated exactly as they are.

๐‘ป๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’Š๐’” ๐’Ž๐’†. ๐‘ป๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’Š๐’” ๐’š๐’๐’–. ๐‘ป๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’Š๐’” ๐’–๐’”. ๐ŸŒˆ

๐€๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ: https://historicelitchtheatre.org/event/free-family-film-series-the-greatest-showman/

Address

4600 W 37th Place
Denver, CO
80212

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