Denver Arts & Venues Announces 2027 Grantees for Arts Complex Creates Programming at Denver Performing Arts Complex
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DENVER – Denver Arts & Venues is excited to announce the 2027 cohort of grantees selected for Arts Complex Creates, the initiative created to amplify and diversify the city's cultural offerings by providing access to the agency’s world-class stages at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
Seven partners will receive $195k in funding for projects that fall under Arts Complex Creates’ New Works Incubator or Producing Partners opportunities, promising to bring new voices, experimental projects and innovative cultural expressions to the Arts Complex next year.
“We are thrilled to bring this new cohort of artists to the Arts Complex,” said Jody Grossman, venue director of the Denver Performing Arts Complex. “These projects and performances promise to bring the kind of storytelling and experiences that stay with you long after the curtain falls while expanding what’s possible on our stages.”
Below are the partners and projects selected for 2027’s Arts Complex Creates programming:
New Works Incubator
Paper Brigade
Paper Brigade is a new musical inspired by the true story of the writers, teachers and intellectuals who risked their lives to save Yiddish literature from Nazi destruction.
Soul Penny Circus – Séance: Lightning by Candlelight
Soul Penny Circus attempts something almost impossible: to recreate an interactive spectacle and genuine wonder for an audience that has seen everything.
Producing Partners
Band of Toughs – Bar at the End
You’re invited to the Bar at the End, a rowdy, roaming theatrical adventure from award-winning Band of Toughs, where survivors and lovable misfits stumble through an upended world in search of community and a dash of vengeful justice.
Colorado Photographic Arts Center – Photography Showcase & Book Fair
This free public event will feature 70 photographers—primarily Colorado-based—sharing portfolios, artist books and photographic artwork in an interactive exhibition and marketplace that connects artists directly with the public.
Itchy-O – Intergalactic Masquerade
Itchy-O brings its 15th annual Intergalactic Masquerade to Sculpture Park for a one-of-a-kind soiree filled with high-energy live music and cosmic pageantry.
The Right On Time – Time After Time After Time
Time After Time After Time is a 24-hour ritual karaoke performance of Cyndi Lauper’s pop anthem “Time After Time,” beginning on New Year’s Eve and ending on New Year’s Day.
Launched earlier this year, Arts Complex Creates aims to expand and diversify the cultural offerings and attract broader audiences at the Denver Performing Arts Complex through partnerships and collaborations with Denver’s creative community, as well as local, regional and national artists and arts organizations. Works from our 2026 cohort of grantees will begin premiering soon, including Valarie: A Puppet Show from Sept. 25-27, FDR’s Very Happy Hour from Oct. 14 – Nov. 1, The 49th Denver Film Festival on Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, and more. Explore all upcoming shows here.
Partners selected for Arts Complex Creates funding were chosen through an application-based process that was rooted in accessibility and inclusivity. This program also supports the goals and outcomes outlined in DENVER CREATES and will contribute to the cultural and artistic vibrancy of the city by supporting key community-identified goals. For more information on Arts Complex Creates and the selected partners, as well as other opportunities through Denver Arts & Venues, visit artsandvenues.com.
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About Denver Arts & Venues and the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Denver Arts & Venues’ mission is to enrich Denver’s quality of life and economic vitality through the advancement of arts, culture and entertainment opportunities for all. Denver Arts & Venues oversees Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Colorado Convention Center, Denver Coliseum, Theatre at Loretto Heights and McNichols Civic Center Building, using proceeds from events at these venues to run and maintain these facilities and to provide access to art for all through free and low-cost community events, grants for artists and arts organizations, public art and art education. Using Good Times, For Good. For more information, visit www.ArtsandVenues.com
Denver is a top tier city for arts and culture and its residents share great pride in the creative spirit that is alive in the Mile High City. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, a 12-acre campus of theaters and public spaces in the heart of downtown. It's home to four esteemed performing arts institutions – Colorado Ballet, Colorado Symphony, Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Opera Colorado – and plays a welcoming host to many national acts and local groups, festivals, conferences, public events and more. For more information, visit www.ArtsComplex.com