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In a bonus episode recorded on location in Creede, OnStage Colorado sits down with the Creede Repertory Theatre's artistic director and a first-time ensemble member to talk localized theatre, repertory acting and more.

Chapter summary

• 00:01 — Intro: a bonus episode recorded on location in Creede for CRT's 61st summer season
• 01:18 — Meeting Emily Van Fleet and Noelia Antweiler (and Noelia's on-the-way baby)
• 04:09 — How the season's theme, All in a Day's Work, ties together Working, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Moriarty and Fully Committed
• 08:26 — Noelia on playing Schwartzy in Spelling Bee and Irene Adler, Mrs. Hudson and Cartwright in Moriarty
• 11:36 — Casting adults as authentic kids, not caricatures
• 16:10 — Emily on her second season, doubling as managing director, and her dad Philip Sneed's parallel career at the Arvada Center
• 18:35 — How CRT casts nationally: EPAs, 800 video submissions and a monthslong callback process
• 19:45 — Why Noelia wanted to work at Creede for years
• 20:51 — The reward — and the trap — of repertory acting
• 22:26 — Life on Main Street during a Creede summer
• 24:13 — Beyond the mainstage: Boomtown Improv, the Kid Show program and the bilingual Young Audience Outreach Tour
• 27:12 — The Headwaters New Play program
• 28:17 — An update on the Creede USA documentary
• 29:22 — What's next for Noelia: motherhood, then Liberation at BETC
• 31:01 — Where to eat, hike and explore around Creede
• 34:58 — Alex and Toni's takeaways on all four shows
• 37:51 — First impressions of the town itself
• 43:05 — Wrap-up and what's ahead for the podcast

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Summer camp for theatre critics, a community theatre showdown and our top 10 Colorado Headliners

Toni's back from two weeks at the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, where 14 working critics from around the country spent every day seeing shows, writing overnight reviews and having their work critiqued by peers and program director Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune. He shares what he learned about writing leaner reviews, leading with a clear opinion, staying "on the side of the art" and why the future of arts journalism looks a lot like what we're building here at OnStage Colorado.

Plus, Alex talks with Shane DeLavan, board president of the Colorado Community Theater Coalition, about the Colorado Theatre Festival coming to the Historic Elitch Theatre in Denver Aug. 14-16 — how adjudication works, why this cycle year could send two companies to regionals and how to attend or compete. Details at cctcfestival.org.

And as always: the best things we've seen lately, our top 10 Colorado headliners and a preview of our theatre road trip to Creede.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome and episode preview

01:26 – Best things we've seen: 'Shakespeare in Love' at CSF, 'Sinners' at Red Rocks, plus review crew reports from Aspen, Breckenridge and Central City Opera

06:04 – Main topic: Inside the National Critics Institute — daily reviews, peer critiques and the three audiences every critic writes for

14:09 – "On the side of the art": cheerleaders, haters and how to assign blame (hint: it's usually the director)

25:02 – First time in a newsroom, plus lessons from film, food and dance critics

30:58 – The state of arts journalism and why local platforms are the answer

36:59 – Interview: Shane Delavan on the CCTC's Colorado Theatre Festival, Aug. 14-16 at the Historic Elitch Theatre

59:22 – Top 10 headliners: 'Around the World in 80 Days' (Buntport), 'Grease' (Theatre Aspen), 'The Yeomen of the Guard' (Empire Lyric Players), 'Henry V' (Telluride Theatre), 'Dames at Sea' (Butte Theater), 'Honky Tonk Angels' (Little Theatre of the Rockies), 'Matilda' (Candlelight), 'The Witch' (BETC), Thingamajig Theatre's summer season and 'Dear Jack, Dear Louise' (Vintage Theatre)

1:11:12 – Upcoming reviews and our Creede road trip, July 17-19

1:14:45 – Offstage: 'Bridesmaids' at Red Rocks, Nolan's 'The Odyssey,' 'Silo' season 4 and 'The Invite'

Subscribe to the OnStage Colorado Weekly Blast newsletter at onstagecolorado.com for reviews, news and detailed calendar listings every Thursday.

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Alex and Toni dig into the 20th annual Henry Award nominations from the Colorado Theatre Guild — 168 nominations across 24 categories, with the ceremony set for July 20 at the Arvada Center. 

The Denver Center combined for 26 nominations across DCTC and the DCPA Cabaret, Lone Tree Arts Center hauled 17 for Nice Work If You Can Get It alone, and Firehouse Theatre landed 14, largely driven by Alabama Story. The guys break down the dominant productions, the geographic spread, the repeat nominees and the notable snubs. They also run through what the review crew has been seeing, share their top 10 Colorado headliners for the coming weeks and catch up on what they've been watching offstage. 

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OnStage Colorado is growing. In this monthly episode, Alex Miller and Toni Tresca announce the launch of On Screen Colorado, a new sister site dedicated to covering Colorado's film and TV landscape — from Sundance's arrival in Boulder in January 2027 to the 20+ festivals already happening across the state each year.

The guys also catch up on recent reviews from the OSC crew — including Much Ado About Nothing at Platte Valley Players, English and Somewhere at the DCPA, Mary Jane, Furlough's Paradise, Jagged Little Pill and We Are the Tigers. Plus, Alex sits down with playwright Mia Burnett and Veritas Productions founding artistic director Nancy Evans Begley to talk about Burnett's new play Divine Bull Transformation, opening May 15 at Denver's Mizel Center. And as always, the episode wraps with the top 10 Colorado headliners worth checking out in the coming weeks.

For more Colorado theatre coverage, subscribe to the Theatre Blast newsletter at onstagecolorado.com.

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On the first episode of our newly monthly format, Alex and Toni dig into Curious Theatre's sale of its Acoma Street home and temporary move to Cleo Parker Robinson Dance for season 29. Artistic Director Jada Suzanne Dixon joins Alex to walk through what's next for the building, the company and its new lineup. Plus: Buntport's $2.65M capital campaign, season announcements from DCPA, Theatreworks, Upstart Crow and the Colorado New Play Festival, and the shows — from Furlough's Paradise to Madame Butterfly — to put on your calendar this month.

Subscribe to the Theatre Blast newsletter at onstagecolorado.com for weekly Colorado theatre coverage.

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A look-ahead to the shows popping up around the state for summer, plus the week’s Top 10 Colorado Headliners

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca run down some of the latest Colorado theatre news, take a look at what’s ahead for the summer season around the state and also dive into the week’s Top 10 Colorado Headliners. This week’s list:

·      Come From Away, Arvada Center, through May 10

 ·      Ballet Masterworks, Colorado Ballet at Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Center, April 10-18

 ·      Romeo & Juliet, ENT Center, Colorado Springs, April 9-May 3

 ·      White, Firehouse Theater, Denver, April 4-May 3

 ·      The Old Man and the Old Moon], Fort Lewis College, Durango, through April 4

 ·      Shush, Now, Theatre Artibus, The Savoy Denver, March 26-April 12

 ·      Frozen, Springs Ensemble Theatre, Colorado Springs, April 2-19

 ·      the Light vs the Dark, The Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, April 3-5

 ·      The Secret Circus Musical, RISE Comedy, Denver, April 4-5

 ·      Angels in America Part Two, Vintage Theatre, Aurora, April 4-May 10

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A look at how we approach theatre criticism at OnStage Colorado, plus the week's Top 10 Colorado Headliners and a conversation with the Denver Theatre Ensemble.

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca turn the critical lens on themselves, digging into the craft — and the controversy — of writing honest theatre reviews. As Toni's criticism has grown sharper over five years of covering Colorado's stages, so has the response: from grateful notes to hurt feelings aired on social media. What does it mean to be kind and honest at the same time? And where is the line between candor and cruelty?

Toni also catches up on a busy stretch of shows: Steven Dietz's intricate Fiction at Three Leeches in Lakewood, the bracingly timely Just Like Us at Su Teatro, a strong but imperfect A Chorus Line at the Lakewood Cultural Center, and the world premiere of Nina Alice Miller's lyrical Daughtering from Dirty Fish Theatre at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder.

Later, Alex sits down with Rhianna DeVries and Tess Neel, the artistic director and producing director of Denver Theatre Ensemble — a young, DU-rooted company now in its third season and gearing up for an all-world-premieres lineup that includes a collaboration with Picnic Theatre Company in Steamboat Springs.

IN THIS EPISODE:
- Recent show catchup: Fiction, Just Like Us, A Chorus Line, Daughtering
- News: Arvada Center 2025-26 season announcement
- News: Yates Theatre in Denver's Berkeley neighborhood moves closer to reopening as a 300-seat indie cinema
- News: Can anyone make a living in theatre? A viral Facebook post sparks 115 comments
- Main topic: Theatre criticism — honesty, kindness, community theatre and editorial integrity
- Interview: Rhianna DeVries and Tess Neel, Denver Theatre Ensemble
- Top 10 Colorado Headliners

TOP 10 COLORADO HEADLINERS:
- Phantom of the Opera — Denver Center Buell Theatre, March 18-April 5
- Goodnight Moon — Parker Arts (stage production + Fiber Tale exhibit), through March 29
- Pen Pals — Theatre Aspen, March 20-21 only
- Little Women — Phamaly Theatre Company, Parsons Theatre, Northglenn, March 19-April 4
- The Cottage — OpenStage Theatre, Fort Collins, March 21-April 18
- Cheap Thrills — Telluride Theatre, Sheridan Opera House, March 20-21
- Proof — Magic Circle Players, Montrose, through March 28
- Bonnie & Clyde — Bright Heart Stages, The People's Building, Aurora, March 20-29
- Women's Theatre Festival — Millibo Art Theatre, Colorado Springs, through March 22
- Red Willow — Control Group Productions, South Platte Park, Littleton, March 20-April 4

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As Off-Center retreats, new players like DIRT, Audacious and Odd Knock bet big on permanent venues and original work

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca dive deep into Colorado's booming immersive theatre scene in 2026 — exploring who's building permanent venues, who's pulling back and whether the state's reputation as an immersive hotspot can survive the Denver Center's Off-Center winding down its original programming.

Alex also reports back from Mexico City, where traveling mariachi bands and a guy with a falcon hopped aboard his canal boat in Xochimilco — proving that immersive performance is truly everywhere.

Later in the episode, Alex sits down with Ren Manley, founding artistic director of Audacious Immersive, who's celebrating 10 years of scrappy, sense-driven theatre and launching a new year-round venue inside a progressive Baptist church in Denver — complete with mythological creatures, weekly RPG nights and magical mocktails.

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Plus a conversation with playwright Paul Stroili, a remarkable pickle incident at Vintage Theatre, Top 10 Colorado Headliners and more.

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca take a look at how Facebook continues to be a key messaging platform for the Colorado theatre community — even as many individuals have left the algorithm-best platform behind.

Toni also recounts a remarkable incident at a recent show, where a young woman polished off an entire container of pickles during the first act of 9 to 5 at Vintage Theatre.

Later in the episode, Alex catches up with Paul Stroili, whose play My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War is now up at Miners Alley in a regional premiere. Stroili’s 2024 comedy A Jukebox for the Algonquin was also produced at MAP.

Finally, the hosts review the weeks Top 10 Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows around the state that might be worth a look. 

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News from the state’s preeminent new play festival, plus Missy Moore’s production of K2 at Thunder River and Top 10 Colorado Headliners

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Toni Tresca and Alex Miller review their weekend at the annual Colorado New Play Summit at the Denver Center. The two saw readings of four in-development plays and hobnobbed with a cross-section of the Colorado theatre community.

Later in the episode, Alex interviews the director and two actors from the play K2, now up at Carbondale’s Thunder River Theatre Company.

Toni and Alex also run down this week’s Top 10 Colorado New Headliners, upcoming shows theatre lovers may want to check out:

Happy 2B Nappy, Manos Sagrados, Aurora, through March 1

The Roommate, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, through March 1

Silent Sky, Durango Theatreworks, through Feb. 22

Bakersfield Mist, Thingamajig Theatre at Pagosa Springs Art Center, through March 14

The Importance of Being Earnest, Bas Bleu, Fort Collins, Feb. 21-March 8

The Secret Garden (musical), Glenwood Vaudeville Review, Feb. 13-March 22

My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War, Miners Alley, Golden, Feb. 20-March 29

9 to 5 The Musical,Vintage Theatre, Aurora, Feb. 20-March 29

Decadent Desires, Wonderbound, Denver, Feb. 26-March 8

Fully Commited, Theatre SilCo, Silverthorne, Feb. 27-March 15