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The Creede Repertory Theater
Founded in 1966, the Creede Repertory Theater is kind of a miracle. It’s located in a small town that used to have silver mining as its main trade. When it was clear the mines were playing out, the mayor of the town at the time decided they needed something to bring in tourists. After all, it was a lovely town. Why couldn’t tourism work? They had a kind of run-down movie house, and someone had the idea to bring Broadway to small-town Colorado.
It worked. It still works.
My husband spent every summer of his childhood in Southfork, Colorado. Some of his fondest memories, though, are of going to see plays and musicals at the CRT. When his mother would come in or his grandmother, one of them would inevitably take him and his cousin to the theater.
So naturally when we started spending parts of our summers in Southfork, we went as well. I don’t think he understood how magical CRT is, but this theater kid was in awe.
All summer they run four Broadway-style productions along with a kids show and several events. In rotation. The cast rotates through each play, sometimes as the lead and sometimes in the chorus. It’s true old-school rep theater and something that is very rare in the world today.
So naturally when I created Bliss, it needed a theater. I’ve had a couple of characters from the theater, but mostly I simply mentioned it as a thing Bliss citizens do. Until Brooke’s Bliss. Now we’re inside the theater, doing the work, and it’s kind of fitting that I decided to do this all-out homage to CRT on its 60th anniversary.
This year we took our daughters to see Xanadu, and like all the other times we’ve been, it was spectacular. If you are ever in this part of Colorado from June to mid-Sept, check out the CRT. It has something for everyone and keeps the arts alive for all.
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