There are just about 400 people living year-round in Creede, Colo., and yet that town has been sustaining a theater company since 1966. How the heck did that happen, and how does it keep going?

Elisabeth first went to Creede in 2021, and wrote about Creede Repertory Theater for The New York Times. She loved the experience so much that she went back to Creede on vacation the following year (and wrote a follow-up piece). Then she went skiing at nearby Wolf Creek, but that’s another story.

On today’s podcast we welcome Creede Rep’s producing artistic director John DiAntonio and marketing director Kate Berry. They talked to us about the joys and challenges of producing true rep, how they build a season, who attends their shows, the importance of negotiation and compromise when running a company in a place like Creede — which sits at close to 9,000 feet in the San Juan mountains, about five hours from Denver.

We hear a lot of horror stories about theater these days, and it’s true that things are rough out there, but Creede Rep is a tale of perseverance, and how theater can save a town.

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marksvincentelli.substack.com/subscribe